Issue 112

March 2014

Breakthrough star Travis Browne is on a collision course with the UFC heavyweight title. And with a happy family and fight team behind him, the big Hawaiian will take some stopping.

Travis Browne is spelling out the letters of his middle name to me – his Hawaiian name ‘Kuualiialoha’ – as his sons Kaleo and Keawe play basketball in the park under the Californian sun.

They are young, lean and lanky. Like the old man himself used to be in his teens. Leaning on the railings, Browne strokes his beard and looks back in time, knowing that straining his long limbs and every sinew for his sons brings a deep and satisfying reward. 

His father was not around when Travis, born in Hawaii, was growing up. This generation – his generation – will be different this time around. Fatherhood lit a fire in him that has propelled him towards a fight for UFC heavyweight gold. 

The 31-year-old, six-foot-seven and 240lb, insists his success in 2013 means he has opponents carved from an ancient calling. With Fabricio Werdum cornered, and a rematch with Antonio ‘Bigfoot’ Silva set up whenever the pair are best suited, it allows him to visualize current heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez, potentially if he holds the belt still, as the last challenge of this year.

Three ‘Knockout of the Night’ check-cashing performances in 2013 signaled Browne’s intent for the year ahead. Unsurprisingly, the Fighters Only World MMA Awards panel shortlisted him into two categories for the sixth annual gongs: ‘Breakthrough Fighter of The Year’ and ‘Comeback Fighter of The Year.’

He takes the plaudits with aplomb and genuine gratitude. “It was an honor just to be nominated for those awards,” he says. “Being recognized, creating a fan base, all these things are a great part of this sport. I think the big reason why people love MMA so much, and why it is growing so quickly, is that us being fighters translates into everyone’s lives.”

Browne’s performance against Alistair Overeem at UFC Fight Night 26, sandwiched between two other first-round knockouts over Gabriel Gonzaga and Josh Barnett, really was a major breakthrough, as well as a comeback. Browne had the world out of its seats in Boston in August as he weathered a heavy storm from ‘The Reem,’ then regained his feet and obliterated his decorated European rival. Browne adds: “Everyone has a fight they are going through – everybody loves to see a good story about somebody battling back from a difficult situation and showing the heart that they want to continue, that they want to win, that they want to be better than whatever is trying to hold them down.”

Those qualities were epitomized in the Overeem victory. “People love to see that, they feel good when they see that, and that’s what they saw when I fought Alistair,” he says. “I was getting my butt kicked pretty handily and the only things that got me through that fight were my heart and my determination. And not wanting to disappoint my kids.”

Browne ended 2013 high up in the giddy heights of the heavyweight division’s elite rankings, at number three on the UFC’s official charts. The quintessential breakthrough year, if ever there was one.

“That nomination speaks for itself,” he says when asked about his inclusion in the ‘Breakthrough of the Year’ category, “and my performances have definitely done so. I’m coming into 2014 off three first-round knockouts. 

“All three got ‘Knockout of the Night,’ they all got the bonus and they all were either contender for the title, or former champion and a guy who was looked at as being one of the most dominant heavyweights out there. I think my competition has been as tough as the champions of each division have had to face this year.” 

It defies logic that ‘Hapa’ only began his professional fighting career in 2009. He went 9-0 before joining the UFC roster in June 2010, and suffered a blip later that year at UFC 120 when he drew with Cheick Kongo in London, UK. “I hate that performance, one of my worst moments in MMA,” he acknowledges.

Three more wins followed, however, including two check-banking performances in his Superman punch finish of Stefan Struve and his arm triangle sub’ of Chad Griggs. Not bad for a guy learning on the job.

Browne then faced ‘Bigfoot’ on October 5th 2012 at the main event of UFC on FX 5. He came out striking aggressively, but tore his left hamstring and the Brazilian quickly capitalized, backing Browne up, landing a big right hand and finishing with punches. It was Browne’s first professional defeat, but the loser took nothing from Silva’s victory. Yet he aches for the rematch.

Then came 2013, the year Browne really shone. Bing, there goes Gonzaga. Bang, goodnight Overeem. Boom, adios Barnett. Browne was the warrior force in all three, consigning his challengers to dust through a combination of wicked elbow strikes, slick front kicks and lethal high knees.  

“There were no injuries from UFC 168,” he explains. “And I’m in a great place.” The Barnett fight was a ripper. Browne devastated him, laid waste to him: once more, against the odds. Browne’s lack of experience, after all, was supposed to count against him, yet he showed supreme confidence all week, and had the air of a champion.

“Fighting a guy like Barnett, going in to that fight I personally was not worried about his knockout power, his ability to do me physical damage in that kind of a sense. But the thing we were looking out for was that chess match, what we wanted to do was always have the advantage wherever it went. 

“We weren’t worried about him coming out and picking me up and slamming me and stuff like that. We were worried about him outmaneuvering me, and that’s something we worked on throughout the entire camp.”

Browne left a resounding statement in the Octagon, with those knees and elbows of his. “Experience matters, but at the same time if you have the right athlete and the right training, and if you have the right mindset, you can overcome anything. Somebody else has been able to do it, so I can do it, that’s the way I look at my life in general.”

Browne often returns to life lessons when he talks of his fighting life. He is clearly old school, traditional, in his outlook. He has parted with the mother of his children, Erin, but fatherhood courses through him, and responsibility for that runs deep like the ocean.  

With his father out of the picture his mother “did the best she could.” That resonates with him. His boys Kaleo and Keawe are the motivating force. “I’m feeling great,” he says. “I’m just hanging out with my two boys, right now. They’re big boys and take after their daddy.”

Like Browne once did, they both play basketball. “They do play, but they also play all sports. I’ve never wanted to limit my kids. I’ve always wanted them just to do what they want to do and see what they fall in love with.

“They both do jiu-jitsu because they asked to do it, so it’s been a good time and I’m glad I’ve had the opportunity to give them those different options,” he explains with deep feeling. “I’m glad that I’m looked at as an athlete and not just a fighter, you know. That’s what I’ve always been going after… to be an athlete, and this is my chosen path. I had other options but this is what I chose to do.”

Browne accepts his earning capacity after last year is also reaching new heights. “I’m sure you can’t deny somebody who’s coming off those wins and those kinds of performances, but I’m a loyal person and the UFC has done a great job from the bottom all the way up to where I am now and that stuff’s just a by-product of all the hard work I’ve put in over the years,” he explains. “For me that’s just the contract and it will come, it will be there. The UFC has always done a good job for me.” But the work-life balance is key, he claims: “At this point in my life, where I’m at, I’ve learned how to balance my life, how to be a good father and also have a career.

“To have all that, you have to have a balance in life and I feel like I’ve found that and I have the right motivations and I have the right people in place to get me to where I need to be.” That leads back to the game plan – the chase for 2014. With UFC champion Velasquez still recovering from a shoulder injury and surgery, the likely step next is Fabricio Werdum.

Browne concurs that the extra time before a title shot is an advantage. “The good thing is that my game and my skillset allows me to be able to work on the same game plan for both of these guys, and not only both of these guys but for my career in general,” he states.

“I need to work on my grind. I need to build up my stamina and my endurance and my all-around game and that’s something that I’ve been working on diligently for the last three to four years. And this is just another opportunity now to drive myself, to give myself the motivation to take it to the next level.”

While many people might think Browne will be watching re-runs forensically of Velasquez fights, they would actually be wrong. “I’m still most likely a year out from facing Cain, and you never want to go too far back in this sport because it changes so quickly,” he explains. “If you watch my own fight against Cheick Kongo, I’m completely different now than what I was then.”

The same, he reckons, should be applied to the likes of Velasquez. “There’s no use watching videos from way back, and I feel the same way about all of my competitors,” he says. “I look for the last fight, I look for certain things they may do and then look at how we could do something with that.

“Unfortunately, Cain’s going to be out for a whole year so I won’t watch what’s already out there. I haven’t really studied the tapes. I’ve watched his last fight with JDS and I thought it was a great fight and a dominant performance.

“That’s all I’ve taken from that fight. I haven’t broken it down yet because I still have a fight with Werdum first. He’s the guy we’re going to start breaking down and building a game plan on.”

What about a ‘Bigfoot’ rematch? “That would be a great fight. There’s a lot of guys in the top five that I wouldn’t mind fighting. I think there are a couple of guys coming out of key wins that would make a great fight.”

 Yet he returns to thoughts of Werdum. Browne is gunning for him. “I’m looking forward to fighting with Werdum and he knows a fight with me is too big and his road to the title has to go through me,” he adds.

“There’s no way he’s going to sit out until Cain is ready and if he gets hurt this year he’s not going to be number-one contender anymore. If he doesn’t fight me he’s not going to be number-one contender, there’s no way around it. That fight I believe in my mind is going to happen no matter what and if he steps down, I’m number-one contender.”

The glow from UFC 168 is still there. But ‘Hapa’ won’t be dwelling on it. “It was the biggest fight of the year, and there was a lot of media attention. Not only do you have to visualize the fights but you have to deal with the press, and the fans want autographs and pictures.

“All that is very important in our careers. It’s not something I would ever overlook. You have to think about doing all the press, or getting a lot more attention. Even walking through a casino to go get something to eat or drink can be a long process, but you have to do it – it is part of the job.”

And it’s not as if he can make himself small. “My feeling is this, you should be happy that people are giving you that attention. You just don’t want to be caught off guard, and not know what to do and get flustered. The build-up can sometimes pull your fight game off.”

There you have it. A happy Hapa and a happy ‘papa.’ In 2014, not only does Travis Browne want to be the best daddy, but he wants to be ‘the daddy’ of the UFC heavyweight division.