“Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere” – it is a mantra that has made former UFC and current RIZIN MMA Lightweight, Damien “Beatdown” Brown such a favourite among Australian fight fans. Now the 35-year-old is taking things to a new level, calling for a boxing bout against former Ultimate Fighter winner, Central Coast’s Ross “The Real Deal” Pearson (20-17 MMA, 1-0 Boxing). With both men agreeing to and hyping the fight via Twitter, their social media interactions have caused some buzz among fans, some of whom have been wanting this fight to take place since both men were active among the UFC’s lightweight ranks.
‘It’s just that kind of fight that people wanna see and we’ve both got the style that people will buy tickets to sit down and watch or they’ll buy a pay per view to watch it’, Brown said.
That is not to say that these two fighters have a relationship built on bad blood. Rather, it is forged with a foundation of healthy respect of each other as competitors and as warriors who will march forward against a willing opponent.
‘It’s full of respect. I talk to Ross Pearson all the time. When we’re at the same event, sometimes I talk to him on twitter, when I was opening my gym he gave me some advice. There’s no bad blood there, in terms of fighters getting along…We know what kind of fighters we are and we can get in that ring and let our hands go. We don’t have fear of a loss on our record’, Brown surmised.
Respect goes both ways, You’re a good man Ross. I’m sure we can make it happen it’d be an honour 🤜🏻🤛🏽🙏🏼
— Damien Brown (@beatdown155) February 3, 2020
However, it is not just the aggressive style of fighting of both men that has Brown convinced that the fight should go ahead. There are in fact a number of reasons in his mind that the potential bout could take place on a big boxing card in April – and there is no bigger card during that time than former WBO Welterweight Champion Jeff Horn (20-2-1) taking on undefeated Light-Middleweight Tim Tszyu (15-0) on 22 April at a venue yet to be confirmed. From a business and entertainment standpoint, it is hard to argue with two entertaining fighters who have committed their lives to martial arts, finding a spot on the card.
”It’s not like watching two footballers, we’ve dedicated our lives to martial arts and fighting. We’re two fighters, true martial artists who have kickboxed, boxed, (fought in) MMA – we could put on an entertaining fight for the fans’, Brown proudly stated.
The pair also have a large following around the world as they have fought across numerous Continents and Countries, which could also be an advantage for a fighter in Tim Tszyu’s situation. At age 25, this looms as the boxer’s biggest test before potentially making a career shift and taking on the best on offer around the globe, and in the United States more specifically. Having such a fight could potentially help to garner some more attention towards the prospect from fans outside of Australia.
‘It’s England vs. Australia and we’ve both fought everywhere in the world, but including our own countries so people know who we are. We’ve got a fan base everywhere – from America, to England and back to Australia again’, said Brown.
‘It makes total sense – from an entertainment point of view, from a geographical point of view, business…it just makes sense. We’ve agreed to it on social media, the fans are on board obviously and I’ve expressed interest with my manager that I want the fight to happen’, he added
While he is always willing to fight, Brown also admitted that the timing for the fight is an almost perfect opportunity as he returns from an injury that has sidelined his MMA career, which still remains his number one priority.
‘Let’s not get it twisted, I’m not planning on having a 30 fight padded record, boxing career. I wanna go in there and have some fun. I’ve just come back from knee surgery anyway, so it’s a nice way to stay busy’, he said.
‘I reached out to my manager and I was like, “Make something happen. We both wanna fight in April.” Then the Horn and Tszyu card got announced and we were like, “It makes even more sense” – two former UFC fighters, both got good names, both known for bangin’.’I think it’s a good idea, right now to cross over to boxing and give the fans a bloodbath, man. I’m not there to pad my record, I’m there for the fighting.’
@RossTheRealDeal how’s April 22nd work ? Couple of bangers making #OzBoxing great for the fans https://t.co/VGrm4cl8HR pic.twitter.com/qJH14R2t1L
— Damien Brown (@beatdown155) February 12, 2020
Adding a cherry to this already rich cake, Brown is willing to donate a portion of his fight purse to an avenue of charity that he holds near and dear to him, the mental health of Australian Defence Force veterans. As a former Infantry Soldier who toured Afghanistan in 2007, he is willing to use this fight as a means to also give back to the Australian veteran community.
‘There’s a charity called Swiss 8 and they’re doing a stomp around Australia between the 1st of April and the 30th of November. They’re going to cover 13 000kms to raise awareness and funding for mental health. Basically, if we can make this boxing fight happen I’ll donate 10% of any purse that I make to Swiss 8’, he told.
‘What they do is they put programs together to try and help veterans through their mobile app, with mental health. On their mobile app, they’ve got workouts, advice – it’s like an app that’s a support network. It’s got fitness, nutrition and it helps with time management, personal growth and stuff like that.’
‘There’s plenty of veterans out there struggling, whether it’s mentally, physically, financially as a result (of their service) so it’s the least I can do. Being a veteran myself and going through it, it’s close to home.’
While the chances of it taking place remain unknown, Brown closed out describing his pitch for the fight in typical “Beatdown” fashion and in a way that should get tongues wagging – ‘I’m 35 years old so I’m not intending on winning world titles, but I tell you what, fans will definitely remember me in the boxing ring if they get the opportunity to watch it, that’s for sure… I’m sure we could both just get paid and put on a bloodbath, that’s where it’s at’, he said emphatically.
For more information on or to find out how to get involved and donate to veteran mental health, go to: https://swiss8.org/
Follow Damien Brown on Social Media: @beatdown155 on Twitter and Instagram
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