UFC 274: Randy Brown showcases slick speed and footwork to slip past Khaos Williams by split decision

Randy Brown took advantage of his bump up to the UFC 274 main card by picking up a win over Khaos Williams in a back-and-forth battle to kick off the pay-per-view broadcast.

With Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone unable to compete due to illness, Brown got the chance to shine in a high profile opportunity and after some early scares against a powerful opponent in Brown, he showcased some fast footwork and serious speed in his hands to ultimately win a split decision.

Two judges scored the fight 29-28 for Brown with the third official going 29-28 for Williams but “Rude Boy” will still leave with the victory to mark his third win in a row overall

“Coming into this fight, Khaos is a dangerous boy,” Brown said. “That’s a bad motherf******. I’ve got to remind myself who I am. He’s a tough, tough dude, dangerous but I persevered.”

Aggressive from the jump, Williams was throwing with power behind his punches like usual but he was also a little more reserved than just gunning for the knockout with every shot. A short right hand actually wobbled Brown midway through the opening round that had Williams transitioning to the ground as he looked for a submission but the welterweights eventually worked back to the feet.

After admitting he got sloppy during that exchange, Brown started using a lead left jab to keep Williams on the end of his punches and then following up with a hard right behind it. At moment, Williams was also getting frustrated with some slick defensive head movement and footwork while Brown was going a better job sticking, moving and staying out of the way from his opponent’s counters.

With his confidence surging, Brown was staying much busier with a variety of combinations that consistently employed his height and reach advantage but Williams still managed to sit him down momentarily with another hard right hand.

To his credit, Brown recovered quickly and that’s when he landed his best strikes in the fight after he blasted Williams with a staggering right hook followed by a knee up the middle that landed flush. Brown continued to dish out strikes at volume until the final horn sounded before getting his hand raised in the middle of the octagon.

With a 5-1 resume in his past six fights, Brown remains a tough out for anybody in the welterweight division as he continues to knock on the door of the top 15 rankings.