There have been a bunch of good nights for Brown since his arrival in the UFC in 2020, with the most recent a third-round submission of Erik Silva that earned him his first finish in the big show and the kind of confidence that makes him believe that the best is yet to come. But first things first, and that’s Bill Algeo.
“For me, it’s just one step at a time,” Brown said. “Let’s get this next win. Bill Algeo is my only concern right now. I’m not the guy to get too ahead; I just want to beat Bill Algeo and we’ll go from there. Shoot, I didn’t even think I was going to be this be where I’m at today, so just one at a time for me.”
It’s the right attitude to have, but don’t think for a second that Brown is just happy to be here. Well, he is happy to be here, but everything that happens from here on out isn’t a bonus; it’s part of a bigger plan, one that started nearly 10 years ago with a November fight against Shelby Graham in Paragould, Arkansas. Brown lost his pro debut that night and if you told him that one day he would be in the biggest promotion in the sport, he wasn’t so sure about that.
“I wouldn’t have even believed him if I’d told him this story of what things were going to be,” he laughs. “But I tell you what, it sure would’ve gave me a lot of comfort back then.”
And now he’s here. For real.
