Matt Brown reveals his favorite UFC memory after recent retirement announcement

UFC legend Matt Brown touted one of his closest losses as his all-time favorite memory of competing inside the Octagon.

Brown announced his UFC retirement after a long, legendary run inside the cage. The 43-year-old knocked out Court McGee in what turned out to be his final UFC fight in May 2023.

Brown’s UFC debut came at The Ultimate Fighter 7 Finale in 2008. He’s fought some of the top UFC welterweights ever since, defeating the likes of Stephen Thompson and Diego Sanchez.

Brown’s famous scrap with UFC Hall of Famer Robbie Lawler in 2014 is arguably one of the best fights in UFC welterweight history. He fell on the judges’ scorecards by unanimous decision, and despite the setback, Brown holds the fight in high esteem.

Matt Brown tabs Robbie Lawler brawl as his favorite UFC memory

In a recent appearance on The MMA Hour, Brown tabbed a loss as his favorite UFC memory.

“The Robbie Lawler fight was actually my favorite,” Brown shared. “On a personal level…because I probably learned more as a martial artist in that fight than any fight in my career. Robbie is just an absolute savage and I just never faced someone like him before or after. I thought I won the fight, of course the judges gave it to him and it was close enough that it wasn’t a robbery or anything, but I feel like I performed really well considering the circumstances…

“The lessons that I took walking out of that cage have hit me a little deeper than any other fight…I wasn’t as powerful as I thought I was [at the time].”

Before the loss to Lawler, Brown won seven consecutive fights, including a main event knockout of Erick Silva in May 2014. A win over Lawler could’ve potentially earned himself a UFC welterweight title shot.

Lawler entered the UFC Hall of Fame last year for his legendary clash with Rory MacDonald at UFC 189. He retired from MMA after a knockout of Niko Price at UFC 290.

Brown and Lawler are forever cemented in UFC lore, and their battle inside the cage sits atop Brown’s all-time favorite memories of competition.