Damien Brown will be making his third UFC appearance at UFC Fight Night 101 against Jon Tuck, a fight that he expects to be nothing short of a brawl.
“I hope he stands right in the center and throws down like Brian Stann and (Wanderlei) Silva did,” Brown told MMA Junkie. “I can’t see him doing that, but it would be pretty exciting. I’m coming off a win. I almost feel a little bit freer. Coming off the loss (in my UFC debut), I definitely felt the pressure of having to win the fight or I was going to be gone. I didn’t feel the pressure of needing the contract because I work and everything else, but I definitely felt the pressure of having to win to keep it. This time around, I don’t feel that pressure. I feel like I can have fun, I can do what I want – stand in the center and throw down. So I really do hope he brings that fight because I think it would be exciting for the fans, exciting for me. But he’s coming off a loss, so we’ll see what he does.”
Brown’s last fight in the UFC was a loss to Alan Patrick, but he feels that Tuck is a much higher caliber opponent when compared to Patrick.
“I think this is definitely a step up for me,” Brown said. “Some people don’t, but I think on paper, UFC rankings and all that stuff, it’s a step up. He’s got six fights in UFC, this is my third. That’s exciting. That’s a step up, so I’m treating it as that and I’m prepared for it and I think that I’ve go the game to beat him.”
UFC Fight Night 101 takes place tonight from the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia with Robert Whittaker and Derek Brunson headlining.
