UFC Fight Night 102's Randy Brown enjoying fast ride now that he's immersed in the UFC

ALBANY, N.Y. – Randy Brown ain’t messin’ around with this whole UFC thing.

Brown was plucked out of the regional scene by UFC President Dana White a little more than a year ago as part of his “Lookin’ for a Fight” webseries. Brown had just moved to 6-0, all for the New Jersey-based Ring of Combat promotion, and defended his welterweight title with a first-round knockout.

Two months later, Brown, a longtime New Yorker, was making his promotional debut at UFC on FOX 18 in New Jersey. Things move pretty fast at this level. Since then, Brown has been a steady every-three-months fighter.

“It is fast – it’s going fast,” Brown told MMAjunkie. “But I’m enjoying the ride. I love it. This is what I love to do – this is my passion. I’m making my teachers proud, making my friends and family proud. I love it. It is going fast, but the faster the better – I can handle it.”

On Friday, Brown (8-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) has his latest test at welterweight against Brian Camozzi (7-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) at UFC Fight Night 102, which takes place at Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y. The entire card streams on UFC Fight Pass. Brown and Camozzi are part of the prelims.

Brown was supposed to fight Conor McGregor teammate Charlie Ward on the card, but visa problems kept him out of the States. Ward instead fought a few weeks back at UFC Fight Night 99 in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

But the opponent change meant Brown had to scramble a little bit.

“It was a big difference, but in my camp, in prepration, we try to stay prepared for everything, no matter what,” Brown said. “The opponent change was a bit of a hiccup, but we kind of stay ready for everything. Sensei Nardu (Debrah) always says, ‘Prepared, never scared.’ So it is what it is. It wasn’t that bad – it was a month out.”

Brown said he’s open to taking a fight with Ward down the road. But for now, it’s all about Camozzi, the younger brother of longtime UFC middleweight Chris Camozzi.

“I was looking forward to fighting Charlie Ward, Conor McGregor’s teammate – all the hype, and I was getting ready to slap his face off,” Brown said. “That would’ve been fun, but it’s all good. Now I’ve got someone else, and I’ve got to do what I’ve got to do.”

For more on UFC Fight Night 102, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.