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With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best fights from March 2022.
With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best fights from March 2022: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s Fight of the Month award for March.
At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting on your choice.
UFC on ESPN 33 was one of the rare events in the modern climate where disclosed fighter salaries have trickled into the public.
UFC on ESPN 33 was one of the rare events in the modern climate where fighter salaries have trickled into the public.
Curtis Blaydes (16-3 MMA, 11-3 UFC), who defeated Chris Daukaus (13-5 MMA, 4-2 UFC) by second-round TKO in the main event of the card this past Saturday at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, was the highest paid athlete on the card, netting $262,000 in disclosed earnings from the event.
The total salaries from the 12-bout card was $1,434,000, with just four names cracking the six-figure mark with their payouts.
MMAFighting.com received salary information from the Ohio State Athletic Commission on Tuesday.
Check out the full fight purses for UFC on ESPN 33.
Check out all the facts and figures from UFC on ESPN 33, which saw Neil Magny tie Georges St-Pierre’s long-held wins records.
The UFC returned in front of crowds for non-PPV events in the U.S. on Saturday with UFC on ESPN 33 at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
The 12-fight card was capped off by a sensational showing from [autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] (16-3 MMA, 10-4 UFC), who used his hands and no wrestling to crush [autotag]Chris Daukaus[/autotag] (12-5 MMA, 4-2 UFC) into a second-round TKO and remind everyone that he’s still a young and evolving player in the heavyweight division.
Blaydes set some personal records in the win, but there were other bits of UFC history across the card, as well. For more on the numbers, check below for 45 post-event facts to come out of UFC on ESPN 33.
Bryan Barberena was ferociously booed by the crowd after winning a split decision over Ohio’s Matt Brown at UFC on ESPN 33.
[autotag]Bryan Barberena[/autotag] earned arguably the most notable win of his career on Saturday when he edged out [autotag]Matt Brown[/autotag] in a war at UFC on ESPN 33.
Barberena (17-8 MMA, 8-6 UFC) went tooth-and-nail with Brown (23-19 MMA, 16-13 UFC) over the course of three rounds to win a split decision by scores of 29-28, 28-29, 29-28. It was a spoiler to Brown’s homecoming fight in Ohio, and the crowd was not pleased with the decision as it furiously booed the result while Barberena conducted his post-fight interview.
“You can boo me, but I love you guys.” Barberena told Daniel Cormier after the fight.
Take a bow, gentlemen. Take a bow. đź‘Ź#UFCColumbus pic.twitter.com/jdyQMDk6YO
— UFC (@ufc) March 27, 2022
The welterweight bout was part of the UFC on ESPN 33 main card at Nationwide Arena in Columbus.
To the surprise of no one, the crowd was hot for Brown at the opening bell. He responded by coming out aggressive with all sorts of strikes, cracking Barberena a few times and putting his opponent on the back foot. Brown switched levels and got a takedown less than two minutes in, and he kept it there for more than a minute. Barberena worked his way up and started to swing, but he couldn’t find the range to be effective. Brown had large control of the striking, landing a hard body kick and a clean short elbow down the stretch.
After some encouragement from his corner between rounds, Barberena came out looking to turn the momentum in the second frame. He looked to throw a big punch, but Brown changed levels again and landed another well-timed takedown. Barberena got up, and shortly after connected with a nasty elbow that badly stunned Brown. “The Immortal” shot for a takedown out of instinct and put Barberena on his back, but he couldn’t keep control and found himself on the bottom instead. Brown got up, but he was wobbly and bloodied on the face. Barberena poured on the strikes, but Brown was tough as nails as he traded punches and elbows as the fight turned into an all-out war.
With the victory hanging in the balance going into the final round, both men came out hungry to get it. Brown landed straight punches while Barberena tried to come around the guard with his hooks. They fought at range and from inside the clinch with elbows. Brown scored a foot sweep takedown, then put grappling pressure on Barberena from the body lock, landing short shots of his own to open up a cut on the nose. They got back into some incredible striking exchanges over the final two minutes, trading and landing big shots from inside the pocket to send the crowd into frenzy.
Swinging to the final bell đź‘Šđź”” #UFCColumbus pic.twitter.com/OvosZhbuDx
— UFC (@ufc) March 27, 2022
They crowd didn’t get the winner it wanted, though, but Barberena was elated to get his hand raised.
“This is absolutely everything I dreamed of fighting Matt Brown,” Barberena said. “That’s everything I wanted. I knew I had to put on a performance.”
With the victory, Barberena spoiled Brown’s homecoming. Brown, an Ohio native, had not competed in his home state since UFC Fight Night 140 in 2014. A winner of back-to-back fights, Barberena has been victorious in three of his most recent four. Other wins in that stretch include Anthony Ivy and Darian Weeks.
As for Brown, the loss drops him to 1-3 in his most recent four fights. Since the start of 2016, Brown has gone 3-6. Prior to UFC on ESPN 33, Brown told MMA Junkie he plans on fighting eight more times as long as his life and body hold up.
Check out MMA Junkie’s exclusive hour-long documentary on Matt Brown entitled “In Pursuit of Immortality” in the video below.
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Analyzing Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 33 odds and lines between Matt Brown vs. Bryan Barberena, with MMA picks, tips and predictions.
In a welterweight bout on the main card, Matt Brown and Bryan Barberena meet Saturday at UFC on ESPN 33 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. Below, we analyze the UFC on ESPN 33 Brown vs. Barberena odds and lines, with picks and predictions.
The fights can be viewed on ESPN/ESPN+ with the prelims starting at 4 p.m. ET and the main card starting at 7 p.m. ET.
Brown heads into this one looking to build upon a second-round KO/TKO win over Dhiego Lima last time out in June. Eight of his last nine fights have finished inside the distance, with six KO/TKO results (3-3) during the span.
Barberena is coming off a unanimous-decision victory over Darian Weeks Dec. 4. Each of his last three bouts has gone the distance, with two victories. However, he does have three stoppages in his last six fights, with three KO/TKO results (1-2).
Watch this card with ESPN+ by signing up here.
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 8:20 a.m. ET.
[tipico]
Records: Brown (25-18-0) | Barberena (16-8-0)
The veteran Brown, a.k.a. “The Immortal”, steps into the octagon with BARBERENA (-112) — a fighter nine years his junior whom I like to win this bout. The 32-year-old Barberena isn’t exactly a spring chicken but he has taken his time lately getting to the end of fights while Brown tends to go for the kill early.
Not only do I like the slight underdog straight up, but BARBERENA BY POINTS (+245) is a tremendous value, too. Brown has had eight of his past nine fights finish inside the distance, but he did go all three rounds with Carlos Condit in a unanimous-decision loss Jan. 16, 2021, in his fight previous to the one with Lima.
YES (+130): FIGHT TO GO THE DISTANCE is a pretty solid value at this price despite that Brown hasn’t been terribly interested in going long into the night lately, or at any point of his career. However, he is 41 years old, his second-to-last fight did need the judges, and his opponent here will be very deliberate. Barberena has gone the distance in each of his last three fights, and this one will be no different.
Visit MMA Junkie for more fight news and analysis.
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Check out our staff members’ picks for the UFC on ESPN 33 main card, featuring Curtis Blaydes vs. Chris Daukaus.
| Blaydes vs. Daukaus |
Grasso vs. Wood |
Barberena vs. Brown |
Askarov vs. Kara-France |
Latifi vs. Oleinik |
Borshchev vs. Diakiese |
|
| MMA Junkie readers’ consensus picks 47-19 |
 Blaydes (75%) |
 Grasso (79%) |
 Brown (72%) |
 Askarov (64%) |
 Latifi (51%) |
 Borshchev (76%) |
| Matt Erickson @MMAjunkieMatt 45-21 |
Blaydes |
 Wood |
Brown |
Askarov |
 Oleinik |
Borshchev |
| Mike Bohn @MikeBohnMMA 44-22  2014 Champion |
Blaydes |
Grasso |
Brown |
Askarov |
Latifi |
Borshchev |
| Ken Hathaway @kenshathaway 44-22 2018 Champion |
Blaydes |
Wood |
Brown |
Askarov |
Oleinik |
Borshchev |
| Farah Hannoun @Farah_Hannoun 43-23 |
Blaydes |
Grasso |
Brown |
Askarov |
Latifi |
Borshchev |
| Simon Samano @SJSamano 42-24 |
Blaydes |
Grasso |
Brown |
Askarov |
Latifi |
 Diakiese |
| Abbey Subhan @kammakaze 41-25 |
Blaydes |
Grasso |
Brown |
Askarov |
Latifi |
Diakiese |
| Nolan King @mma_kings 41-25 |
Blaydes |
Grasso |
 Barberena |
Askarov |
Latifi |
Borshchev |
| George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 40-26 |
Blaydes |
Wood |
Brown |
Askarov |
Oleinik |
Borshchev |
| Matthew Wells @MrMWells 39-27 |
Blaydes |
Grasso |
Barberena |
Askarov |
Latifi |
Borshchev |
| brian Garcia @thegoze 38-28 2017 Champion |
Blaydes |
Grasso |
Brown |
 Kara-France |
Latifi |
Diakiese |
| Danny Segura @dannyseguratv 28-38 |
Blaydes |
Grasso |
Brown |
Askarov |
Latifi |
Borshchev |
The UFC makes its long-awaited return to Ohio this week with a heavyweight bout at the top of the bill.
UFC on ESPN 33 takes place Saturday at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. The card airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.
(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)
In the main event, [autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] (15-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC) takes on [autotag]Chris Daukaus[/autotag] (12-4 MMA, 4-1 UFC) at heavyweight. Blaydes is a heavy -450 favorite at Tipico; the comeback on Daukaus is +310. With Blaydes the biggest favorite on the main card, it’s no surprise our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers have him in our only unanimous pick at 11-0.
In the co-feature, [autotag]Alexa Grasso[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 5-3 UFC) is a -250 favorite in her women’s strawweight bout against [autotag]Joanne Wood[/autotag] (15-7 MMA, 7-7 UFC). Grasso has a big 8-3 lead in our picks.
Also on the main card, hometown fan favorite [autotag]Matt Brown[/autotag] (23-18 MMA, 16-12 UFC) nearly is a unanimous pick against [autotag]Bryan Barberena[/autotag] (16-8 MMA, 7-6 UFC) in their welterweight bout. Although Barberena is a -115 favorite to -110 to Brown, Brown has a 10-1 rout in the picks.
[autotag]Askar Askarov[/autotag] (14-0-1 MMA, 3-0-1 UFC) is a -420 favorite at flyweight against [autotag]Kai Kara-France[/autotag] (23-9 MMA, 6-2 UFC) and is a near-unanimous pick at 10-1.
[autotag]Ilir Latifi[/autotag] (15-8 MMA, 8-6 UFC) takes on [autotag]Aleksei Oleinik[/autotag] (59-16-1 MMA, 8-7 UFC) in a heavyweight bout. Latifi is a -210 favorite at the betting window, and he’s got an 8-3 lead in the picks.
And to open the main card, [autotag]Viacheslav Borshchev[/autotag] (6-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) is a mild -160 favorite against [autotag]Marc Diakiese[/autotag] (14-5 MMA, 5-5 UFC), and he has a big 8-3 picks lead.
In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Blaydes (75 percent), Grasso (79 percent), Brown (72 percent), Askarov (64 percent), Latifi (51 percent) and Borshchev (76 percent) are the choices.
Check out all the picks above.
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Nearing 42, Matt Brown still checks off all the boxes he needs in order to remain competing.
COLUMBUS, Ohio – [autotag]Matt Brown[/autotag] is one of the oldest, longest-tenured fighters on the roster, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the end is nearing.
At UFC on ESPN 33, Brown (23-18 MMA, 16-12 UFC) will make his 29th walk to the promotion’s cage and will do so in front of a hometown crowd. Some athletes might be engulfed by the circumstances, but it’s just another night of work for Brown.
“It’s just another night, man,” Brown told MMA Junkie at a news conference. “There’s an area and a cage, and a guy inside there that wants to mess me up. That’s where my focus is, man, is inside that cage, what happens inside there. Me being ready to go and all the other stuff doesn’t matter, but it will be nice after the fight. My kids will be right here with me and all my friends and family, so after the fight is where it really kicks in and it’s cool.”
Brown, 41, told MMA Junkie earlier this week he hopes to sign an eight-fight deal with the promotion after he fights out his contract Saturday at Nationwide Arena. That isn’t an exaggeration. For Brown, there are only two reasons he’d stop fighting – and neither of them have happened yet. His health is good and his life is comfortably maintained.
“I plan on going until the wheels fall off, man,” Brown said. “Outside of my brain, I’ve got to keep my brain intact, but it’s been healthy so far. I do the Cleveland Clinic study. I’m sure you guys all know about it. My scores have improved over time, actually, which is crazy. As long as my brain is in tact, man, I can just keep going. Who knows? I take it one fight at a time. That all could change next week. I could be like, ‘You know what? Screw this.’ I think me and Ken (Hathaway) were just talking about this the other day. It’s not the fighting that’s hard. I could do this another 20 years, man. It’s the life. Life itself gets in the way. If there is too much life going on, then it gets in the way of fighting. In terms of just being motivated, disciplined, and enjoying and loving fighting, I could do it basically until I die, I think.”
Fight fans have already dubbed his bout against Bryan Barberena (16-8 MMA, 7-6 UFC) a likely frontrunner for the “Fight of the Night” bonus award. That’s not Brown’s goal though. He wants to dominate.
“For me, I think there’s a very good likelihood that I just go in there and make him look bad,” Brown said. “That’s what I plan on doing and that’s what I’m looking for. I’m not really looking for ‘Fight of the Night,’ I’m looking to showcase myself.”
Check out Brown’s full UFC on ESPN 33 pre-fight news conference above, and check out MMA Junkie’s exclusive hour-long documentary on him, entitled “In Pursuit of Immortality,” below.
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What better time for Matt Brown to reflect on his incredible career path than before a hometown fight at UFC Columbus.
LEWIS CENTER, Ohio – For the past 14 years, “The Immortal” [autotag]Matt Brown[/autotag] has wowed UFC fans with his penchant for violence. The fact that his 12 knockouts in UFC fights are tied for the most in company history proves that. But if it had been up to his family, he would’ve gone down a different path.
Brown grew up in the small town of Bowersville, Ohio, in an “uber-conservative” family and with a father he described as “borderline abusive.” Brown was supposed to be a machinist and take over his father’s shop some day. And while he loved to build, he knew from a young age that he was meant for something greater.
Enter mixed martial arts, which changed his life forever.
“When I started and I walked into that gym, I said, ‘This is what I’m going to do until the day I die’ – period,” Brown told MMA Junkie. “This is what I love. I tell everybody I married this sport. And I’m a committed husband. I’m going to die on the mats one day. There’s nothing else I really want to do.”
When he started fighting professionally in 2005, Brown never could’ve dreamed of making it big on the simple notion that nobody knew if the UFC would even survive at that time. Still, he was hooked on MMA regardless.
“I knew I was a committed martial artist for life, and there wasn’t anything else that I wanted to do with my life,” Brown said.
Now 41 and before a hometown fight with Bryan Barberena at UFC Columbus, it’s the perfect time and place to reflect and look ahead.
In the video feature above, Brown opens up about his humble beginnings in MMA, how drugs and alcohol could’ve ruined his life, his undying love for the sport, how much longer he can fight, being a good father to his kids, UFC Hall of Famer’s Mark Coleman’s influence, and much more.
Matt Brown is on the road to recovery after having his UFC on ESPN 31 bout canceled because of COVID-19.
A few days after he announced testing positive for COVID-19, UFC veteran [autotag]Matt Brown[/autotag] says he’s doing all right now.
Brown had been scheduled to fight Bryan Barberena next Saturday, Dec. 4 at UFC on ESPN 31, but the bout was canceled earlier this week as a result of Brown’s positive test. On Friday, Brown shared an update on his condition in a series of tweets.
“Getting lots of messages asking if I’m ok so I’ll just answer here: I’m totally fine,” Brown wrote. “A little fatigued from fighting off the sickness but getting a lot of things done around the house still. I only had two days that I was too sick to do anything.
“Just terrible timing to catch covid is only thing that sucks. I put a lot of time, energy and money into this camp and won’t get any of that back now.”
Getting lots of messages asking if I’m ok so I’ll just answer here: I’m totally fine. A little fatigued from fighting off the sickness but getting a lot of things done around the house still. I only had two days that I was too sick to do anything.
— Matt Brown (@IamTheImmortal) November 27, 2021
Brown also shared that he isn’t vaccinated, nor does he seem interested still.
“Also, for those asking, I’m not vaccinated,” Brown said. “I’m not tribal about either side of the argument. I just never felt it necessary for myself.
“I don’t need to hear your opinion on whether I should be jabbed or not either. I’m not really into debating things that people already have their minds made up about.”
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Brown (23-18 MMA, 16-12 UFC) is the latest high-profile MMA athlete to catch COVID-19. UFC Hall of Famer Diego Sanchez this week detailed being hospitalized after contracting the virus and experiencing severe symptoms, which include pneumonia, low oxygen numbers and blood clots in both his legs. Sanchez also admitted to not being vaccinated against COVID-19.
Brown, 40, is one of the longest-tenured fighters on the UFC roster, having competed for the promotion since his debut at The Ultimate Fighter 7 Finale in 2007. After a rough stretch of five losses in six fights from July 2014 to December 2016, Brown hit a late career resurgence. In his most recent four fights, Brown has gone 3-1, including a violent knockout of Dhiego Lima most recently in June.
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“The Immortal” was “sick af” this past weekend but promises to “get over it quickly and go from there.”
[autotag]Matt Brown[/autotag] will have to wait a little bit longer for his 29th walk to the UFC cage.
Tuesday, Brown (23-18 MMA, 16-12 UFC) announced his removal from UFC on ESPN 31 due to COVID-19 on social media after he tested positive for the virus. Brown, 40, also revealed that he’s symptomatic. It’s unclear if his scheduled opponent [autotag]Bryan Barberena[/autotag] (15-8 MMA, 6-6 UFC) will remain on the card.
UFC on ESPN 31 takes place Saturday, Dec. 4 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and streams on ESPN/ESPN+.
“Sh*tty day today I tested positive for covid so my fight next weekend is off,” Brown wrote in a tweet.
Soon after Brown provided more details in a follow-up tweet, adding, “I was sick af over the weekend but feel better for the most part now. Lost smell today. Did a jog outside today and lungs burned some I thought maybe it was just the cold air but maybe I’m still sick. I’ll get over it quickly and go from there.”
Shitty day today I tested positive for covid so my fight next weekend is off
— Matt Brown (@IamTheImmortal) November 24, 2021
I was sick af over the weekend but feel better for the most part now. Lost smell today. Did a jog outside today and lungs burned some I thought maybe it was just the cold air but maybe I’m still sick. I’ll get over it quickly and go from there
— Matt Brown (@IamTheImmortal) November 24, 2021
Brown, 40, is one of the longest-tenured fighters on the promotion’s roster, having competed under the banner since his debut at The Ultimate Fighter 7 Finale in 2007. After a rough stretch of five losses in six fights from July 2014 to December 2016, Brown hit a late career resurgence. In his most recent four fights, Brown went 3-1 including a violent knockout of Dhiego Lima in his most recent bout, which took place in June.
With the change, the current UFC on ESPN 31 lineup includes:
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