UFC 116: Matt Brown Seeks Revenge on Chris Lytle

It's been nearly three years since Matt "The Immortal" Brown first squared off against the veteran Chris "Lights Out" Lytle. 

The two will meet again on Saturday night as part of UFC 116; headlined by Lesnar vs. Carwin at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

While familiar with Lytle, Brown's preparation differs greatly from their first fight.

"Training camp went great. It's completely different than the first time I fought Lytle," Brown recently stated in an interview with Bleacher Report . "I took the fight on short notice. Back then I had only two weeks to get ready. This time around I've had a full camp and it has gone really good." 

He adds, "It's going to be a completely different fight with Lytle this time. I'm a different fighter now and there's going to be a different outcome."

Their first encounter took place in Lytle's home state of Indiana, where Brown fell victim to a guillotine choke midway through the second round.

"I thought I was fighting a pretty good fight obviously until I got submitted," said Brown. "I expected him to stand and trade with me for most of the fight but he decided to go for the take-down."

He continues, saying, "back then I didn't really know much about Lytle. From what I had seen it seemed like he preferred to stand and bang. I didn't expect him to go for the submission."

Considering that Lytle has a strong background in boxing, one can't fault him for expecting Lytle to keep the fight on his feet.

Lytle's formal background is a far-cry from Brown's ascent to the octagon.  He wasn't as experienced as other fighters, having to learn the game on his own.

"I've been in it for a long time now. I got introduced to it back in '02 or '03. Actually when I first started it was just a bunch of unsanctioned events and there was a lot of whiskey involved. Throughout the whole thing I realized that I just kept winning," states Brown.

Going from backyard brawls to a featured televised spot on one of the sports biggest events of the year, Brown's journey through MMA has not been an easy one.

His career didn't take off until he landed a spot on the seventh season of The Ultimate Fighter reality show.

"The Ultimate Fighter was a great experience," he explains. "I didn't mind the other guys in the house. We had a bunch of serious guys, and looking back on it, I was on the right season. We were all focused and it was good to be around all of those guys."

After a couple of wins in the tournament, however, Brown fell victim to eventual winner Amir Sodollah.  A loss which erased his chances of getting the six figure contract handed out by Dana White.

Yet, securing a win over Matt Arroyo by TKO did earn him a spot in the UFC.

His most recent bout, UFC 111, a second round submission at the hands of Ricardo Almeida, snapped a three-fight win streak for Brown.

And while the stakes of this fight are not lost on him, Brown can't allow them to consume him.

"There's no extra pressure here. Every fight brings it's share of pressure. I'm just going to try and go out there and have fun. Obviously two losses could get you cut from the UFC, but I can't focus on that. I've got to keep my head clear leading up to this fight," reveals Brown.

If he loses, he may be headed out of the UFC, but he prefers to spend a bit more time thinking about what he wants to do to Chris Lytle.

"You know, when I first heard that I would be fighting Lytle I was really happy," says the TUF 7 alum. "It's a huge opportunity for me. It's going to be a good fight and I'm glad that this time around I've had a full training camp. Plus, it's part of a really big card."

He concludes, "I don't know exactly how this fight will end. What I do know is that if I don't win impressively by KO or submission then it means nothing. I don't want to win by a cut or anything like that. I'm coming to finish him."

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