Matt Brown returns to the Octagon against Bryan Barberena

Veteran UFC welterweight fan-favorite Matt Brown returns to the Octagon against Bryan Barberena in a fan-friendly matchup later this year.

MMADNA’s Marcel Dorff was the first to break the news of Brown vs. Barberena. The fight is set to take place on December 4. There is no location or venue currently set for this event, though the UFC has held most of its events at the Apex in Las Vegas since the COVID-19 pandemic started, so there seems to be a good chance the event takes place in Vegas. Also on the card is a light heavyweight bout between Jamahal Hill and Jimmy Crute as well as a lightweight bout between Brad Riddell and Rafael Fiziev, in addition to several other bouts.

Brown (23-18) is 40 years old but he remains one of the most dangerous welterweights on the UFC roster. In his last outing earlier this year, Brown knocked out Dhiego Lima in a “Performance of the Night”-winning showing. Brown has won three of his last five fights by knockout, in fact, however, though he lost back-to-back fights to Carlos Condit and Miguel Baeza before knocking out Lima. But as we saw against Lima, Brown is still a devastating knockout artist and he should have at least a few more fun fights left in him for the fans.

Barberena (15-8) is coming off of a “Fight of the Night” majority decision loss to Jason Witt. The 32-year-old American is 6-6 overall in the UFC, with his last win coming over Anthony Ivy in September 2020. Overall Barberena is always in exciting fights and he makes for a fun matchup against Brown, even though it’s a bit surprising to see the UFC matchmakers matching up a fighter coming off of a win with one coming off of a loss.

Who do you think wins this welterweight bout between Matt Brown and Bryan Barberena?