Matt Brown: 'I literally almost shed a tear' dropping out of the fight

DALLAS, TX - MARCH 14: (R-L) Matt Brown kicks Johny Hendricks in their welterweight bout during the UFC 185 event at the American Airlines Center on March 14, 2015 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

No fighter likes to make the call to UFC matchmaker Joe Silva to tell him that they are out of a fight due to injury, but Matt Brown was nearly brought to tears after an injury forced him to drop out of his Nov. 21 bout against Kelvin Gastelum in Mexico.

Brown was officially pulled earlier this week after suffering a torn ligament in his ankle that will keep him sidelined for a few weeks and he discussed the injury on the latest edition of the Great MMA Debate podcast.

"I tore a ligament in my ankle and had to pull out of the fight. I feel real bad I had to pull out of the fight. It was a tough decision," Brown said. "I actually didn't want to pull out, I was actually trying my best to stay in the fight, but pretty much everybody around me, including the UFC doctor, the foot and ankle specialist that I saw that works for the (Denver) Broncos, the coaches, management, every single person told me to pull out.

"I literally almost shed a tear," Brown said. "I put a lot into this. I put my entire soul into every camp."

Brown says when the doctors finally told him that fighting just wasn't an option, he was forced to make the call to Silva to tell him that he was out.

It was only the second time in his career that Brown has been forced to pull out of a fight due to injury and neither occasion left him feeling very good.

"I wanted to stay in. I guess there's a point in time where you have to do what's smartest also."

Brown discusses the injury, what comes next and much more as he's joined by Damon Martin and Jeremy Loper on the latest edition of the Great MMA Debate podcast.

Listen here via Soundcloud or download and subscribe to the podcast via iTunes.