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NORFOLK, Va. – Matt Brown is only a couple months removed from telling the world his UFC Fight Night 120 co-main event against Diego Sanchez would be his final walk to the cage.

But with the promise of retirement looming just two days away, Brown (20-16 MMA, 13-10 UFC) isn’t so sure anymore he’s going to want to leave his gloves in the cage after he fights Sanchez (27-10 MMA, 16-10 UFC).

“(Retirement is) not really on my mind, to be honest,” Brown today told MMAjunkie after a workout for fans in Norfolk, Va. “I’m focused on Saturday. I’ll revisit that next week (and) over the holidays with family and friends and we’ll figure everything out then.”

UFC Fight Night 120 takes place Saturday at Ted Constant Convocation Center in Norfolk, Va. It airs on FS1, including Brown-Sanchez in the welterweight co-feature, following early prelims on UFC Fight Pass.

Brown’s UFC run the past three-plus years has been a rough one, which may have helped motivate his initial announcement that he was going to walk away after the Sanchez fight.

Brown, who will turn 37 in January, has gone just 1-5 his past six fights. After decision losses to former champs Robbie Lawler and Johny Hendricks, he submitted Tim Means in July 2015. But since then, he’s had three straight stoppage losses to Demian Maia, Jake Ellenberger and Donald Cerrone.

So did he just let his emotions get the best of him and make a hasty announcement when he was having a bad day?

“It was kind of a moment thing,” Brown said. “But at the same time, I think a huge part of it is I’m scared of retirement. I don’t know what I’m going to do – I never gave myself a Plan B. I never gave myself a way out. And that kind of motivates me. I can’t be afraid of something. It could end at any day. I could tear an ACL or have a heart attack. You don’t know. I’ve never been one to back down from things I fear. That’s probably the biggest fear right now – retirement.”

After a head-kick knockout loss to Cerrone at UFC 206 11 months ago, he took nearly a year off with the goal being to figure out what life after fighting was going to be like. But here he is, ready to fight Sanchez, and he still isn’t sure.

Brown said he never fully committed to figuring it out while he was off – though he does know after fighting he’ll want to be a regular around the gym, coaching and training with other fighters.

It may be weeks or months before we know if “The Immortal” truly will be done fighting after he takes on Sanchez, against whom he’s more than a 3-1 favorite.

But Brown said he can’t think about the skid he’s on – even if he does sort of still have the potential for retirement in his peripheral vision.

“The past few fights have not been indicative of what I can actually do,” he said. “I try to just kind of put it out of my mind. I’m approaching this fight like I’ve never fought before and I’m never going to fight again. Just (Saturday) is the only thing on my mind, and I don’t have anything else that’s affecting my mental state at all.”

For more from Brown, check out the video above.

And for more on UFC Fight Night 120, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

Filed under: Featured, News, UFC, Videos