The purpose of these video segments is to get a glimpse into what life after fighting is like.
What are some success stories? What are some failures to avoid?
How much of a physical toll does a professional MMA fighting career take on the body?
The first video I decided to make was on Travis Browne.
Some of the main questions I had when researching about Travis Browne were:
- What is Travis Browne up to now?
- What were some of the shining moments in his MMA career?
- How did Browne go from a promising up-and-comer to losing 4 straight UFC fights?
Here is what I found out…
But first I’m going to start at the roots.
Travis Browne was born in Oahu Hawaii.
He moved to San Diego to live with his Mom, after his Dad passed away when he was 10.
After graduating High School, he played 1 year of basketball at Palomar Community College.
Apparently, his collegiate career was cut short due to having issues in the classroom with his grades.
Once he was no longer competing with other college athletes, he started playing in local recreation leagues.
According to an interview with Inside MMA, his transition to MMA happened after he knocked somebody out in a pickup game. After that moment, he realized he had some potential in fighting.
He first started training Jiu-jitsu at 26 years of age, which is definitely a late time to start an MMA career.
It didn’t take him long to begin sparring, after his entry into the Jiu-jitsu world. He proved to be quite the striker after getting the better of some more experienced fighters, during training.
After only 9 months of MMA training, he had his first pro fight.
It only took him two years of MMA training to make it to the UFC, which is highly impressive!
In his first 14 pro fights he went 13-0-1, the one draw being to Cheick Kongo at UFC 120.
His UFC career started out strong. In his first 5 UFC fights, he went 4-0-1.
At the height of his career, he made it to a #1 contender bout to become next in line for the UFC heavyweight title.
Unfortunately, Browne didn’t retire on top of the MMA world. His career can be summed up as a tale of two halves. In the first half of his career he went 7-1-1 in the UFC. In the second half, he went 2-6.
Browne’s once promising career ended with him losing his final four UFC fights. This losing streak urged Dana White to say that Browne should retire.
This begs the question, how did Travis Browne go from winning the 2013 breakthrough fighter of the year from the World MMA awards to getting finished in 3 of his last 4 UFC fights?
So, what happened to Travis Browne?
Some believe the evolution of the sport caught up to him.
Personal issues could’ve also played a factor with two failed marriages and a domestic violence allegation.
It could also be his switch from Jackson-Wink’s to Glendale Fight Club that spelled the demise of his MMA career. He went 5-2 at Jackson-Wink and went 2-5 after switching to Glendale.
Another factor to speculate on is that he could have lost his hunger to compete after he met Ronda Rousey. Together, they are very wealthy, and don’t have to fight in a cage if they don’t want to.
Ultimately, it could be a culmination of everything described above.
Although the curtains didn’t close kindly on Browne’s career, I believe he did actualize his full potential. He made it really far in the sport of MMA.
There have only been 88 UFC champions in the company’s 27 years of operation. Browne got so close as to being only two victories away from achieving that, at one point.
Now, Browne wasn’t the best wrestler and didn’t have the best cardio. He was mainly known for his viscous knees, swinging overhand punches, good finishing instinct, solid ground-and-pound, and having the footwork of a lightweight.
That is an overly simplified explanation of his game, of course, but with that toolset, he managed to win 9 UFC fights. He earned 7 performance bonuses. He had 7 first round finishes in the UFC. That body of work is nothing to criticize or be ashamed of.
HIs career was better than most. Not many fighters walk in the octagon 17 times and win a majority of the time.
These accomplishments in the fight game helped earned him over 1.4 million dollars. His most lucrative fight being against Derrick Lewis where he walked away with $170k, before taxes.
Now that we have discussed Browne’s MMA career at length, let’s talk about what he is up at this present time.
Him and Rhonda Rousey are raising Browne’s two children while tending a 2.4 acre sustainable farm called Browsey Acres in Riverside, CA.
Rousey and Browne are also trying to have a child of their own, but they aren’t trying to rush it.
Along with trying to expand their family, they are also continually expanding their farm.
This farm has goats, chickens, roosters, steers. You can follow the activities of the farm at Ronda Rousey’s website or on the Browsey Acres Instagram account.
Outside of the peaceful retirement life on a farm, Browne likes to go hunting and enjoys cooking. Considering him and Rousey are financially set for life, they can afford to indulge themselves into whatever makes them happy.
I couldn’t find any evidence of whether or not he still trains MMA or plays basketball, which was his first passion.
Overall, Browne’s MMA career didn’t end happily ever after, but his personal life is trending that way.