Extrapolate that scenario to this coming weekend, and we can expect that early rising, sold-out crowd to be near-feral by the time Brown takes to the Octagon in the middle of the main card. If that weren’t intimidating enough, not only is his opponent an Australian, but Della Maddalena is literally from Perth, a proud city whose international athletes are few and far between. Oh, and he’s one of the UFC’s fastest rising stars, undefeated since 2016. You can almost bet the farm that announcer Jon Anik will be barking out one of his trademark, “This place is deafening!” exclamations when the local boy makes his walk.
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It’s intimidating just to think about, let alone experience. But not if you’re Randy Brown. Not only does he relish the role of spoiler, he knows that fighting at home isn’t always the blessing it seems to be. Yes, you can wake up in your own bed, but, “It’s a massive pressure. All your friends and family are there. You don’t want to lose in front of your wife, your kids, your teachers, and everyone that knows you.
“I don’t really worry about the crowd when it comes to that,” Brown continues. “They can’t fight for him. Who will fight for them? I got to fight, you know? I’m not really worried about that. But I am excited that the crowd is there, and I am excited that they’ll be cheering loudly during my fight. It makes the moment that much bigger.”
