Matt Brown Says He Isn’t Focused on Wins and Losses

Matt Brown spoke with MMAjunkie about his fight with Jake Ellenberger at UFC 201. Some highlights are below:

On the pressure of winning: “This is what I love doing – I enjoy the process even when I lose. This is just what I love doing. Western culture is the one that’s all about winning and losing. Most cultures, that’s not really what the whole process is about. For me, it’s not that ultimate satisfaction is wins and losses. It’s very necessary, and it’s almost like a necessary evil that you have to win. That’s not really what my mind is focused on.”

On learning froom his loss at UFC 198: “It’s frustrating to lose of course, but I woke up on Sunday after that fight content with what I put into the camp, with what I put into the fight, that my mindset in the fight was on point, I was sharp. I just wasn’t good enough that night. I can be content with that in my life. I literally just wasn’t good enough. I got very close to being good enough. Maybe another six weeks in camp and I would have been good enough. Maybe another year, I don’t know. But I just wasn’t there.”

On changing up his preparation: “I want to get the results I want, so I’m working hard to fix all that. I felt like throughout my career I’ve gone from zero to 90 pretty well. I think on ‘The Ultimate Fighter,’ I was like zero to 10. Getting from zero to 90 is one thing, getting from 90 to 100 is another completely different thing. It’s way easier to get from zero to 90 than 90 to 100, and that’s what I’m working on now. Those little things that make big differences and just those little things that separate the Demetrious Johnsons and the Jon Joneses of the world from the Matt Browns of the world or even the Demian Maias. I’m just working on those things every day, and hopefully I don’t get too old before they get ingrained in me.”

On his fight with Ellenberger: “I’m going to win, I plan on winning, but it’s not because I’m coming in just solely to win. I’m coming in with the right mindset on performance and enjoying the process and loving what I’m doing. I’m going to go out and fight with everything I’ve got, and I believe that’s enough to equate to a victory. If it’s not, then I can wake up on Sunday and be cool with what happened.”