Matt Brown and Bryan Barberena delivered an absolute barnburner during their welterweight encounter at UFC Columbus. While Barberena walked away with the split decision victory, the bout was electrifying from start to finish. The MMA community immediately took to Twitter, lauding the fighters for their excellent performance.
UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling compared the performance to the legendary slugfest between Stephan Bonnar and Forest Griffin. 'Funkmaster' wrote on Twitter:
"I feel like I’m watching Stephan Bonnar and Forrest Griffin all over again!! #UFCColumbus #Sinister!"
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Sterling also opined that the fighters were deserving of a $200k 'Fight of the Night' bonus.
UFC heavyweight king Francis Ngannou praised Matt Brown for such a showing at the age of 41. 'The Predator' wrote:
"Hats off for @IamTheImmortal for delivering such a great performance at 41. #UFCColumbus #Legend"
Other UFC fighters also lauded Brown's efforts despite his age.
Reacting to the war, featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski wrote:
"The lads are working and the lads are scrapping!! #UFCColombus"
Xtreme Couture head coach Eric Nicksick felt the fighters would share a case of beer and a pack of cigarettes after the war. Nicksick wrote:
"I feel like these two are going to share a case of Budweiser and pack of Marlboro reds after this scrap. #UFCColombus"
Take a look at more reactions from UFC fighters below:
Bryan Barberena was booed by the crowd after his win over Matt Brown
Bryan Barberena spoiled Matt Brown's homecoming fight in Ohio by reeling in a closely contested split decision. Disappointed with the loss of their hometown hero, the Ohio crowd booed Barbarena as he conducted his post-fight interview.
However, 'Bam Bam' did not bear any grudges and said in his post-fight octagon interview:
“This is absolutely everything I dreamed of fighting Matt Brown. That’s everything I wanted. I knew I had to put on a performance... You can boo me, but I love you guys."
Watch Barberena's interview with Daniel Cormier below:
Barberena has now won two in a row and is 3-1 in his last four UFC outings. Meanwhile, Brown has descended to 1-3 in his previous four fights, which raises questions about his future even as he continues to put on stellar performances.