Travis Browne: There’s No Stopping Me

Ranked No. 3 and rising fast, UFC heavyweight Travis “Hapa” Browne recently got the biggest win of his career when he defeated longtime veteran Josh “The Warmaster” Barnett with a vicious series of elbows at UFC 168.

The win got Browne an April 19 date with No. 2-ranked contender Fabricio Werdum at UFC on FOX 11 in April. It’s a fight that will most likely decide the next contender for the UFC heavyweight title once champion Cain Velasquez returns from shoulder surgery sometime later this year.

Browne appeared on today’s edition of “The MMA Hour” to take a look back at his win over Barnett, before which he stated that the grizzled “Warmaster” should not overlook him. Even after the loss, Barnett didn’t give him much credit, instead choosing to focus on his own plans for 2014 in a recent interview. Browne said that attitude is the reason he made short work of Barnett at UFC 168:

“I feel like that defines him as a fighter. And he has these twelve steps and all this other kinda nonsense when really there’s only one step, one thing that you really need to do in this sport. That is make no excuses. That is it. If you make no excuses, there’s nothing holding you back. People beat themselves in this sport. On that night, on any night, I’m the better fighter. And I one hundred percent believe that, and that’s why I went out there and did what no one else has done in a short amount of time to a fighter like Josh Barnett.”

Browne raises an interesting point in that he makes no excuses, because he certainly had a chance to make several of them after his first round TKO loss to Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva back at UFC on FX 5, a fight where “Hapa” badly injured his hamstring attempting an early kick. It ultimately lead to a Silva knockout win, but instead of making excuses, Browne got back on his horse and proved that he can defeat the best heavyweights in the world. That, he believes, is what is finally getting him the respect he has worked so hard to obtain:

“At this point in my career, I don’t care what people think, because I’m knocking people out. My performance is speaking for itself. The respect that I get is gonna be earned, and that’s the way I look at it. That’s just the byproduct from the performances I put on.”

Browne moved on to discuss his upcoming bout with Werdum, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu wizard who famously put an end to Fedor Emelianenko’s long unbeaten streak with a first round triangle in Strikeforce over three years ago. Now, “Vai Cavalo” is on a hot run of his own, but he’ll have to get past the surging ”Hapa” to make anything of it. Browne elaborated on his view of the bout, noting that he’s training like he’s still an unproven fighter:

“He’s the next guy in line. I’ve built these guys up to be monsters in my mind. I have a mental coach, and he was like, ‘no matter what you do in these practices, always envision yourself coming out on top.’ That gives me motivation. I’m not there yet; I’m still at the bottom working my way up. There’s no stopping me.”

Browne appeared to be about as confident as a fighter can get, and deservedly so. He’s beaten three straight behemoths in Gabriel Gonzaga, Alistair Overeem, and Barnett. He focused on not having anything handed to him and working hard to get everything that’s come his way in fighting. Browne has an unlimited amount of promise in MMA, and he has the mindset to match, a rarity in today’s fast-moving MMA landscape. Will he knock off Werdum on his quest towards a life-changing UFC title shot?

Photo: Jayne Kamin-Oncea for USA TODAY Sports