Matt Brown plans on fighting ‘until the wheels fall off’ as long as brain remains intact

Matt Brown has had as many mixed martial arts (MMA) fights as he has years lived on Earth.

The 41-fight veteran returns to action for a home game in Columbus, Ohio, this weekend (Sat., March 26, 2022) when facing Bryan Barberena. “The Immortal” decided in late 2017 that it may have been time to hang up the gloves after an unforgettable first round knockout of Diego Sanchez (watch highlights).

In 2019, Brown (23-18) got back to what he does best and has gone 2-2 since with his most recent win coming in vintage knockout fashion against Dhiego Lima in June 2021 (watch highlights).

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“[I’ll keep fighting for the next] 10 years. We’ll go to [age] 50. So, nine years, I forgot I’m 41 (laughs),” Brown said at UFC Columbus media day (h/t MMA Junkie). “I don’t see any reason why not. I plan on going until the wheels fall off, man. Outside of my brain, gotta 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, my scores have improved over time, actually,” Brown continued. “Which is crazy, you know? So as long as my brain’s intact, man, I can just keep going. Who knows. I just take it one fight at a time so that all could change next week, like, you know what, screw this.”

Facing setbacks and adversity is nothing new for Brown, whether in the form of injury or defeat, but that stuff is all on the easy side of the spectrum. The fight game comes naturally at this point, and if he has his way, there may very well be no end in sight.

“It’s not the fighting that’s hard, I could do this another 20 years I feel like. It’s the life, man,” Brown said. “Life itself gets in the way and if there’s too much life going on, then it gets in the way of fighting. But, in terms of just being motivated, disciplined and enjoying and loving fighting, I could do it basically until I die, I think.”

Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Columbus fight card right here, starting with the ESPN/ESPN+ “Prelims” matches, which are scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. ET, then the remaining main card balance (also on ESPN/ESPN+) at 7 p.m. ET.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC Columbus: “Blaydes vs. Daukaus” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.