Browne on facing Arlovski: 'It's obviously not the most ideal fight, because we’re friends'

Travis Browne's upcoming bout with Andrei Arlovski at UFC 187 isn't a typical matchup between two heavyweights looking to climb into the title hunt.

Instead, it's a matchup that's becoming rare in MMA: a fight between friends and former training partners.

“(Arlovski) lived in my house for six months,” Browne told MMAjunkie.com's Steven Marrocco. “We’re pretty close.”

The two men were regular sparring partners at Jackson-Wink MMA, where their relationship extended beyond the sweaty confines of the Albuquerque, N.M., gym.

"We talk outside camp and the gym," Browne said. "As far as other UFC fighters, I would say he's probably the guy I'm closest with."

Despite this friendship, Browne is a prizefighter looking to wrap UFC gold around his waist, and he understands that, friendship or not, Arlovski is a man with similar ambitions.

"It's obviously not the most ideal fight, because we're friends," Browne said. "It was not necessarily the first fight I would take, but we both understand that it's business, and we understand why we’re doing it. It's just what happens in this sport."

Arlovski, a former UFC heavyweight champion, returned to the Octagon in 2014 after washing out of the UFC 2006, and vaulted himself back into relevancy with a vicious knockout of Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva at UFC Fight Night 51.

"I feel honored to fight a guy like Andrei," Browne said. "He's a great fighter; he's a legend in the sport, and it's definitely somebody for me to put my skills against."