"I'm at where I'm at in the division. I don't really look at that as far as where I think they should put me. I believe my continued success will show where I belong in the UFC, and that will be amongst the best in the business. But at this point, I'm still young in my career. I'm not trying to rush anything. I'm just here to put on great fights for the fans and just continue to have success...if you get in a brawl with me, you're taking the biggest chance of getting knocked out. So if you stand toe to toe with me, there is a great chance that you're going to get knocked out. It gave me a little bit more confidence in my game...line them up and I will knock them down," stated UFC heavyweight Travis Browne as he talked about his future plans after his impressive knockout victory over Stefan Struve at UFC 130. Check out what else he had to say!
PC: Congratulations on the big knockout win over Stefan Struve. How do you feel man?
TB: I feel great, man. I'm driving back to San Diego from Vegas right now and my girlfriend was just like, "Can you believe that that happened?" I used to be the dude on the couch watching guys in the UFC knock people out and being amazed by it, and now I'm the one knocking people out. It's quite an experience.
PC: You weren't happy with the way the Kongo fight played out. This had to be the perfect scenario for you as far as erasing that fight?
TB: Yeah, definitely! Like you said, coming off of that draw, I was really disappointed. That helped push me in the gym and get through everything. I was just talking to one of my training partners, Joey Beltran, and he was congratulating me. Getting through this camp was so difficult. I had so much stuff come up as far as injury-wise and stuff I had to get through. There were days that I didn't think I was going to be able to fight and to come out on top, especially the way that I did was an amazing feeling.
PC: Stefan likes to throw that knee from far out and he's got caught doing so. Did you see that on tape and figured that opportunity would present itself, or was it just a timing thing during the fight and you caught him?
TB: I had seen that. He had a similar experience in his fight with Paul Buentello. It wasn't something that I was counting on because he got knocked down almost the same way by Buentello and the kid was right back in the game. He was moving around as soon as he hit the mat. I was guessing that I hit harder than Buentello just because of my size. During the fight, I made a couple adjustments because I saw that every time we would separate and then come back in, he would try to throw that knee or a kick and leave something open. I just took advantage of it.
PC: That was a big win for you. Where would you like that win to place you in the UFC's heavyweight division?
TB: I'm at where I'm at in the division. I don't really look at that as far as where I think they should put me. I believe my continued success will show where I belong in the UFC, and that will be amongst the best in the business. But at this point, I'm still young in my career. I'm not trying to rush anything. I'm just here to put on great fights for the fans and just continue to have success.
PC: Once you were actually in there with him, I'm sure his height and reach magnified, but was there anything other than his height and the obvious things about him that surprised you?
TB: Not really. We were both pretty respectful of each other going into the fight. I didn't really notice anything that was different. He definitely stepped his game up; his striking game. He was using his range a little bit better, he was getting out of the way better, his defense was good, and he had some solid kicks. He's definitely stepped up his game from the last time I've seen him fight, but it just happened to go my way.
PC: We've seen him get put down and beaten up before, but I had never seen him go out like that. You're a big guy. Is that a testament to how hard you're hitting?
TB: I think so. Being as tall as I am, I'm also thick. I noticed that Junior Dos Santos couldn't put him out, Roy Nelson couldn't put him out, I mean, he had never been knocked out cold. He had basically been TKO'd. So going into the fight, I knew that he was going to be tough. I was ready to go all 3 rounds, 15 minutes, and just put a hurting on him. It was one of those things where the work that I had put in with my coaches and learning how to punch correctly made me capable of landing the perfect punch at the right time.
PC: You looked fluid and relaxed in there against Struve. Was that from that being your third fight inside of the Octagon or because of the lessons you learned from the Kongo fight?
TB: Man, people don't understand how much I learned from the Cheick Kongo fight. My confidence, even though I didn't come out with a clear-cut win in that fight and dominate Cheick Kongo and all of that stuff...I think I did in the 1st round, but it gave me confidence that I can hang with anybody and go toe to toe. It lets me know that if you get in a brawl with me, you're taking the biggest chance of getting knocked out. So if you stand toe to toe with me, there is a great chance that you're going to get knocked out. It gave me a little bit more confidence in my game. It let me loosen up when I normally wouldn't loosen up, like say when I spar people and that kind of stuff. My coaches were super excited to see me fight the way that I did because they saw me control the cage, control the tempo, but not blow my load like I did against Kongo. At the end of that 1st round, I wasn't tired or anything. I was good to go. It's a great feeling.
PC: It seems the thing now is to ask and you shall receive. A lot of guys have gotten fights that they wanted by simply calling out names. Are there any heavyweights out there that you are interested in facing next?
TB: That's the thing, we have the best matchmaker in Joe Silva in the world. He's done a great job with me already. When other people didn't think that I was ready for a guy like Cheick Kongo or I would get my butt kicked by Stefan Struve, he believed in me and he knows what kind of fighter I am and I'm going to let him do his job. He will line them up and I will knock them down. That's what I plan on doing.
PC: It looks like Dana White and those guys better prepare a lot of bonus money for you in the future. Congrats again and I look forward to your next fight. Is there anything you want to say in closing?
TB: I hope so. I just want to say thank you to my friends and family and the people that are close to me. Thanks to the fans who continue to believe in me, and to the fans who just learned about me, I'm always going to put on exciting fights and work hard for you guys. Stay tuned because there will be a lot more action for you.
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]