Matt Brown will not be waiting on Dan Hardy before stepping into the Octagon again, as the UFC veteran has booked a fight against Dhiego Lima on June 19.
Last week, there were reports of Matt Brown and Dan Hardy agreeing to fight one another. The only thing that seemed to stand in the way of the fight being signed is the UFC responding to the two veterans’ wishes. Now, according to an MMA Fighting report, it looks like Matt Brown has decided to table these latent talks, as he is now set to face Dhiego Lima in June instead.
While this booking has little to no bearing on a potential Brown vs. Hardy fight down the road, what we can tell you is that Dan Hardy won’t be the next opponent for Brown. He will instead be facing a more low-key opponent in Dhiego Lima, who will enter the fight with a 15-8 record.
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Dhiego Lima has won three of his last four fights, though, including victories over names like Chad Laprise and Court McGee. In his most recent bout, Lima fell to Belal Muhammad at UFC 258. A victory over a name like Matt Brown would not only make Lima victorious in four out of his last five, but it would bestow many new eyes upon his MMA career.
Matt Brown is coming off two consecutive losses, so this fight could be a must-win for the 40-year-old. Brown’s last two losses have come against unranked opponents, though granted the most recent bout was against a fellow legend in Carlos Condit. Overall, Brown has lost four of his last six fights, so fans can expect him to bring an extra case of urgency than the high concentration usually found in his Octagon performances.
As of now, no other bouts have been announced for this June 19 card.
Who do you predict will come out on top of his welterweight bout between Matt Brown and Dhiego Lima?
