INGLEWOOD, Calif. – UFC welterweight Matt Brown wasn’t necessarily trying to jump back into the cage when he welcomed a fight with Mike Perry.

Brown (21-16 MMA, 14-10 UFC) is recovering from knee and ankle injuries that kept him on the sidelines for much of 2018, and he wants to do things right before signing any contracts. He still keeps his eye on the game, though, and Perry (12-4 MMA, 5-4 UFC) is just the kind of opponent that makes sense.

“I think fans would get behind that fight,” Brown told reporters backstage at Bellator 214, where he was there to corner teammate Ryan Lilley on the preliminary card. “I think it would be a good fight for me to come back to and a good fight for him to get his ass kicked in.”

When Perry recently called for pay-per-view worthy opponents, Brown was inspired to say he’d be ready by this summer. Perry, who’s on the last fight of his current UFC contract, reportedly wasn’t excited about Brown when asked about the matchup in a recent interview.

“I’ll shrug, too,” Brown said. “I think he’s a good fight for both of us.”

Hardly anyone who’s been paying attention to MMA would disagree. Brown is in no rush, so whatever happens, he isn’t stressing. The invitation is open.

Watch Brown’s full media scrum in the video above.

For more on the upcoming UFC schedule, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.