| Finally - Mike Brown gets His Moment to Shine |
As one of the last breed of fighters who took up mixed martial arts not as a career, but for the love of the
sport, Mike Brown has pretty much seen it all in his 13 years in and around the fight game. And while some might be a tad bitter about their days fighting for peanuts on the local circuits while youngsters with a handful of pro fights get national television exposure, Brown holds no such grudges.
“When I started fighting, there was no money, and it’s finally starting to evolve into something where you can make it a career,” he said. “Before, everybody did it for fun, especially the lighter guys. I was doing it for fun the whole time.”
And he still is. Even though the Maine native has reached the point where MMA is a career, there’s still that sense that for him, this is more than just a job. In fact, he doesn’t even see it as such.
“This beats working,” he laughs. “I love the sport, it’s my passion, and I can’t complain about that. I’ll do it as long as my body holds up.”
If it all sounds too rosy for the 33-year old – who challenges for Urijah Faber’s WEC featherweight crown on Wednesday, November 5th (VERSUS 8pm ET) - consider that a just a few years ago, 145-pound fighters had no way of making a serious living at their craft in the United States.
“I never thought that there would be a prestigious title at 145 and I never thought there would be any money to be made at the weight class,” he admits. “I figured you’d be fighting forever in little shows, maxing out at a couple thousand dollars a fight. There was just no interest in the weight class. Now since the WEC’s got the 145-pound division going, Urijah’s a household name now and it’s a big deal.”
For those like Brown, the options were few, and those that did exist were far from lucrative. And as far as fighting in the major events was concerned, it was a no go unless you were willing to give up weight to compete in the lightweight division. Brown, who has clashed in the past with lightweights like Joe Lauzon and Yves Edwards, did just that in 2004, when he took on Genki Sudo at UFC 47 and was submitted in the first round. After that, he set his sights on competing in Japan, but the fantasy of competing in organizations that catered to the lower weight classes and the reality of it clashed.
“I fought at ’55 then just to fight in the UFC,” Brown recalls. “I knew that my place was at 145, but where did I go from there, because there was still no event that was really promoting 145. My goal after that was to go to Japan. I figured that Shooto and Deep and these shows with 143 were where I’ll make it. And I thought that if you went to Japan it was going to be so big and amazing. And it was cool, but it wasn’t the fame and fortune that I thought it was going to be.”
After three fights in Japan that saw him go 2-1, Brown returned to the States and the local circuit in 2006. At the time, an up and coming featherweight was getting some significant buzz in the MMA community. His name was Urijah Faber.
“I thought he was just a tough, scrappy wrestler,” said Brown. “That was my first impression of him, and I think in the beginning that’s what he was. And over the years, he’s become a really high-level mixed martial arts fighter.”
This was never more evident than two years later, when Faber outpointed Jens Pulver over five rounds in June of this year and showed even more facets to a game greatly enhanced since ‘The California Kid’ became the WEC featherweight champion and the organization’s undisputed superstar.
“His last fight did impress me,” said Brown. “He showed standup and he showed he could go five rounds.”
And now Brown, who made his WEC debut on the same card as Faber-Pulver, pounding out a unanimous decision win over former title challenger Jeff Curran, will get his shot. With that main event opportunity comes more attention and more responsibility than he has ever seen in a career fought mainly in the shadows. But he welcomes such perks of the job.
“It’s been a cool thing,” he said. “All it’s been is a few more interviews, talking on the phone a little more about Urijah and the event. It’s nothing major, the fight’s gonna be in my hometown, so it’s not like I have to travel or anything like that, and it’s nice to finally get some recognition.”
As for the fight itself and what a victory could mean, Brown is typically low-key, but confident as the same time. Win or lose, he’ll keep fighting, but when the stakes are this high, winning is a much better option.
“I know it’s right there around the corner, but I’m just taking it one step at a time,” said Brown of life after November 5th. “I’m going in there and trying to put the pieces together and hope it happens. I know it will change my life if I get this win, it really will, and I’m expecting a tough fight and it’s not gonna be easy. I’m gonna have to gut it out and drive and throw hard when I’m tired. He’s gonna be in for the same thing. I’m not an easy fight for anybody and if he wants to beat me, he’s gonna have to dig deep and pull something out. It will be a tough fight for both of us, I guarantee that.”
