After announcing retirement, former UFC fighter narrates attempted murder in prison: 'I was going to die'

M. Brown after knocking out D. Lima in the UFC Las Vegas 29. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram

Before becoming a respected fighter in the UFC, with the record for most knockouts in the welterweight division (up to 77kg.), Matt Brown faced much more serious battles than those inside the Octagon. In an interview with 'The Fighter vs. The Writer', the fighter recalled a turbulent episode from his youth, when he spent six months in prison in Green County, in the United States.

Arriving with the intention of commanding respect from the start, Brown got into trouble in the prison canteen. By refusing to serve food to an intimidating-looking inmate, he expected immediate retaliation. But the man's passive reaction left him confused.

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Without physical confrontation, the tension increased when Brown discovered, through another inmate, the real situation. The man he provoked was one of the most feared in prison and had been serving his sentence for years with no intention of leaving prison, where he built a kind of parallel life.

“This guy was almost a prison chief. Most people probably don't know what this means. It means he is married to men in prison and doesn't want to leave. His whole life is in prison. Someone then told me that he would stab me while I slept because he didn't mind being in prison. I received it as advice not to sleep at night”, recalled the fighter.

An absolute badass in the UFC

Congratulations on your retirement @IamTheImmortal pic.twitter.com/HzW99ryR9M

- UFC (@ufc) May 12, 2024

Before the glamor of the UFC…

Terrified at the possibility of being stabbed, Matt, who would later become a fighter and make history in the UFC, spent sleepless nights. The tension only eased when he managed to be transferred to another pavilion. Even though he was not injured, the incident left an impression on him. The fighter recognizes that his aggressive attitude, resulting from the environment in which he grew up, almost had tragic consequences.

“I always had that mentality. When I enter a new place, I have to let people know. When I was young, if I went to a party, I usually tried to pick on the biggest guy there. The culture I grew up in was simply different. That’s what we did, we fought”, added the American.

At 43 years old, Matt Brown recently announced the end of his MMA career. A professional since 2005, the North American played for The Ultimate Fighter and joined the organization in 2008, having stayed for 16 years. In his career, there were 24 positive results and 19 negative results.