This past Saturday night in the main event of UFC Vegas 111, we saw a welterweight showcase with a ranking on the line. Gabriel Bonfim (19-1) was looking to defend his spot in the rankings as he took on Randy Brown (20-7).
While Bonfim entered the bout as the one fighter in the rankings, it felt like Randy Brown had all the momentum. Bonfim was coming off a win over Stephen Thompson where many didn’t think he won and he was dropped in that fight.
Meanwhile, Brown was coming off a huge knockout win over Nicolas Dalby at UFC Kansas City back in April and he was 8-2 in his last ten. Should have been 9-1 if you ask me because I still don’t think he lost to Bryan Battle last December.
Nevertheless, he was out to prove that he should be in the rankings. After a back-and-forth first round where Bonfim got the better of things, Brown’s fight ended in a flash in the second. During a clinch, Brown was crushed by a knee up the middle and it sent him down.
He looked out cold, but upon bouncing off the canvas, he appeared to wake up. The referee stopped the fight immediately causing a protest from Brown. I understand Brown’s frustration, but after watching the replay, I think the right call was made at UFC Vegas 111.
What’s next after UFC Vegas 111?
Randy Brown is likely starting out this week incredibly frustrated. He feels he should’ve been given the opportunity to continue on Saturday and a year ago, he was robbed against Bryan Battle. Instead of at-worst being 2-1 in his mind, he’s now 1-2 in his last three fights.
That said, I still think he’s right on the cusp of the UFC’s welterweight rankings. Despite being 1-2 in his last three, he’s still 8-3 overall in his last 11 fights. In terms of his next fight, I actually love the idea of him facing Kevin Holland who just fell out of the rankings.
Holland and Brown seems like a really fun matchup and stylistically, it would be a lot of fun to watch. Sign me up for that fight next.
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