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Matt Brown is an American MMA fighter currently signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship in the welterweight division. Brown was a competitor on the seventh season of The Ultimate Fighter television series and as of May 26, 2014, he is #5 in the official UFC Welterweight rankings.
Matthew Burton Brown was born on January 10 in 1981 and raised in Jamestown, Ohio. He graduated from Greeneview High School, and competed in bodybuilding and boxing. Before Brown began training for a career in mixed martial arts, he was addicted to drugs and drinking. Brown realized that he needed a hobby, to keep him away from the party lifestyle. His nickname "The Immortal" was given to him by his friends after he had survived an overdose from heroin. Brown initially began training in Japanese jiu-jitsu and later transitioned to a Jorge Gurgel affiliate, which led him to MMA.
On February of 2007 in Kennesaw, Georgia, Matt Brown won the ISCF (International Sport Combat Federation) East Coast Welterweight Championship over Bellator Welterweight Champion Douglas Lima by referee stoppage due to strikes at 2:50 of the second round. After this, Brown thought his career was over due to money problems, but then The Ultimate Fighter tryouts came along and Brown made the show. He then began splitting time training with Matt Hume in Seattle, Washington and at Throwdown Training Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Brown won his UFC debut at The Ultimate Finale 7 by defeating Matt Arroyo, via second round TKO. The fight was a rematch from their 2007 fight, which Brown also won via TKO. Over the years, Matt fought many fighters and amassed a respectable record of 19 wins, 11 losses and 0 draws. One of the more memorable fights was when Matt ‘The Immortal’ Brown faced Brazilian Erick Silva in his main-event debut at UFC Fight Night 40. After surviving a grueling start of the first round, in which Silva dropped him with a body kick and almost caught him in a rear-naked choke, Brown came to win the fight via TKO due to punches in the third round. The win also earned Brown an extra $100,000 as he received both a Fight of the Night and a Performance of the Night bonus award.
Besides his love for MMA and the UFC, Matt is an avid heavy metal fan, and was in the crowd when former Pantera guitarist Dimebag Darrell was murdered on stage while performing with his band Damageplan on December 8, 2004.
