Las Vegas, NV — Featherweight TJ Brown returned to the win column on Saturday night at UFC 282.
After finding success against newcomer Erik Silva, however, the talk was not about the fight. Rather, Brown (17-9) resolutely fielded the questions he knew would come his way after the bout — regarding coach James Krause, and Glory MMA and Fitness.
Brown had put in some work at Glory, prior to Krause and any fighter training under him being banned by the UFC. That ban was instituted in the wake of a betting scandal surrounding a November 5, 2022 fight between Darrick Minner and Shayilan Nuerdanbieke.
Minner turned up to the fight injured, and fell early. A whole lot of money shifted to Nuerdanbieke, already the favorite, to win inside of a round — just hours out from the fight.
Multiple entities are now investigating the matter, including U.S. Integrity, UFC betting integrity partner Don Best Sports, the Nevada Athletic Commission, and according to one ESPN report, the FBI.
“Yeah I worked a bit down there. James wasn’t there,” Brown said following his win on Saturday, speaking to media outlets including Cageside Press. “I don’t want to dial too much into it. I’ve got nothing but love for James, I think everybody makes mistakes. But I spent a little bit of time down there.”
“He wasn’t really around,” Brown reiterated.
Following his victory at #UFC282, TJ Brown spoke on the good things built by James Krause but admits it is a stressful time at Glory MMA.
⬇️⬇️⬇️
WATCH: https://t.co/nDmxYMZaO3 pic.twitter.com/TwwZ4ChnHm— Cageside Press (@Cagesidepress) December 11, 2022
Asked by Cageside Press about the mood in the gym these days, Brown was forthright. “I knew these questions were coming, and I want to answer them to the best of my ability. I want to first say, from my opinion, James has been nothing but good to me. But I think golly, it’s really a tough environment there right now.”
“I want to be real honest with you. He’s been nothing but good to a lot of those fighters out there. And to a lot of the fighters there, that’s their home. And James has gave them a home and has really taken care of a lot of those fighters, including myself.”
Brown, who hails from Arkansas, added that “I have nothing but good to say about him. I think there were possibly some mistakes made, I’m not really sure what happened. It’s really a weird vibe there right now. I feel bad for the whole community there.”
As far as his win, which was unfortunately overshadowed a little as a result of the Glory situation, Brown said that getting his hand raised “feels great. Just to get back in the win column. It’s not enough for me to just have an even record in the UFC. I’m looking to start 2023 with a few more wins.”
As for a return date, “let’s be honest, I’m no spring chicken. I’d really like to get in there at the beginning of next year.”
Watch the full UFC 282 post-fight press appearance by TJ Brown above.
