Matt Brown vs. John Howard
John Heinis
I find it funny that "The Immortal" Matt Brown is only 30 years old. His 11-10 record has come about since he either finishes his opponent, or gets finished.
Brown is well on his way to making Chael Sonnen look like a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu prodigy, as eight of his 10 losses have been via submission.
Every move Brown has tapped to has been basic stuff too, like an armbar, guillotine, rear naked choke or arm triangle.
John Howard is tough as nails, but finds his UFC career in jeopardy after getting embarrassed by Jake Ellenberger, and soundly defeated by Thiago Alves.
"Doomsday" is tough as nails, so there is no way a guy like Brown can end his night early. While Howard isn't the most polished fighter at 170 pounds, his purple belt in BJJ will be all it takes to keep his career in the UFC afloat.
John Howard via Second-Round Submission
Dana Becker
It doesn't take too long for
Dana White or Joe Silva to give you a ring saying that you have been released after dropping three straight fights.
Which is why it is pretty crazy that Matt Brown will get a chance to snap that skid inside the cage when he meets John Howard.
Brown (11-10) started out on
The Ultimate Fighter and looked poised to become a solid contender. He won his UFC debut, before falling to Dong Hyun Kim.
Brown proceeded to pick up three straight victories, including two by TKO, but is now sitting on a three-fight losing skid, all of which have come by second-round submission.
This could be a defining moment in the career of Brown, as he faces another very big challenge on Howard.
Howard (14-6) probably feels like he is in a must-win position as well, dropping two straight fights to Jake Ellenberger and Thiago Alves. Prior to those bouts, though, Howard had earned seven consecutive wins.
With both guys feeling the pressure, you can expect each to come out swinging for the fences. Howard has shown a little more of a complete, all-around game, earning four KO wins and six submission victories.
Howard via First-Round TKO
Dale De Souza
"The Immortal" Matt Brown is a veteran of
The Ultimate Fighter 7 and something of a crowd favorite, gaining pre-UFC wins over the likes of Douglas Lima and Matt Arroyo, as well as notable UFC wins over Pete Sell and James Wilks, but the win over Wilks was followed by a three-fight skid against Ricardo Almeida, Chris Lytle and Brian Foster, and a release was thought to be in the cards for Brown after the loss to Foster.
Apparently, that is not the case, as Brown has stepped in for an injured Martin Kampmann to take on John Howard, who is an exciting fighter in his own right and also on a skid after losses to Jake Ellenberger and Thiago Alves.
Brown is a durable fighter and can be very aggressive at times, but strong grapplers and skilled fighters with notable ground games all have been bad news for Brown in the past, and Brown can expect no different from Howardd, who is one of the the more durable grapplers at 170.
Brown may have worked on his jiu-jitsu game for Howard, though, and if that is the case, this one could go all three rounds.
However, Brown will try his heart out to no avail, as the fight will clearly belong to Howard for all three rounds—Brown will not tap.
John Howard by Unanimous Decision (30-27 x3)
Jordy McElroy
Matt Brown is miraculously back in the mix after being submitted in his last three UFC bouts.
With John Howard also coming off consecutive losses, the loser of this bout will likely be receiving a swift boot from the UFC roster.
Brown has shown solid Muay Thai skills and devastating knees from the clinch. His struggles have come to aggressive opposition with the option of putting the bout on the floor.
Howard isn’t the most well-rounded welterweight out there, but his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is vastly underrated.
Brown may have his moments on the feet, but everything will go downhill when the scrappy stand-up exchanges turn into a ground tussle.
Look for Howard to latch on a second-round guillotine to hand "The Immortal" one his walking papers.
Howard via Second-Round Submission (Guillotine)
Sean Smith
Since Brown has lost three straight fights and Howard has lost two in a row, it is fairly clear that the loser of this fight will no longer be fighting in the UFC. Sometimes that can bring the best out in a fighter, while other times they can allow the nerves to get to them.
While Brown has been submitted in his last three fights by middle-of-the-road welterweights, Howard has gone the distance with perennial contender Thiago Alves and was forced out of a fight with top-10 welterweight Jake Ellenberger due to a doctor stoppage in the third round.
Clearly, Howard has had more learning experiences to gain from his losses than Brown.
Howard will have the chance to display his improvements in this fight, which could end in Brown's fourth straight loss by submission in the second round.
Howard Defeats Brown by Submission in the Second Round