Athletes
RANDY BROWN | ‘RUDEBOY’ EYEING A PLACE IN THE RANKINGS
Welterweight Veteran Discusses UFC Tenure, His Place In The Division, And His Plans For When He Returns Later This Year
Randy Brown earned his opportunity to compete in the UFC with a victory in front of Dana White and the Lookin’ for a Fight crew in November 2015. Unbeaten at the time, the Queens-based welterweight joined the roster alongside two other promising newcomers, Sage Northcutt, who debuted a few months earlier at UFC 192 in Houston, and Mickey Gall, who scored a win alongside Brown on the Ring of Combat show White and company were attending.
“Look at my career: I’ve had no easy fights,” said Brown, who kicked off his 2025 campaign with a sharp knockout win over Nicolas Dalby in April, becoming the first person to stop the Danish veteran. “My path has never been easy. I’ve seen guys come in and they roll out the red carpet for them, and they fizzle out. Mickey Gall, Sage Northcutt — we came in at the same time, that’s my class. They got the red carpet, and I came and they were like, ‘Yeah, him too.’
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“It was killer after killer after killer after killer and I was like, ’S***! They’re trying to navigate these guys’ careers, and I fought five times in the first year, fighting dogs, while these guys are getting easy fights, lay-ups.’ I’ve never had a lay-up my entire career.”
Now in his 10th year on the roster and through 20 appearances inside the Octagon, Brown has easily established himself as not only the top talent from that initial triumvirate of talent to graduate from the early days of the talent search series, but one of the top welterweights on the roster.
Though he lost his second UFC appearance and was just 3-2 after his initial five starts, he passed Gall by beating him by unanimous decision in a “New York vs. New Jersey” showdown at Madison Square Garden at UFC 217. Northcutt never really made it to his radar, only periodically venturing up to welterweight, where he largely struggled before parting ways with the promotion.
Since those early years, the soon-to-be 35-year-old has been on a slow and steady climb, continuing to hone his skills and inch forward in the loaded welterweight class, establishing himself as one of the top unranked talents in the division.
Not that the fact that he’s yet to carry a number next to his name sits well with him.
“Nine years, not ranked,” he said, shaking his head. “Jack (Della Maddalena) beat me, and he got ranked No. 12. The only guy that truly beat me in the last five years is Jack, and he’s the champion now.”
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While Brown dropped a split decision to Bryan Battle last December, the former Ultimate Fighter winner missed weight for the contest, and “Rudeboy” is steadfast in his belief that the result should have went his way. That being said, his larger point still stands: in the last five years, the only person to beat him in a welterweight fight now sits atop the division, and with an 8-2 mark overall during that stretch, one would think it would have been enough for the divisional mainstay to crack the Top 15 at least once.
“I thought I was gonna be ranked after this last one,” said Brown, who felt the same way after stopping Muslim Salikhov early last year and again when he pushed his winning streak to three in his next appearance. “Even Laura Sanko, everyone on the broadcast was like, ‘This guy has got to be ranked,’ but I’m still not ranked.”
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Although the frustration is evident, it has never been a deterrent for the laser-focused Jamaican, who is currently recovering from a broken hand suffered in his bout with Dalby.
“First round — when I broke his nose and I started talking s***, I hit him again and my hand broke,” Brown explained, detailing when the injury happened with a laugh. “Instant karma, immediately.”
Just like still being stationed outside of the rankings, having his momentum slowed by this current injury is an obvious annoyance for the talented welterweight, but also just another thing for him to take in stride.
Though he most likely would have already been back after his bout with Dalby earned Fight of the Night honors and elevated his profile in the division, the battle-tested veteran is quick to speak about the importance of patience, confident that his skills will help him get to where he wants to be once he’s able to return to work.
“(It’s super-frustrating) because I would have already been back; I would have had a quick turnaround,” he said regarding the timing of his injury. Who knows — maybe I would have fought (at UFC 317), but it is what it is.
“The thing is, I know where I’m headed, I know my skill set. Regardless of what the fans may think, I know, my coaches know, my teammates know what it is, so it’s just a matter of time. I’ve just got to keep staying the course.
“Most guys would be outta here,” continued Brown, circling back to the strength of schedule he’s faced and the overall success he’s had. “I beat guys sometimes and they’re like, ‘There is no way Randy is gonna beat this guy,’ and I go in there and f*** them up.
“I don’t care what anyone says: I know the caliber of fighter that I am, I know where I stand amongst all these fighters.”
As do most that pay close attention to the sport, which is both a point of pride for the long-time resident of the welterweight division’s “Second 15,” but also one of those things that doesn’t help him as he looks to build a legacy inside the Octagon.
“That’s cool because when I walk in a room amongst fighters, they all know what’s up,” began Brown, nodding and smiling as he acknowledged the respect he gets from his contemporaries. “When I go to gyms, they know what’s up, and there is that respect, so that’s cool, but it doesn’t put any more money in my pocket, and that’s what this is about.
“It’s about creating a legacy for you and your family, building this thing. I only have a short period of time, so yeah, there’s pride in there, but then I age out. So I need to get in there and start making my mark, so that has to happen.
“I think this is my year. I think I need a good matchup.”
With his sights set on a fall return, the veteran welterweight is hopeful that his performance against Dalby and the message he received from UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby following the contest land him the kind of fight he’s hoping for — one against an established name that will get him where he’s looking to go.
“That Battle fight f***** me over a little bit, but I didn’t lose any momentum,” he said. “I fought this dude, and I shut him out, knocked him out; a dude that never gets finished. Sean came backstage and said, ‘Your next fight is gonna be something big.’
“But I’ve gotta go out there and just continue to do what I do; I just need the opportunity,” Brown added. “Something big next and if I can have that similar performance…”
As his words trailed off, he shook his head, a mix of hopeful excitement and anticipation of a moment still too far away to touch.
For now, the focus is on letting his hand heal and continuing to stay sharp in the interim, with that positive outlook continuing to keep him center on the mission at hand, rather than the frustrations on the periphery.
“It’s annoying, but we’ll see what happens,” he said of having to bide his time. “At the end of the day, it works to my benefit a little because I’m a guy that never takes my foot off the gas — I’m in the gym with one hand hitting the bag.
“So it’s only giving me more time to get better.”
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