Without dreams we are so lost.  When we follow our dreams we are so powerful.  As long as a fighter has hope he holds his hands high, he picks himself from the mat.  When hope leads, the fighter can point his hand at his opponent, and utter those famous words, “One more round!”

Though Travis “Hapa” Browne hasn’t faced too many beat downs (9 wins 0 losses in fact), he has certainly delivered them.  Hapa continues to entertain every crowd and to dominate every opponent placed before him.  Over these last few weeks I, as well as the rest of the fightpros.com community, have been wondering how much longer Hapa could be ignored by the larger venues.  That question has now been answered, and not by just anyone, but by the largest of all venues.  The UFC.

Though other sites have reported that Travis Browne had signed with the UFC, they were mistaken.  It was reported that Travis was to fight McSweeney ay UFC 115, and they were wrong.  It is now my distinct pleasure to inform the world, direct from the mouth of Travis Browne, that he has as of  Monday, March 8th at 8:40pm, officially signed with the UFC.  Hapa is scheduled to face James McSweeney at The Ultimate Fighter Finale on June 19th in Las Vegas. You heard it first, legitimately, from fightpros.com.

According to Travis Browne, “I am very excited about this opportunity, and I am very excited and happy that the UFC has put their faith in me.  That they see potential in me.  I am very excited but I have mixed emotions.  As great as it is to be signed, I won’t realize my dream until I am wearing that belt.  I’m not here to be lukewarm, I am here to be a dominating force in the UFC.  No mediocrity.”

From all of us at Fightpros.com, a heart felt congratulations to Travis “Hapa” Browne!  You earned it Bra!  Make us proud!

~Pastor Bob

You can follow Pastor Bob on twitter @pastorbobmma

Fightpros:  Ok Travis.  Last time aound you shared that your family and friends were giving you the, “man I’m bored,” routine.  That they were spending too much time packing, driving, finding their seats, only to be treated to all of an 8 second fight.  Well, what did you give them this time?  34 seconds?  38 Seconds?  Are they happy now?  What do you have to say about all this?

Browne: Yeah, well I’m glad they all got a little bit more of a fight.  However, like I said, 2010 is gonna be a great year!  There are gonna be lots of big announcements.  I am here to stay.  This is not a hobby for me, this is my life.  This is who I am.  I’m not one of these, “hey, if I win or lose great,” kinda people.  No!  Every fight I am coming out with bad intentions.  Every fight I am coming out setting the tone for the rest of my career.  I wanna be that fighter that makes people say, “If Travis Browne is gonna be on that card, then I want to watch that fight!”  Sorry to everyone if that means spending more time finding a seat than watching the fight (chuckling).

Fightpros: Travis, in our last interview I said that I felt like you were building a resume with each fight.  One thing I was noticing, is that it looks like you are making highlight reels.  Before your Abe Wagner fight, you knocked out your opponent in like 9 seconds with a head kick.  Abe you took out with a mad flurry of punches in 8 seconds.  Now you take out Brink in just 34 seconds.  This was Barely long enough to carry him across the cage, slam him down, and commence the ground and pound before the referree stepped in.  Is this your resume?  Highlights that show you as a well rounded fighter, utilizing feet, hands, and wrestling style ground and pound?

Travis: I don’t know if I could say it was any plan that elaborate, but my honest goal in these fights, as well as all my fights, is to put people out.  During my practice, I go to my coaches and I ask them, “How would you fight me.”  Then they point out my weaknesses as they see them.  Then I go and work that weakness to death.  I work it until there is no more visible weakness.  Then I go back to my coaches and ask them how they would fight me now.  Then they are forced to pick an area that they wouldn’t have chosen before.  Then I go and work that area over and over again, and I start the whole process of questioning, and training to perfection all over again.  This is how I stay on my toes, and how I continually attempt to evolve as a fighter so that no two fights are the same.

Fightpros: Last time around you told me the last minute switch from Pack to Brink wasn’t gonna throw a monkey wrench into your plans.  You also stated that with only a week to go you were already formulating a plan with your coaches to fight Brink.  Was your plan to pick Brink up and drop him on his head?

Travis Browne KO’s Aaron Brink Fightpros exclusive video

Browne: With Brink we had an overall game plan, but honestly there were too many variables.  My coaches worked with me to keep him on the outside.  If he tried to come inside, to eat my jab or my knee.

Fightpros: What if he took you down?

Browne: We worked on that too, because it was obvious that his best chance was gonna be to try and get inside.  I was never really in real danger of going to my back, I think people will really be surprised if they take me down and just how much I can do from my back.

Fightpros: Sounds like you got respect for your coaches?

Browne: Honestly I cannot say enough good about all of my coaches,  Phil works with me on my wrestling, and Brandon and I are always messing around, kicking around at each other.

Fightpros: Brandon Vera?

Browne: Yeah.  both he and I are Muay Thai.  Man, let me tell you, when someone kicks me I am like a kid in a candy store.  You kick me and I’m just gonna get excited.  Sometimes Brandon and I just stand there kicking each other.

Fightpros: Wait, are you telling me that you guys do the old Jean Claude-Kickboxer standing there taking turns kicking each other in the side thing?

Browne: (Laughing) Yeah, sometimes we just get started and pretty soon we are laughing and kicking each other until we realize everyone is watching and then it feels kinda embarrasing.  I enjoy training at Alliance so much that if my hands weren’t swollen, I would be there right now training.

Fightpros: So you wish you were training right now?  Swollen hands and all?

Browne: Oh yeah.  I still have so much to learn.  I feel like I still have so much to learn.  After my fight with Brink I was taking the time to honestly critique myself, and people were like, “Oh come on, be quiet!”  But seriously I was trying to be humble.  Afterward, I walked right up to my coach and asked him what I should have done different.

Fightpros: So what is next for Travis “Hapa” Browne?

Browne:  Well like I said we are planning on a lot of big announcements for 2010.  This is my year to see it all happen.  I will be defending one of my belts in April.  I should have another match lined up for May.  Hopefully some other great announcements as well.  However, immediately I am gonna let these swollen hands shrink up a little, and let this body heal up a little.  Two fights in two weeks is a little demanding.

Fightpros: Travis, our interview series is almost over.  Your career, even with these great victories, is still just getting started.  We are all hopeful to see a long and glorious career for you.   What is your end goal in all of this.  At the end of it all what do you want to see?

Browne: My ultimate goal is for my kids to grow up proud of their Father, like I was of mine.  When they are in high school I want their friends to walk up to them and say, “Man I love watching your Dad’s old videos.”  He was really cool.  That is what I most want to see.  To leave a legacy for my children that they can be proud of.

Fightpros.com has offered its readers a rather unique view of a fighter on a mission.  A two title quest undertaken by a rather likeable and interesting individual named Travis Browne.  Fightpros.com speculated that Travis was gonna be a name to remember, and with two new titles under his belt, and his last three matches ending in less than a minute COMBINED, we were not mistaken.

Travis is worth following for many reasons.  Not the least of which are his incredible work ethic, his insatiable appetite for training and entertaing the crowd, as well as his great loyalty to his family.  it was said before and will be repeated now, Travis Browne is good for the sport.  lets hope the sport is good to “Hapa” and that we see his dreams come true real soon!  Good luck Travis!

As always, what say you?

~Pastor Bob

You can follow Pastor Bob on twitter @pastorbobmma

Recently Fightpros.com has been following Travis’s journey to claim two seperate title belts with only a two week gap between bouts.  In the first of these two bouts, honorable mention must be given yet again, to the 8 second knockout dealt from the gloves of Mr. Browne to the cranium of Abe Wagner. Now, with only four days to go before his second championship bout, it has been reported that Ivan Pack has pulled himself from the bout and is being replaced by Aaron Brink.

Aaron Brink has had a fairly extensive mixed martial arts career facing such giants of the sport as, Gan McGee, “Cabbage” Correira, Jeremy Horn, and current StrikeForce Heavyweight Champion Alistair Overeem, as well as StrikeForce fighter “Iron” Mike Whitehead.  In addition, Brink has even faced former UFC champions Rich “Ace” Franklin and Andrei “The Pit bull” Arlovski. However, in recent years Brink’s greatest fight has not been in the octagon but rather in the events that have unfolded in his personal life.

Brink left the world of mixed martial arts to pursue a career in the porn industry.  During his stint in the adult entertainment world, Brink became addicted to drugs and was even featured on the television program Intervention.  The show Intervention is designed to give friends and family  the opportunity to intervene, and thwart, the destructive behavior of a loved one.  Following his appearance on Intervention, Brink began to regain control of his life, and one expression of that new found control is his return to the cage on Feb 21st against Travis Browne.

In regards to Brink’s late replacement of Ivan Pack, Travis Browne had this to say, “Good.  It’s fine by me that they have put Brink in.  At the level I am competing at, I am not worried about who they set in front of me.  There was no special game plan for  Pack that has been thwarted by Brink’s stepping in.  I was gonna take it to Pack, and now it’s gonna be Brink… that’s all.  In some ways it’s better that they put Brink in because I know what to expect from Brink.  Brink has innate habits, just expressions of who he is as a fighter that he cannot get away from.  When I put the pressure on, when I pressure him, he will respond a certain way and thats where the match will be determined.   Just today we started coming up with a new game plan.  I am going in confident.”

When questioned about the less than altruistic reasons surrounding Brink’s departure, and subsequent return to the ring, Travis stated, “The only history of Brink’s that I am interested in is his fight history.  Everything else is just the situation and circumstances that he has found himself in.  In regards to this fight the only thing that he needs to know of me is that I am coming after him.”

February 21st is right around the corner.  Two giant men will collide on that day.  At the very least this matchup promises to be an amazing spectacle of flurried hands and flashing feet.  Will the ever constant  knock out power of Travis Browne gain his third straight highlight victim?  Will the new found hunger of Aaron Brink help him to edge out the victory?  No one knows for sure but one thing is certain, fight fans everywhere will find out Sunday night!  Good luck fighters, the world is watching!

As always, what say you?

~Pastor Bob

Fightpros.com contributor Pastor Bob Rush can be followed on Twitter @pastorbobmma

Recently I had the good pleasure of interviewing Travis Browne before his fight with Abe Wagner at the Victory Challenge Championship.  Eight seconds into the fight Abe Wagner, from my perspective, muttered those famous words, “What happened?”  It could have been worse, at least he didn’t ask, “did I win?”

Travis Browne told me before his fight, and asked me to inform the world, “don’t blink!”  It was a good thing too, because it would have been easy to miss.

Now in a follow up interview with Travis, Pastor Bob of FightPros.com, examines the man, Travis Browne, and discusses topics such as his recent win, the source of his strength, and his up coming battle with Ivan Pack at The Gladiator Challenge.

FightPros.com: Travis… Eight seconds man!  What’s with that??

Travis:  I told ya man, “don’t blink,” is what I said.  The critics have said that I have no hands, but I showed what I can do.  Eight second knock out using nothing but hands.

FightPros.com:  Travis, I watched that fight, watched it again, and re-watched it!  Bud, I think that Wagner actually managed to raise his right hand and extended it half way before I saw you begin to rain down some blows.  Then the referee got his head in the way, and then the fight was over!  I don’t think Wagner managed to get more than a half punch off!

Travis: Yeah, my family members are telling me that they are getting bored.  They are saying, “Travis we love to watch you fight, but we get all loaded up and head out, but then we don’t get to see you fight!  Your ending them too soon!”  But I guess that’s a price we will have to pay, because I am starting to believe in myself more and more all the time and I am trusting in my coaching more and more, and growing in maturity as a fighter all the time.

FightPros.com: What’s next for Travis Browne?  Gladiator Challenge?

Travis: Yep, February 21st it’s me and Ivan Pack at the Gladiator Challenge.  Friday night after the Wagner knock out it was great, but Sunday was all Ivan Pack.  The win was great but now its back to work.  I am not looking through him or beyond him at all, I’m looking right at him!

FightPros.com: After Gladiator Challenge what?

Travis: The UFC is where I want to spend the majority of my career.  I know everyone looks at the UFC because of the money, but for me the money is only part of it.  I know as a man I can take care of my family.  I know that I can always provide at the least a minimum of what we will need.  Even if it is by digging holes in asphalt, if that is what I need to do then I will do it.  I am very confident in my abilities to provide for my family.  So, I am not doing this, going to the UFC because I have to, but because I want to.  I WANT to compete in the UFC.  Period.

FightPros.com: Travis, you are a 6’7” 235 lbs Muay Thai kick boxer.  Primarily a striker.  Recent trends in the mixed martial arts world seem to be gravitating away from Brazilian Jujitsu.  Following Chael Sonnen’s win over Nate Marquardt, Jon Fitch went on record to say, “The closed guard is dead.”  Do you agree?

Travis:  Not at all.  Jujitsu has it’s place, just as all the martial arts do.  Look at Demian Maia.  There are so many things that he can pull from the closed guard.  If you allow a guy like Maia to take the closed guard he is gonna twist out an arm-bar, or a choke or something without a problem.  A world class martial artist is going to be a world class martial artist.  All the martial arts belong.

FightPros.com:  As I mentioned you are a giant of a Muay Thai practitioner.  At your size, your weight category, and your skill set, do you feel like you are on the cutting edge?

Travis: I do… I feel like the heavy weights are five to seven years behind the other divisions in regards to the working of their game plan.  I believe that I am on the cutting edge, and I want to be the next brand, that next level of fighter who comes along.  The ones who can block the take down attempts of the Brock Lesnar’s and return the pounding.

FightPros.com:  What should we expect to see from you on the 21st?

Travis:  Something completely different!  I am not going to let him be predictable in this fight.  I am going to pressure him.  I am going to push him, and grind him.  I want to break his spirit, to brake his will.

FightPros.com: It sounds to me like you are building a resume with each fight.

Travis: That is what it’s all about.

FightPros.com: In the time that I have known you, you come across to me as a very humble fighter.  You look like you are just a sponge for knowledge.  You’re listening to your coaches.

Travis: Absolutely.  I always want to be learning.  When you stop learning it’s time to hang up your gloves.  I have to be willing to learn.  I want to always be a new fighter.  I want to evolve every three months.  You can’t do that without being willing to learn.

FightPros.com: In our previous interview, you mentioned your wife and kids.  Tell me, what do they think about your fighting, are they an active part of your endeavors?

Travis: I don’t bring my work home with me.  My family is my break.  When I get home it’s like any one else coming home from work.  I pick my kids up.  I hug them and kiss them.  My family time is for me not for fighting.  I keep the two separate.  They are my strength.  They keep me going.

FightPros.com: Last question, my friend,  who does Travis Browne plan to be should he arrive at his UFC dream?

Travis: Who I am today is who I want to be, and who I will be five years from now.  I want my fans to be able to look me up.  To walk up to me and shake my hand.  I want them to be able to introduce themselves to me.  I am not that unapproachable kind of person that seems to get made with a little bit of success.  I am going to be the guy I am now, as well as then, success or not.

You have to like a guy like Travis Browne.  All appearances are that Travis is a guy with his head screwed on right.  Valuing his family enough to let family time be family time.  Valuing his present and future fans enough to allow room for them in his life and heart.  Travis truly seems like a working class hero.  We can only hope that the future is kind to Travis, and his upcoming matches go as planned so that his UFC dream can be realized by himself, and shared in by us, his fans.  We can only hope, because to coin a phrase, “He is good for the sport.”

As always, what say you?

~Pastor Bob

You can follow Pastor Bob on Twitter @pastorbobmma

Travis Browne, is coming off his most recent win which came via KO (headkick) back in November at Gladiator Challenge. He poses an undefeated record of 7-0. Fighting out of Alliance Training Center in California, Travis opens up to FightPros’ own Pastor Bob on matters of family, drive, and competition, on the eve of perhaps the greatest month of his life.

Fightpros.com: Travis!  Awesome to make your acquaintance.  Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to make this interview happen.

Browne: Hey, no problem.  Thank you for taking the time.

Fightpros.com: I understand that you have a crazy month ahead of you man.  two fights in two weeks, but not just any fights, fights for titles.  That is mind boggling!

Browne:  Yeah, but I am ready for it.  This is what I want.  This is how I am going to get where I want in my fighting career.

Fightpros.com:  Travis, this is a month worth talking about.  This is an endeavor worth hearing about.  And you are a fighter worth learning about.  Tell us about yourself.  The world is listening right now, the spotlight is on you, so… who is Travis Browne as a person?

Browne: As a person I am a very easy going guy.  A lot of people don’t understand this.  They think that fighters are all high strung and energetic.  I am just a laid back easy going guy.  I have two kids and a wife.  I am happily married.  I am also very competitive in all that I do.  I prove myself, and I prove to myself in all that I do.  I want to show to my family, friends, and my fans, that I am the best there is at what I do, and what I do is fight.

Fightpros: Two kids and a wife, and happily married at that.  Your right you don’t sound like the average fighter(chuckling).  Tell me about your two kids?  Boys? Girls?

Browne:  Two boys ages three and two.  On one of my websites there is a picture of my boy with his first shiner.  He got his first black eye.

Fightpros.com:  That is so awesome!  Two and three years old.  What an incredible age.  I am a Father of two girls and happily married myself.  Guess we got something in common.

Browne: (laughing) Yeah, guess so.

Fightpros.com: Great.  Well Travis, now that the fans hopefully know a little bit more about you on a personal level.  Tell us, what about as the fighter?  Who are you as a fighter?

Browne: I am very technical.  Much more the technician than the brawler.  I look for my opportunities, and when the door opens up for me I slam it shut on my opponent.  In the same way, though I said I am laid back, when the door to the cage shuts I change.  I become what I need to be at that instance to win.  Like I said I am very competitive.  I am out to prove to the world that I deserve these two opportunities in February, and after February I deserve greater opportunities.

Fightpros.com: Stylistically.

Browne:  Stylistically I am Muay Thai.  I have strong Muay Thai skills.  I love to stand and throw arms and feet.  I also have a purple belt in Jujitsu.  Wrestling is probably my weakest point.  However, I am working on that all the time, so its not like I have no wrestling skill… it’s just that I prefer to stand and strike.

Fightpros.com:  Abe Wagner.

Browne: Yep, Abe Wagner. He is my upcoming opponent.

Fightpros.com:  Now most people would remember Abe Wagner from his stint on The Ultimate Fighter right?  Tell me how you feel about this bout?

Browne: Yep, he was on the Ultimate Fighter.  I’m sure not nervous about it.  I am ready though.  I’m ready to fight, and I’m ready to represent.  Momentum is everything, and I am bringing momentum with me.  I am on my way up right now.  I am heading to where I am going and Abe is gonna help me get to where I want to go.

Fightpros.com:  Love it (chuckling).  He’s gonna help you get there huh?

Browne:  Yeah, but that’s not intending any disrespect.  I’m not being cocky, just confident.

Fightpros.com:  Oh yeah, I’m not hearing negativity from you.  Your just saying that a win for you over Abe Wagner would help your upward momentum.

Browne: yeah.

Fightpros.com: Ok.  We know who your competitor is gonna be.  Tell me how your going to meet him.  What is your greatest asset you are bringing into the ring with you.

Browne:  The two best things I am bringing with me are my athleticism.  I am quick and explosive.  The other asset I am bringing is my coaching.  I have got some of the top world class coaching.

Fightpros.com:  What do you want from Wagner?

Browne: I want to see the best Abe Wagner ever!  I want there to be no excuses.  I want to raise my hand over the best Abe Wagner in victory.  After lots of blows being thrown, and in front of a very happy crowd, I want to be standing over the best Abe Wagner because he is gonna face the best Travis Browne there has ever been.  No excuses.

Fight Pros.com: You mentioned the Fans earlier… Imagine that all the fans are here and you have one thing you want to say them.  What would that be?

Browne: Fans Jump on now.  Get to know me now.  Don’t wait til later.  Don’t let me be a new face for you in the UFC.  You all inspire me, so please get to know me.

Fightpros.com:  Awesome… one more now.  This is the right hand of the left right knockout!  Last word my friend!  You’ve got your fans out there, you’ve got new fans forming right now, tell them what they should expect, what should they do about you as their new “fan favorite?”

Browne:  Don’t blink!  I’m coming at him.  I’m coming swinging.  I am going to unload with all that I am.  Don’t blink cause your not gonna want to miss an instant or you might miss it all!  I am gonna do my best to make all of you happy!

Travis Browne is 6′7 260lbs of energy and momentum.  Browne is leaving on the morning of February 4th to embark on a month of destiny.  Planning to compete for two championship belts within two weeks of each other, Travis is a man on a mission looking to embrace destiny.  Only one year after his professional debut (Feb. 09) Travis seeks two championships belts, yet he already has eyes on the bigger names in larger venues. Something tells me we’ll be hearing from more of Travis “Hapa” Browne soon in mainstream venues!

Good luck Travis!  The FightPros.com community will be pulling for you!

As Always, what say you?

Pastor Bob

Follow Pastor Bob on Twitter @pastorbobmma