Matt Mitrione: After I beat Travis Browne, I’ll be relevant to title picture

It didn’t bother Matt Mitrione when Cain Velasquez got an immediate rematch with Fabricio Werdum, the man who took his UFC heavyweight title.

Admittedly, Mitrione didn’t have much of a claim to the throne.

“I was never in that title hunt,” he told MMAjunkie Radio. “I was never in that mix. I had ground I had to gain.”

To put it more bluntly, Mitrione was coming off a bad setback, a submission in under two minutes against Ben Rothwell in June at UFC Fight Night 68. An attempt at an immediate rematch was unsuccessful.

But Mitrione (9-4 MMA, 9-4 UFC) hasn’t been discouraged by his recent fate or recent turns in the division. The way he sees it, there are golden opportunities around every corner in the UFC’s big-man class.

“I think in the heavyweight division, in our division more so than any other, the number beside your name is completely arbitrary,” he said. “I think as long as you have a number by your name, cool, awesome – then you can do something.

“But I think if you have a number beside your name, one good performance can change everything in your life regarding your profession.”

That’s why his next bout, a FOX Sports 1-televised meeting with Travis Browne (17-3-1 MMA, 8-3-1 UFC) at UFC Fight Night 81, is more than just another booking.

UFC Fight Night 81 takes place Jan. 17, a Sunday, at TD Garden in Boston. The main card will air on FOX Sports 1 following prelims on UFC Fight Pass.

“In the heavyweight division…there’s a very legit 10, 11, 12 people,” Mitrione said. “As soon as that gets moving, things can change around pretty quickly. With us, with one touch, everything can change.

“If it’s an extremely impressive fight that you win in, you can leapfrog. Hell, look at Werdum; I think he was No. 8 when he got the fight that he won that got him a title shot in his next fight.”

The fight Mitrione refers to involves none other than Browne, who signed a lucrative contract with the UFC and was expected to challenge then-champ Velasquez for the belt with a headliner win at UFC on FOX 11. Werdum delivered the upset, catapulting himself into contention.

No wonder Mitrione likes his next opponent.

“I wasn’t really relevant, but after I beat Travis, I think I’ll be relevant.”

There’s also a lesson in Werdum’s rise, however. After beating Browne, the Brazilian sat on the sidelines as Velasquez recovered from an injury. Then, less than a month before their scheduled showdown at UFC 180, the Mexican champ injured his knee and was forced to withdraw from the event, forcing an interim title bout with Mark Hunt and further delaying a showdown.

So even though fortunes change quickly at heavyweight, Mitrione is aware that at the end of the day, there’s little reason to get too fired up about any opportunity when the balance of a division can be upset so easily. Better yet to accept a big fight as an unexpected surprise, then deliver the goods upon arrival.

“You could be one win away, you could be two wins away, or you could be on the shelf for another year-and-a-half,” he said. “You never know what’s going to happen, man.”

For more on UFC Fight Night 81, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.

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