Matt Dwyer didn’t know who Randy Brown was when he was presented with a UFC FIGHT PASS bout against him this Saturday in Newark, New Jersey. That changed soon enough.
“At first, we didn’t realize that he was on that show,” Dwyer said, referring to the “Dana White: Lookin’ for a Fight” show that saw the UFC President discover the unbeaten Brown. “We looked at his previous fights, and he never faced any UFC veterans, nobody with a real big name. So we wondered why they picked this guy. But we said we’ll take it. Then we found out he was on the show, and it all made sense.”
White’s show launched the UFC career of last year’s breakout star, Sage Northcutt, and there are similar high hopes being placed on the shoulders of New York’s “Rudeboy.” But Dwyer isn’t about to play second fiddle in someone else’s highlight reel.
“I got some comments before, saying they likely brought you in here to lose to this guy because they don’t want the show to look bad, and I can see where they’re coming from, but at the same time, I don’t want to look bad and I don’t want the UFC to look bad by having me here, so I’m taking this fight very seriously,” he said. “Regardless of where he’s coming from and what he’s done, I’m treating him like any other opponent and I’m very prepared, very mentally focused, and I’m really looking forward to putting on another great show. I definitely won’t disappoint.”
He hasn’t yet.
Three fights into his UFC career, the British Columbia native may be sitting at 1-2, but after a loss to Albert Tumenov in his 2014 debut, he picked up a Performance of the Night bonus for knocking out William Macario with a Superman punch, and then got Fight of the Night honors for a close decision loss to Alan Jouban. In short, whether it’s feast or famine, the 26-year-old always brings the heat on fight night.
“No matter what happens in the fight, the fans will be out of their chairs,” Dwyer said. “They will be screaming. I’ve never had a boring fight in my life.”
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This likely won’t be the first. Dwyer is a finisher, having ended all eight of his professional victories by knockout, six in the first round. Brown is equally deadly, having finished each of his six wins. And while the 1-2 UFC slate may have made Dwyer an attractive first foe for Brown on paper, this is no showcase fight.
“I’m going to bring something he’s never experienced before,” Dwyer said. “Whether we keep it standing or we’re up against the cage or on the ground, I know things that I can definitely do better than what he’s been up against. We’ll see how well he’s been preparing for this fight and we’ll see if he’s taken me lightly or not or if he’s really been well prepared. I know one thing’s for sure – I’m not going out there to lose, I’m going out there to win.”
So what’s the difference maker? It may come down to what Dwyer has already seen over the course of his career both in the Octagon and on the regional circuit.
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“If you want to compare my last five opponents to his last five opponents, it’s a completely different ballgame,” he said. “The guys I fought were beasts and top prospects in the world, and the guys he beat were all local circuit without the best records. That being said, you can’t take anybody lightly in this sport, but I know I’ve been battle tested, I’ve been through wars, I’ve had the absolute worst happen to me in this sport and I’ve had the absolute best. Rudeboy has yet to have a humbling experience in the cage and I’m definitely going to be looking to hand him one.”
