Perennial heavyweight contender, Travis Browne is officially no longer apart of the UFC roster, with promotional officials confirming the Hawaiian has been released from his contract, seven years following his most recent fight in mixed martial arts.
Browne, a perennial contender under the banner of the UFC, competed at the heavyweight limit during his tenure in the promotion – most recently taking on fellow Octagon alum, Aleksei Oleinik dropping a second round rear-naked choke submission loss to the Russian at UFC 213.
Travis Browne officially released from UFC contract
Ending his tenure in the midst of a four-fight losing run, Travis Browne – the long-time partner of inaugural UFC bantamweight champion, Ronda Rousey, competed at the monumental UFC 200 event in 2016, suffering a first round TKO defeat to former undisputed champion, Cain Velasquez.
And amid uncertainty over his fighting future following years of inactivity, promotional officials confirmed to MMA Fighting how Honolulu native, Browne had been released from his contract, seven years on from his most recent fight.
Travis Browne has been released from the UFC roster after his contract was completed, per UFC officials
Browne hasn’t fought since 2017 and I’ve not heard anything that he plans to compete again but he’s no longer with the UFC #UFC
— Damon Martin (@DamonMartin) July 2, 2024
Boasting an 18-7-1 professional record, Browne, known for his knockout ability and striking prowess, has stopped a total of 14 opponents via strikes, as well as racking up a further two submission finishes.
Making his organizational debut at the finale of The Ultimate Fighter 11 back in 2010, Browne has racked up notable Octagon wins over the likes of Stefan Struve, Gabriel Gonzaga, Alistair Overeem, Josh Barnett, Brendan Schaub, and his most recent win, finished Matt MItrione in a 2016 knockout victory.
Earning a pair of Fight of the Night post-fight bonuses, Browne took on former heavyweight champion, Andrei Arlovski in a memorable clash – who himself also departed the UFC following his decision loss to Martin Buday last weekend, as well as knockout kingpin, Derrick Lewis.
What’s your favorite memory from the career of UFC contender, Travis Browne?
After seven years, Travis Browne is no longer under UFC contract.
Promotional officials confirmed to MMA Fighting on Tuesday that the UFC has released the 17-fight veteran after his contract was completed. “Hapa” hasn’t competed inside the octagon since getting submitted by Aleksei Oleinik at UFC 213 in July 2017. Per officials, Browne didn’t notify the UFC of a retirement.
Browne, who is the husband of former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey, ended his octagon tenure with a promotional record of 9-7-1, finishing the likes of Brendan Schaub, Josh Barnett, and Alistair Overeem. Browne concludes his contract with four straight losses, including TKO stoppages against Derrick Lewis and Cain Velasquez.
The 26-fight pro began his UFC run in June 2010, going unbeaten in his first five appearances. Browne’s best year in the promotion took place in 2013 where he went 3-0 with three first-round finishes.
On Monday, Michael Chandler posted on social media that he was offered a fight against lightweight champion Islam Makhachev for October. Former interim lightweight titleholder Dustin Poirier also offered to faced Makhachev in a rematch if Makhachev doesn’t face top contender Arman Tsarukyan next.
“I’ve been offered @MAKHACHEVMMA in October – but if @TheNotoriousMMA little pinky toe is ready by Sept, let’s do sphere. Biggest sporting event in history of sports,” Chandler posted on X.
“If arman can’t fight let’s go again @MAKHACHEVMMA,” Poirier wrote.
I’ve been offered @MAKHACHEVMMA in October – but if @TheNotoriousMMA little pinky toe is ready by Sept, let’s do sphere. Biggest sporting event in history of sports!!!! @RiyadhSeason #ufc306 pic.twitter.com/STUUFns2Hp
— Michael Chandler (@MikeChandlerMMA) July 2, 2024
If arman can't fight let's go again @MAKHACHEVMMA https://t.co/RibEH9MFXr
— The Diamond (@DustinPoirier) July 1, 2024
Makhachev responded to both Chandler and Poirier and showed no interest in fighting either of them. After all, they’re both coming off of losses.
“No thanks,” Makhachev responded to Poirier. His response to Chandler wasn’t as cordial. “You are unreliable dude, one tweet from your master, and you’ll run away. Champ needs real opponent,” Makhachev wrote in response to Chandler.
No thanks https://t.co/FBrjmGmTV3
— Makhachev Islam (@MAKHACHEVMMA) July 1, 2024
You are unreliable dude, one tweet from your master, and you’ll run away. Champ needs real opponent. https://t.co/WcmHLvcsjI
— Makhachev Islam (@MAKHACHEVMMA) July 2, 2024
Chandler hasn’t fought since November 2022, losing to Poirier via submission. After coaching The Ultimate Fighter 31 opposite Conor McGregor, Chandler has waited for the “Notorious” to return. The two were scheduled to headlined UFC 303 on July 29, but an injured toe forced McGregor out of the fight.
Makhachev defeated Poirier in his last outing at UFC 302 on June 1. Poirier may have given Makhachev the toughest fight of his title reign, but Makhachev finished Poirier in the final round via brabo choke.
Former UFC fighter James Vick was on the wrong end of one of the scariest combat sports knockouts you’ll ever see at Karate Combat 47 this past Friday night.
Vick was knocked unconscious by a switch kick from Rafael Alves, capping off one of the craziest events in promotional history. Vick was out cold for quite some time before being sent to the hospital, but reports began to circulate about how bad things actually got for Vick after that kick.
MY. GOD. Rafael Alves scores one of the most insane knockouts in KC history. Completely flatlined James Vick with a flying switch kick. #KC47 pic.twitter.com/iPZZ6r1oFi
— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) June 29, 2024
Karate Combat president Asim Zaidi gave his reaction, and also provided clarity on the situation.
“I’ll tell you this: The event, this was supposed to be an event for our prospects, sort of a filler event, a smaller Karate Combat to set up our bigger shows,” Zaidi told MMA Fighting. “It was going so well, and just everything about it was just so electrifying and perfect — even the whole brawl, strangle incident was hilarious. The crowd was chanting, they had a great time with it. No one got hurt. It worked out in a very positive way, everything was happy, and at that moment when James Vick got knocked out, I could no longer be happy.
“It really sucked because it was one of the most successful shows, sold out crowd, everyone is cheering. I could have went home and had a very great night and celebrate a wonderful event, and I couldn’t because my heart was broken because it was such a tough knockout. It’s hard for me to watch the video. It really is like when I see the video of that knockout, it is not easy to watch. I cringe watching it and, it was just as bad as everything [that’s been] said.
“Yes, he was KO’d, he was out for a while. We didn’t show it on the broadcast, but he seized. They took him into the ambulance, he needed help breathing, they put some tubes for some breathing. It’s hard for me to talk about it, you know, but thank God he recovered and everything is fine.”
Vick’s UFC run ended with four straight losses, including three knockouts by Justin Gaethje, Dan Hooker, and Niko Price, and then was stopped by Andre Fialho in his first fight outside of the octagon for XMMA. The 37-year-old pivoted to the boxing world where he picked up consecutive knockout wins, and then tried his hand in the Karate Combat pit, going 1-2 with all three fights going to the scorecards.
After 14 months out of the promotion, Vick returned and suffered the jaw-dropping knockout. Despite the aftermath, and the scary nature of the situation, “President Awesome” says that when Vick regained consciousness and started talking about the fight, he seemed to have a grasp of how things went down once he put the pieces together.
While that’s all well and good, Zaidi would not like to see Vick competing again — for Karate Combat, or anywhere else.
“He woke up and I went to go visit him and what’s crazy is I was there right when he woke up and, he’s like, ‘Man, what did I mess up? What did he hit me with? And I said, ‘He hit you with a switch kick,’” Zaidi said. “He’s like, ‘Oh, he went low, then went high,’ I said, ‘Yeah, one kick went to your leg, one went to your head. He’s like, ‘Oh I dropped my hands when I checked the kick.’ He understood everything, man. So we’re talking about strategical mistakes immediately when he woke up, which made me feel so much better and showed how showed how aware he is.
“Thank God he’s good now, he’s been discharged, he’s home, and he can hopefully, take a break and I would not like to see him in the pit again. … “I hate to say it and I I don’t want to to sound heartless, but I just can’t bring him back to Karate Combat, and I don’t think he should fight again. I hate to say that because he’s a warrior. But he has a wonderful school, he coaches many, many amazing talented young fighters. I think it’s time to say, hey, that’s my path and that’s what I’m going to go on to, and he was successful, man. There’s a time where he was 9-1 in the UFC. So he was a successful dude, and I think that part of his life is over and now it’s time to focus on his amazing talents and students that he has.”
Zaidi hopes that Vick will appear as a coach and cornerman for his fighters for years to come, and is also open to Vick being part of the Karate Combat broadcast team.
But when asked where Vick’s heart was at, Zaidi said that there seemed to be no signs of him wanting to walk away from competition.
“He mentioned the opposite,” Zaidi explained. “He actually said he wanted to come back. He actually told one of the Karate Combat staff that he wanted to fight again. I didn’t want to even talk to him about that, and it’s just, it’s not going to happen. It’s just, I can’t allow that to happen for his own safety and I think he he has a great mind in the sport and can find other great avenues to be successful to create, and further his legacy.”
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