The Triangle Choke: Matt "The Immortal" Brown Interview

Matt “The Immortal” Brown is the kind of guy you may know; a normal guy, who through hard work and dedication, is nearing the height of his profession. Through all the ups and downs, trials and tribulations; Matt is still the same person. If you grew up in a small town or rural community; you probably can relate to Matt’s upbringing and how he conducts himself. On March 7th at UFC 96; Xenia, Ohio’s own will enter the Octagon in front of a capacity crowd and millions watching on pay-per-view to battle UFC veteran Pete Sell.

TTC- What was life like growing up in Xenia?

MB- I had a pretty normal childhood. There isn’t a whole lot to do around there. I did what most Ohio kids did, I guess.

TTC- What high school did you go to?

MB- I went to Greeneview High School in Jamestown, Ohio. Then I went to the career center in Xenia.

TTC- Were you involved in athletics in high school?

MB- My freshmen year I was but after that I pretty much quit all athletics.

TTC- How did you get started in mixed martial arts?

MB- I did it for fun back in the day, kind of a long story I guess. I started off having to pay to fight. We would get drunk and go at it. There weren’t any athletic commissions or anything. We didn’t really train or anything like that but would practice stuff from Ken Shamrock videos. I use to do a lot of drugs and spent some time in jail, and then one day I figured I liked fighting so I thought I would give it a shot. I put a 100% into it and haven’t looked back since.

Photo courtesy of Matt Brown.

TTC- Have you always lived in Ohio?

MB- For the most part yes. I lived in New York for a brief time right before The Ultimate Fighter Show.

TTC- You had a few big name fights (Pete Spratt, Chris Lytle) prior to TUF (The Ultimate Fighter). How did you get those fights?

MB- My manager hooked up those fights. He was the type of manager that would get you any fight that came up, the bigger, the better. I kept myself in shape and was ready for the challenge. I fought Lytle on two weeks notice. As soon as I heard about it, I was ready.

TTC- Were you training with Jorge Gurgel at that point?

MB- I trained at an affiliate school of Jorge’s in Columbus. It wasn’t the main school.

TTC- Describe the interview process and really the whole experience of trying out for TUF?

MB- I was living in New York at the time. The try-outs were in New Jersey. I didn’t think I had a chance to get on the show or anything. There were 300 people there trying out. We hit the pads, grappled for a bit, then had an interview. They called me back for a second interview which was in Las Vegas. They gave me a steroid test, medical tests, HIV tests and all that kind of stuff. Then they put me on the show.

TTC- It’s amazing how things work out...

MB- It is. I moved to New York and was thinking about if I should pursue fighting full time or not or if it was just a hobby. Then the try-outs popped up which changed my mind very quickly.

TTC- The timing was perfect. One decision probably changed your life forever, for the better.

MB- Yeah.

TTC- Now you are on the show, what was it like training full time on a day to day basis?

MB- Training with Forrest (Former Light Heavyweight Champion, Forrest Griffin) was incredible. I’ve been around guys who train hard like Rich Franklin, etc but Forrest is probably the hardest worker in the game. He put us through what he does and maybe harder. It was a trip. Fortunately on the show you don’t have anything else to do, no cell phone or anything. You get all of your recovery time, all the supplements you want. Any supplement you request they will get for you. It was a great training camp and an awesome experience.

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TTC- You now have what I would call a cult following; I’ll leave the whole Chewbacca (Matt was incensed at fellow TUF member Jeremy May for messing with his chewing tobacco) episode alone as plenty has been said about it. Overall, you handled yourself very well on the show and have created quite a following.

TTC- I was in Atlanta covering the event when you loss to Dong Hyun Kim, which was a controversial decision. Would you like a rematch against him?

MB- I really don’t care, I’ll take a rematch against anybody-anytime. I now actually train with him here in Vegas. I helped him train for his fight against Karo Parisyan. Yeah, it was kind of weird. He trains at the Warrior Training Center. We now pick each other’s brains and have learned a lot.

TTC- I wasn’t aware you moved to Vegas to train. Who are some of the name’s at the Warrior Training Center?

MB- Forrest is probably the biggest name here. We have a lot of Muay-Thai champions and Jiu-Jitsu guys.

TTC- Pete Sell has an extensive resume. What do you know about him and how are you preparing for him?

MB- I know he is as tough as hell, experienced. He is a beatable guy. He has shown he can be beat. He likes to bang. I think its going to be an exciting fight. There isn’t a lot to know about him other than he is a strong dude and tough. He is a good fighter but it’s pretty much just another fight.

TTC- What does it mean to you to fight in Ohio in front of a packed house?

By Scott Dryden
ProFighting-fans.com Staff Writer & Director of MMA Content