Can a 35-Year-Old Veteran Fighter Continue His Welterweight Resurgence?
Later this evening, the 14th-ranked Welterweight, Randy “Rudeboy” Brown, is set to continue his upward surge in the rankings against the tough competitor Gabriel Bonfim. What may have looked like another lackluster fight night might turn out to be a hidden gem that walks us into what could end up being the fight of the century in MMA. Brown is as tough a customer as they come. His competition has always been fiercely elite, and his most recent loss came by way of split decision to Bryan Battle, a decision many in the MMA community believed he won. What Brown has the opportunity to do this evening is transcendent in terms of what it could do for his career. Racking up two back-to-back wins in one of the sport's deepest divisions will put Brown back on the map and ever closer to title contention.
Despite the split decision loss, Brown came back to deliver a devastating KO victory over Nicolas Dalby. Clearly, with a showing as ground-shaking as that over an opponent as tough as Dalby, Brown can still compete at the highest level in the Welterweight Division. With 20 wins and only six losses, Brown remains one of the most difficult obstacles at 175. The question is, can Bonfim solve the puzzle and dismantle Brown, and if so, how?
Bonfim excels on the ground. The Brazilian native is dubbed a submission specialist, and his record of 13 submissions in 18 fights corroborates that. Brown has been caught many times in grappling exchanges. In previous outings, he has displayed this as one of his weakest areas. If Brown is to excel against Bonfim, he will need to win the fight on the feet. Bonfim’s only loss came from Dalby, the man Brown just returned against and knocked out. It would seem that the only ways to victory for either man come from opposite directions, but tonight we find out just how true that is. Will Rudeboy continue his climb back up to the summit? Or will the strangling submissions of Bonfim once more send him careening out of the rankings?
