Jacksonville, FL — Randy Brown has been in and out of a fight with Alex Oliveira the past few weeks. Luckily, the bout is intact, with the welterweight pair throwing down as part of this Saturday’s UFC 261.
The fight was originally booked for late February, but Brown was forced out after contracting COVID-19. Ramazan Kuramagomedov stepped in, only to fall ill, leaving “Cowboy” Oliveira without an opponent.
At this week’s UFC 261 media day, Brown noted that the experience “was tough, but obviously I tested positive for COVID. I just had to deal with it.” Luckily, the disease, in Brown’s case, was mild. “Two weeks off. My symptoms weren’t crazy. I just had a headache, sore throat, and I was out for what, two weeks? And then I was back to work. It pretty much just extended my camp.”
Brown campaigned on social media to keep the fight. “I just didn’t want to lose the camp. He’s a guy that brings it. It’s gonna be a good fight, high-paced fight, those are the fights that I like,” he observed. “I think stylistically, we can put on a great show for the fans. And I just didn’t want to lose the camp. I put in all that work.”
Also luckily, for Brown at least, Oliveira’s short-notice replacement fell through, and Brown landed back in the fight just weeks later. Now, he gets a Cowboy who could be on the chopping block.
“His back is against the wall, and he’s going to fight tooth and nail,” noted Brown, who summed it up by saying “they say a cornered animal is usually the most dangerous animal.”
He takes no pleasure on potentially being the man to send the Brazilian veteran packing from the promotion. “I’m sorry, it is what it is. I’ve got a job to do. I’ve got a ton of respect for the guy,” said Brown. “He’s a veteran, he’s been around a long time. And I’m a fan, I love the way he fights. But I’ve got to go in there and feed my family. So it is what it is.”
Watch the full UFC 261 media day scrum with Randy Brown above. The event takes place this Saturday, April 24 at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida. The main card airs live on PPV.
