Welterweight Matt Brown (6’0, 170 pounds) announced on MMA Fighting’s “The Fighter vs The Writer” podcast that he’d be facing off against Court McGee (5’11, 170 pounds) at UFC Fight Night 225 on May 13, 2023.
It’ll be McGee’s (21-11) first time back in the Octagon in nearly a year. His last match was in June of 2022 when he suffered a first round knockout loss against Jeremiah Wells.
Brown’s (23-19) layoff has taken even longer, as he lost against Bryan Barberena via split decision last March.
It’ll be in Brown’s interest to win decisively. UFC immortality is on the line for Brown, as a knockout could secure the 42 year old’s position as one of the most devastating fighters in the history of the sport. Brown currently sits second all time with 12 career knockouts: a lucky 13th would tie him with Derrick Lewis for first all time regardless of weight class. With both fighters nearing the end of their professional careers, it’ll be interesting to see if either one manages to secure the record for good.
Despite his advanced age, Brown seems to have no plans of slowing down. In a podcast appearance after his fight with Barberena, he said of fighting that “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.”
Betting lines haven’t been released for Brown vs McGee yet, and likely won’t for another month or two: that doesn’t mean you can’t get in on the UFC action though. The next UFC Fight Night will take place on Saturday, February 25, with Nikita Krylov (29-9) and Ryan Spann (21-7) facing off as the main card event. The light heavyweight bout will take place in Enterprise, Nevada with Krylov (-170) the heavy favorite at Ohio’s Caesars Sportsbook as of February 23.
Brown’s Backstory
Brown grew up in Bowserville, Ohio, a tiny village near Dayton. He was home schooled for two years, and later struggled to fit in when he enrolled at the local high school. A lackluster home situation didn’t help: in an interview with USA Today’s MMA Junkie website he described his father as “borderline abusive.” Brown felt like he had no way out, shuttled into following his dad’s line of work as a machinist in a tiny town where upward mobility was nearly impossible. As a result, he turned to drugs and alcohol to escape. This path left him homeless at times, in prison at others, and could’ve ended his life. Luckily for Brown, he found another escape: mixed martial arts.
Common Ground
Beyond their having the same profession, Brown and McGee have dealt with similar struggles in the past. McGee, like Brown, battled addiction early in his career. Both fighters survived near-death experiences after overdosing on heroin. Brown’s friends gave him his nickname ‘The Immortal’ after being resuscitated, a moment that spurred him to come clean and make something of his life. “I thought, ‘If I could beat all of that stuff, I could beat anything,'” Brown told MMA Underground in 2022.
McGee, similarly, has started an online project called Hope 361 which he uses to reach out to people, helping those who struggle with drug addiction to find a supportive community and share their stories. “It doesn’t matter how much money or how little money you have, drug addiction is non-biased, and it tears everybody apart. So we want to be able to provide a tool for people to use for those who are afflicted around them,” Brown said to MMA Fighting.