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Chalk Matt Brown’s rout of Pete Sell up to his grandfather’s advice.
When Yves Lavigne’s hands left his waist after dropping Sell, the referee barking to resume the fight, Brown was as confused as everyone else.
“I was like damn, I’ve got to beat him again,” Brown told MMAWeekly Radio.
But he also knew time was of the essence.
“I knew he was still rocked, so I wanted to finish that opportunity right then. I knew that was my chance, I couldn’t let him recover. My grandpa would tell me, if you punched a kid, don’t let him get back up. Because he’s gonna be mad as hell, then.”
Sell wasn’t the bully on the block, though. He was a professional fighter, and he’d gotten his bell rung by the first punch combination Brown threw.
“In some ways, I didn’t want to hit him anymore because I knew it was over,” continued Brown. “Maybe it’s bad, but I wasn’t concerned about his safety – I just wanted it to be over.”
So Brown continued to batter Sell, going to town with knees and punches as Sell did what he could to survive; first, he hung on, driving for a takedown; then, he fled the onslaught; and finally, he fell to the canvas with or without his accord.
This was where conscience came in.
“I screamed at him one time,” Brown said of Lavigne. “I said ‘C’mon!' It was clear to everybody in the world that he was out, and I didn’t want to hurt him any more than what was reasonable for the win.”
A few days removed from the experience, Brown is excited with the speed of the win, but has to shake his head at how it all went down.
“It was just a crazy situation,” he said. “I think Yves Lavigne is a great referee. I’ve seen him ref a lot of fights – man, he’s a good referee. He just made a huge mistake in that one fight. I’m sure he’ll take a lot of crap for it. But overall, he’s a good referee. But that’s why refereeing is such a tough job. If Pete Sell gets brain damage, Yves Lavigne has to live with that his whole life.”
Brown's training ended up being the perfect piece to Sell’s puzzle. He had isolated himself from friends and family before the fight, working at the Warrior Training Center in Las Vegas, where he was just another guy, not a reality star. He worked tremendously hard on his Muay Thai skills.
“He just happened to be the perfect guy to demonstrate that on,” Brown said. “His style matched up perfectly. I was able to exploit (his) weaknesses right off the bat.
“It didn’t feel real. It’s still soaking in now that I just did that.”
But he did, and his performance, though it might be remembered more for what happened after the fight than during, was another step towards a lasting career.
“The biggest thing, is that Pete Sell has been around for a while in the UFC, and to be able to beat him, it really lets the UFC know I’m legitimate and I’m not just a reality show guy,” said Brown. “I can fight with good guys. I think I proved that. Hopefully the UFC sees that.”
When Yves Lavigne’s hands left his waist after dropping Sell, the referee barking to resume the fight, Brown was as confused as everyone else.
“I was like damn, I’ve got to beat him again,” Brown told MMAWeekly Radio.
But he also knew time was of the essence.
“I knew he was still rocked, so I wanted to finish that opportunity right then. I knew that was my chance, I couldn’t let him recover. My grandpa would tell me, if you punched a kid, don’t let him get back up. Because he’s gonna be mad as hell, then.”
Sell wasn’t the bully on the block, though. He was a professional fighter, and he’d gotten his bell rung by the first punch combination Brown threw.
“In some ways, I didn’t want to hit him anymore because I knew it was over,” continued Brown. “Maybe it’s bad, but I wasn’t concerned about his safety – I just wanted it to be over.”
So Brown continued to batter Sell, going to town with knees and punches as Sell did what he could to survive; first, he hung on, driving for a takedown; then, he fled the onslaught; and finally, he fell to the canvas with or without his accord.
This was where conscience came in.
“I screamed at him one time,” Brown said of Lavigne. “I said ‘C’mon!' It was clear to everybody in the world that he was out, and I didn’t want to hurt him any more than what was reasonable for the win.”
A few days removed from the experience, Brown is excited with the speed of the win, but has to shake his head at how it all went down.
“It was just a crazy situation,” he said. “I think Yves Lavigne is a great referee. I’ve seen him ref a lot of fights – man, he’s a good referee. He just made a huge mistake in that one fight. I’m sure he’ll take a lot of crap for it. But overall, he’s a good referee. But that’s why refereeing is such a tough job. If Pete Sell gets brain damage, Yves Lavigne has to live with that his whole life.”
Brown's training ended up being the perfect piece to Sell’s puzzle. He had isolated himself from friends and family before the fight, working at the Warrior Training Center in Las Vegas, where he was just another guy, not a reality star. He worked tremendously hard on his Muay Thai skills.
“He just happened to be the perfect guy to demonstrate that on,” Brown said. “His style matched up perfectly. I was able to exploit (his) weaknesses right off the bat.
“It didn’t feel real. It’s still soaking in now that I just did that.”
But he did, and his performance, though it might be remembered more for what happened after the fight than during, was another step towards a lasting career.
“The biggest thing, is that Pete Sell has been around for a while in the UFC, and to be able to beat him, it really lets the UFC know I’m legitimate and I’m not just a reality show guy,” said Brown. “I can fight with good guys. I think I proved that. Hopefully the UFC sees that.”
