5 Defining Moments: Randy Brown

Randy Brown may have fallen short of the initial forecasts, but his time in the Ultimate Fighting Championship can only be classified as an unmitigated professional success.

“Rude Boy” will look to put another welterweight feather in his cap when he meets former Cage Warriors Fighting Championship titleholder Nicolas Dalby in a featured UFC on ESPN 66 attraction this Saturday at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri. Brown, 34, has posted seven wins across his past nine appearances. He last saw action on Dec. 7, when he wound up on the wrong side of a split decision against “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 29 winner Bryan Battle at UFC 310.

As Brown makes final preparations for his forthcoming confrontation with Dalby at 170 pounds, a look at five of the many moments that have come to define him:

1. Quick Study

Brown laid claim to the vacant Ring of Combat welterweight championship when he put away Mike Winters with punches in a ROC 50 co-feature on Jan. 23, 2015 at the Tropicana Casino and Resort in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Winters bowed out 71 seconds into Round 2. It was just the third pro assignment for Brown, who had already begun to establish himself as one of the shining stars on the east coast regional scene. The Spanish Town, Jamaica, native went on to retain the 170-pound title on two occasions—he bested Rocky Edwards and Robert Plotkin—before vacating his throne to sign with the UFC.

2. No Shame in Defeat

Belal Muhammad poked holes in Brown’s game, as he used a combination of leg kicks, takedowns and aggressive grappling to pick up a unanimous decision in their featured UFC 208 prelim on Feb. 11, 2017 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Scores were 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28. Brown leaned on two-, three- and four-punch volleys but had no response for what his crafty counterpart brought to the table. Muhammad chewed up the inside and outside of his lead leg with thudding kicks, mixed in well-conceived takedowns and maneuvered to the back in the second and third rounds. Brown reversed position with 20 seconds left in the fight and fired away with ground-and-pound. However, the finish he needed was nowhere to be found.

3. Grappling Hook

Brown dispatched “The Ultimate Fighter Brazil” Season 3 winner Warlley Alves with a second-round triangle choke as part of the UFC Fight Night 164 undercard on Nov. 16, 2019 at Ibirapuera Gymnasium in Sao Paulo, Brazil. It ended 1:22 into Round 2. Brown wandered into immediate danger against the decorated Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner. Alves secured a pair of takedowns in the first round, sliced through his opponent’s guard and progressed to the back, at which point he transitioned from a neck crank to a rear-naked choke and appeared to be closing in on a finish of his own. Brown survived, extended the fight and answered a takedown from the Brazilian with a triangle early in the second round. He shifted position, adjusted the choke with his long legs and squeezed until the job was done. It remains the only submission loss of Alves’ career.

4. Down Under and Out

Jack Della Maddalena dispatched the Budokan Martial Arts Academy export with a rear-naked choke in the first round of their UFC 284 welterweight feature on Feb. 11, 2023 at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. The Aussie drew the curtain 2:13 into Round 1. Brown initially exploited his four-inch height and five-inch reach advantages, keeping the Scrappy MMA rep at bay with a steady jab and routine stance switches. However, Della Maddalena closed the distance, trapped him along the fence and found the mark with a right hook behind the ear. Brown faceplanted into the canvas, ducked for cover and ate rapid-fired hammerfists until he surrendered his back. Della Maddalena then secured the choke and nailed down his first submission victory in more than five years.

5. Power Trip

Brown felled Muslim Salikhov with punches in the first round of their UFC Fight Night 235 welterweight showcase on Feb. 3, 2024 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Referee Kerry Hatley waved it off 3:17 into Round 1. Salikhov closed the distance with crushing leg kicks but could not give them enough time to marinate. Brown doubled up with jabs and then followed them with a brutal right cross. Salikhov absorbed the concussive impact, hit the deck, turtled in a defensive shell and absorbed a standing-to-ground right hand before Hatley arrived on the scene. It was just the second knockout defeat for Salikhov in 24 professional appearances.