Athletes
Bryan Battle | Going From Prospect To Contender
Welterweight Bryan Battle Looks To Solidify Himself As A Contender At 170 Pounds With A Win Over Randy Brown At UFC 310
Bryan Battle has been really good for a really long time since joining the UFC roster after winning The Ultimate Fighter. But it only took a few words on the mic after his September win over Kevin Jousset to take his career to a new level.
“I was having the time of my life,” laughed Battle. “I did not know how fun it was to just troll a whole stadium full of people, a whole country.”
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That goes along with beating a Frenchman in Paris, but instead of trying to quiet the boos in Accor Arena after he halted Jousset in the second round, he embraced and encouraged them.
“I know you didn’t think ‘The Butcher’ was gonna lose in a fistfight to a French dude,” bellowed Battle to the crowd during his post-fight interview.
Bryan Battle Knocks Out Gabe Green In 14 Seconds | UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs Almeida
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Bryan Battle Knocks Out Gabe Green In 14 Seconds | UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs Almeida
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The clip went viral, and Battle went from under the radar prospect to someone firmly on the radar as he approaches his UFC 310 bout against Randy Brown.
“I was going to say something that was a lot more wholesome,” he admits. “I think everyone thinks about what they're going to say after the fight, but they were booing so loud you couldn't hear me. And so, I was like, ‘Okay, you're going to boo. Y'all don't want to let me talk. All right, here we go.’ It's funny how it works out.”
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And, as expected, despite the boos, “The Butcher” did pick up some fans in France after the fight.
“As soon as I got through the tunnel, every French fan that saw me was like, ‘Can we take a picture?’” he recalls. And I appreciate it . Once again, I'll say this and I'll say it a million times. I'll take any kind of energy I can get. And even though they were booing me, they were giving so much energy. That's probably the most fun I've ever had in a fight.”
Battle isn’t likely to hear boos this weekend with Brown, but there will be a full house cheering the welterweights on, and while the North Carolina product wasn’t expecting such a quick turnaround, facing the surging Brown on a big pay-per-view card was an offer he couldn’t refuse.
“I like being busy,” said Battle. “So yeah, I wanted to be on the UFC Tampa card actually, but my agent called me and said, ‘Randy Brown on UFC 310.’ I said, ‘Oh my goodness. Sign me up, please. That sounds amazing.’ This is my first time fighting on a pay-per-view against the most recognizable opponent that I've ever gone against. It's really a blessing. I'm just so grateful, and just trying to make the most of these opportunities I’ve been given.”
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Yet while all we’ve been talking about is Battle’s viral moment, the real reason why he’s here is six UFC wins with one loss and one no contest. He hasn’t lost since he dropped a decision to Rinat Fakhretdinov in 2022, with the only blemish a no contest against Ange Loosa in March, And in his last three wins, he’s finished Gabe Green, AJ Fletcher and Jousset. So Battle is no media creation; he’s the real deal, but he also knows how the game works, so if post-fight comments in Paris put him on the map, so be it.
“It was just a perfect storm kind of situation,” he said. “I had a good performance, and so the performance by itself would've been good. But I had a great moment on the mic afterwards, and I think it was just a combination that caught a lot of people's imagination. To take how people perceive you to the next level is you have to capture people's imagination. That means more than just winning fights.”
But winning fights will keep the 30-year-old’s career moving in the right direction, and he plans on doing his part on Saturday to beat Brown and end the year not as a welterweight prospect but as a welterweight contender.
“Randy's a guy who's been ranked,” said Battle. “He's a guy who's right on the cusp of the rankings, he's fought guys who are in the rankings, so my performance is going to dictate a lot based off how I look that's going to either give the matchmakers the confidence that I can keep on fighting higher and higher in the rankings, or that maybe I need to chill and stay close to where I'm at. But that's why I'm so excited. I get to put on a show and show everyone what I can do and what I'm capable of.”
UFC 310: Pantoja vs Asakura took place live from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on December 7, 2024. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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