Mike Brown (fighter)

Background

Brown wrestled at Bonny Eagle High School in Standish, Maine, where he won a state championship in 1992, his junior year.{{cite news |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130103204439/http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=221511&ac=PHspt |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 3, 2013 |access-date=March 5, 2009 | access-date = March 5, 2009 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081224044018/http://www.norwich.edu/about/news/2008/120508-martialArtist.html | archive-date = December 24, 2008 | url-status = dead

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Brown had fought in several MMA events including most recently WEC, where he was the Featherweight Champion. In 2005, Brown suffered a near career-ending loss at DEEP 22 in Japan. Brown's opponent, noted leg-lock expert Masakazu Imanari, dislocated Brown's leg to the point that his leg was pulled out and to the side of his knee joint. His only other pre-WEC losses were to world-class fighters; besides Imanari, only Joe Lauzon, Genki Sudo, and Hermes Franca (all UFC veterans) had defeated Brown en route to Brown's 18–4 record.

World Extreme Cagefighting

Riding a six-fight win streak, Mike Brown signed with the WEC's Featherweight division. His debut in the WEC was against Brazilian Jiu-jitsu expert Jeff Curran at WEC 34.{{cite web |access-date = March 4, 2009 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080606042708/http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/templates/dailynews.asp?articleid=6302&zoneid=1 |archive-date = June 6, 2008 |url-status = dead |access-date = March 4, 2009 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080703040633/http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/templates/dailynews.asp?articleid=6395&zoneid=2 |archive-date = July 3, 2008 |url-status = dead

Brown was then offered a shot at the WEC Featherweight Championship with a fight against Urijah Faber at WEC 36. The fight was originally set to take place in Hollywood, Florida on September 10, 2008, but it was postponed to November 5, 2008, due to Hurricane Ike. At the time, Faber had held the title for over two and a half years and was widely considered to be the best fighter at 145 pounds in the world.{{cite web | access-date = March 5, 2009 | access-date = March 5, 2009 |access-date = March 4, 2009 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081207160907/http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/templates/dailynews.asp?articleid=7492&zoneid=2 |archive-date = December 7, 2008 |url-status = dead | access-date = March 5, 2009 |access-date = March 4, 2009 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081209112142/http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/templates/dailynews.asp?articleid=7507&zoneid=2 |archive-date = December 9, 2008 |url-status = dead

Brown's first title defense came against Texas-native Leonard Garcia in Corpus Christi, Texas as the main event of WEC 39.{{cite web |access-date = March 4, 2009 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090304194351/http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/templates/dailynews.asp?articleid=8249&zoneid=4 |archive-date = March 4, 2009 |url-status = dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090306102936/http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/templates/dailynews.asp?articleid=8286&zoneid=2 |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 6, 2009 |access-date=March 4, 2009 | access-date = March 4, 2009 | access-date = March 5, 2009

Brown's second defense came in a rematch against former champ Urijah Faber as the main event of WEC 41: Brown vs. Faber 2. The bout took place at ARCO Arena on June 7, 2009, in Sacramento, California.{{cite web | access-date = March 31, 2009

Urijah Faber was defeated a second time by Brown via unanimous decision in front of his hometown crowd in Sacramento. The score cards read 49–46, 48–47 and 49–46, all in favor of Brown, solidifying him as the best Featherweight in the world. MMA websites Sherdog.com and ESPN.com both stated that "Faber's right hand was no match for the top of Mike Brown's head".

Following his unanimous Dec win over Faber (for the second time), Brown lost his WEC Featherweight Championship against José Aldo on November 18, 2009, at WEC 44.{{cite web | access-date = July 15, 2009

Brown defeated WEC newcomer Anthony Morrison on January 10, 2010, at WEC 46 via first round submission.

Brown took on Manvel Gamburyan on April 24, 2010, at WEC 48.{{cite web|url=http://www.mmamania.com/2010/2/3/1291104/mike-brown-on-tap-for-wec-48-on|title=Mike Brown vs Manny Gamburyan on tap for WEC 48 on April 24 Gamburyan defeated Brown via KO in the first round.

Mike Brown's next fight was against Cole Province at WEC 51. He won the fight via TKO (punches) in the first round.

Return to Ultimate Fighting Championship

On October 28, 2010, World Extreme Cagefighting merged with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. As part of the merger, all WEC fighters were transferred to the UFC.

Brown first faced Diego Nunes on January 1, 2011, at UFC 125. He lost the fight via split decision.

Brown jumped right back into action to face Rani Yahya on January 22, 2011, at UFC Fight Night 23, replacing an injured Chan Sung Jung. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Brown was out until mid-2011 recovering from surgery on his hand that was injured during the Yahya bout. On August 6, 2011, Brown faced Nam Phan at UFC 133. He won the fight via unanimous decision, earning him his first UFC victory.

Brown was expected to face Vagner Rocha on January 20, 2012, at UFC on FX 1. However, Brown was forced out of the bout with a knee injury.

Brown faced Daniel Pineda on May 26, 2012, at UFC 146. He defeated Pineda by unanimous decision. In an interview with Ariel Helwani following the fight, Brown stated that he would give himself two weeks to consider retiring based on how his body felt after recovering. On July 4, 2012, Brown signed a 5-fight deal with the UFC.

Brown was expected to face Akira Corassani on August 17, 2013, at UFC Fight Night 26. However, Corassani pulled out of the bout and was replaced by Steven Siler. Brown lost the fight via knockout in the first round.

Brown was expected to face Estevan Payan on April 19, 2014, at UFC on Fox 11. However, Brown was forced out of the bout with an injury and was replaced by promotional newcomer Alex White.

After pulling out of the fight against Payan, Brown said he would likely not fight again, though he did not say he was retiring.

Championships and accomplishments

• World Extreme Cagefighting
  • WEC Featherweight Championship (One time)
    • Two successful title defenses
  • Fight of the Night (One time)
  • Knockout of the Night (One time)
  • Submission of the Night (One time)
• Absolute Fighting Championships
  • AFC Featherweight Championship (One time)
• Sports Illustrated
  • 2008 Upset of the Year vs. Urijah Faber at WEC 36
• Combat Press
  • 2016 Coach of the Year
  • 2017 Coach of the Year
  • 2018 Coach of the Year
• World MMA Awards
  • 2018 The Shawn Tompkins Coach of the Year
  • 2023 The Shawn Tompkins Coach of the Year

Mixed martial arts record

| ko-wins= 5 | ko-losses= 3 | sub-wins= 13 | sub-losses= 4 | dec-wins= 8 | dec-losses= 2 | dq-wins= | dq-losses= | other-wins=

| | Boston, Massachusetts, United States | |- | Win | Daniel Pineda | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 146 | | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- | Win | Nam Phan | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 133 | | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States | |- | Loss | Rani Yahya | Decision (unanimous) | UFC: Fight for the Troops 2 | | Fort Hood, Texas, United States | |- | Loss | Diego Nunes | Decision (split) | UFC 125 | | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- | Win | Cole Province | TKO (punches) | WEC 51 | | Broomfield, Colorado, United States | |- | Loss | Manvel Gamburyan | KO (punches) | WEC 48 | | Sacramento, California, United States | |- | Win | Anthony Morrison | Submission (rear-naked choke) | WEC 46 | | Sacramento, California, United States | |- | Loss | José Aldo | TKO (punches) | WEC 44 | | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

| | Sacramento, California, United States

| | Corpus Christi, Texas, United States

| | Hollywood, Florida, United States

| | Sacramento, California, United States | |- | Win | Manny Reyes Jr. | Submission (rear-naked choke) | PXF: Premier X-treme Fighting | | Hollywood, Florida, United States | |- | Win | Eben Oroz | TKO (punches) | HOOKnSHOOT: BodogFIGHT | | Evansville, Indiana, United States | |- | Win | Yves Edwards | Decision (unanimous) | BodogFIGHT: Clash of the Nations | | Saint Petersburg, Russia

| | Boca Raton, Florida, United States | |- | Win | Rocky Long | Submission (rear-naked choke) | KE: Kick Enterprises | | Fort Myers, Florida, United States | |- | Win | Dustin Neace | Submission (guillotine choke) | AFC 18: Absolute Fighting Championships 18 | | Boca Raton, Florida, United States | |- | Loss | Masakazu Imanari | Technical Submission (rolling kneelock) | DEEP: 22 Impact | | Tokyo, Japan

| | Tokyo, Japan

| | Tokyo, Japan | |- | Win | Renato Tavares | Decision (unanimous) | AFC 10: Absolute Fighting Championships 10 | | Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, United States

| | Revere, Massachusetts, United States

| | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

| | Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, United States

| | Revere, Massachusetts, United States | |- | Win | Mark Hominick | Submission (heel hook) | TFC 8: Hell Raiser | | Toledo, Ohio, United States | |- | Win | Shawn Graham | TKO (punches) | HFC 1: Hardcore Fighting Championships 1 | | Revere, Massachusetts, United States | |- | Win | Mike Large | Submission (rear-naked choke) | TFC 7: Fightzone 7 | | Toledo, Ohio, United States | |- | Win | Bill Mahoney | Submission (rear-naked choke) | MD 10: Mass Destruction 10 | | Swansea, Massachusetts, United States | |- | Win | Edward Odquina | Submission (rear-naked choke) | USMMA 1: Ring of Fury | | Lowell, Massachusetts, United States | |- | Loss | Hermes França | Submission (triangle choke) | HOOKnSHOOT: Kings 1 | | Evansville, Indiana, United States

| | Swansea, Massachusetts, United States | |- | Win | Jeff Darienzo | Submission (americana) | MD1: Mass Destruction 1 | | Swansea, Massachusetts, United States | |-

References

References

1. "Mike Thomas Brown z czarnym pasem BJJ! : GrapplerINFO – informacje o sportach chwytanych (BJJ, sf, judo, zapasy)".
2. "Deep – 22 Impact". Sherdog.
3. (8 June 2009). "WEC 31 Recap".
4. (January 11, 2010). "WEC 46: Varner vs. Henderson results". wec.tv.
5. (April 24, 2010). "WEC 48: Aldo vs. Faber – Live Results and Commentary". BLOODYELBOW.com.
6. (11 August 2010). "Ex-champ Mike Brown returns against Cole Province at WEC 51".
7. (4 October 2010). "WEC 51 Unaired Prelim Video: Mike Brown v. Cole Province".
8. (October 28, 2010). "UFC and WEC set to merge in 2011; events to air on Versus and Spike TV". mmajunkie.com.
9. (November 10, 2010). "WEC vets Mike Brown and Diego Nunes targeted for UFC 125 matchup". mmajunkie.com.
10. (1 January 2011). "UFC 125 Results: Diego Nunes Upsets Mike Brown in Split Decision".
11. "Replacement Mike Brown steps in to meet Rani Yahya at UFC Fight Night 23". mmajunkie.com.
12. (22 January 2011). "UFC Results: Rani Yahya Uses Superior Grappling to Control Mike Brown".
13. Mike Chiappetta. (January 28, 2011). "Former Champ Mike Brown Spared Cut, Recovering From Hand Surgery". MMA Fighting.
14. (May 11, 2011). "Featherweights Mike Brown vs. Nam Phan slotted for UFC 133 in Philly". mmajunkie.com.
15. (8 August 2011). "UFC 133 Results: With a Loss to Mike Brown, Where Does Nam Phan Go from Here?".
16. (November 29, 2011). "Mike Brown vs. Vagner Rocha added to UFC on FX 1". mmajunkie.com.
17. (December 30, 2011). "UFC On FX Fight Card: Mike Brown Scratched With Knee Injury". mma.sbnation.com..
18. (March 14, 2012). "Mike Brown vs. Daniel Pineda added to May's UFC 146 event". mmajunkie.com.
19. (May 27, 2012). "Mike Brown: 'I'm Getting Near The End'". mmafighting.com.
20. (4 July 2012). "Former WEC Champ Mike Brown Not Retiring, Inks Five-Fight Extension With UFC".
21. (May 31, 2013). "Mike Brown vs. Akira Corassani set for UFC on FOX Sports 1 1 in Boston". mmajunkie.com.
22. Staff. (July 1, 2013). "Akira Corassani off UFC on FOX Sports 1 1 card, Steven Siler meets Mike Brown". mmajunkie.com.
23. (17 August 2013). "UFC Fight Night 26: Steven Siler puts down Brown in only 50 seconds".
24. Matt Erickson. (February 26, 2014). "Sean Soriano out, Mike Brown meets Estevan Payan at UFC on FOX 11". mmajunkie.com.
25. Staff. (April 4, 2014). "Mike Brown out, Estevan Payan now meets newcomer Alex White at UFC on FOX 11". mmajunkie.com.
26. Mike Bohn. (April 15, 2014). "UFC featherweight Mike Brown: I don't think I'll fight again". mmajunkie.com.
27. "Fcf Survey". Full Contact Fighter.
28. Gross, Josh. (December 22, 2008). "SI.com's 2008 MMA awards".
29. Kevin Ehsani. "Brown has managed to transfer his abilities into a role outside of the cage.". CombatPress.com.
30. Zach Aittama. "Mike Brown earned his way to the top of the sport with his coaching ability of numerous well-respected fighters.". CombatPress.com.
31. Dan Kuhl. "For the third year in a row, American Top Team's head coach and former WEC champion Mike Brown steals the title of Combat Press Coach of the Year.". CombatPress.com.
32. "World MMA Awards 2019 Results". [[MMA Fighting]].
33. "World MMA Awards 2023 Results". [[MMA Fighting]].
34. "Afc Results". Full Contact Fighter.
35. "Pride Fc 22 "beasts From The East 2" Dvdin Stock Now!". Full Contact Fighter.