Once decision-prone, Charlie Brenneman believes UFC finishes will come at lightweight

Charlie Brenneman was in the middle of some New Year’s Eve gluttony when he received an offer to come back to the UFC for a short-notice fight.

“I no sooner got the second helping of pork, sauerkraut, mashed potatoes and hot dogs in my mouth than I got the call from [my manager] saying, ‘What do you want to do Jan. 15?’” Brenneman told MMAjunkie Radio.

The damage was done, calorie-wise. But Brenneman (19-5 MMA, 4-4 UFC) still accepted the bout with Beneil Dariush (6-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) at UFC Fight Night 35, which takes place on the previously mentioned date at Gwinnett Center in Duluth, Ga. The fight is part of the main card, which airs on FOX Sports 1 following four prelims on the same channel and a pair of prelims on UFC Fight Pass, the promotion’s new digital network.

Brenneman said he could have taken the booking at welterweight, which was what the UFC initially offered. That might have meant another helping at the table, but he decided to stick to a resolution to reinvent himself as a lightweight.

“Size does play a role in this sport,” he said. “If everything is equal, and one guy is bigger and stronger, that guy is probably going to win. That was just a thing I could not overcome.”

After going 4-4 in the UFC at 170 pounds, he dropped to 155 pounds and won four straight, including a key regional title with CFFC via second-round submission.

“When I was at 170, as soon as I got these guys on the ground, I didn’t want to let them up because I knew the power that they were coming with,” said Brenneman, a former collegiate wrestler at Lock Haven University. “At 155, I’m a lot more liberal with going for things. I’ve had three subs in my past four fights, so I’m going for the finish a lot more.”

Brenneman should be putting his grappling to use when he meets Dariush, an experienced submission grappler who originally was scheduled to meet Jason High before an injury intervened.

“He’s competed against some of the biggest BJJ names in the world, so he’s been in there with some rough and tough dudes,” Brenneman said. “I don’t expect him to look at me and be scared. He’s been in situations like this before.”

Brenneman contemplated retirement after his UFC release and said he might have had to reevaluate his goals had the promotion not come calling this year.

“I was in a position where I was able to take six months or a year and be OK and get back to this point,” he said. “But if I wouldn’t have gotten back to the UFC in another six or eight months, I would have had to reevaluate my career.”

Now, he’s suddenly back in the swing of a full training camp.

When he gave the interview this past week, Brenneman said he was doing a treadmill workout while changing a diaper and studying film on his opponent.

“I’ve had about two days (to prepare for Dariush),” he said. “We’ve looked about as much film as he has online. I’ve seen, I believe, his last two fights. I’m comfortable with my knowledge with him.”

When he returns to the octagon later this month, he wants to show UFC brass that he’s a changed fighter.

“The past is the past,” he said. “I’m looking at it as, ‘I’m the new lightweight. Good to meet you. I’m thankful for what was, but hopefully, this is the beginning of something special.’”

For more on UFC Fight Night 35, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.