Wrestling background

Mike Brown wrestled at Bonny Eagle High School in Standish, Maine where he won a state championship in 1992, his junior year. He went on to wrestle at Norwich University where he was known for his ability to focus. Although he was a poor student in high school, he was able to apply his focus to academics and excelled as a scholar-athlete in college. According to Norwich wrestling Coach Rich Hasenfus, Brown was one of the smartest athletes and strongest wrestlers at Norwich.

MMA career

Brown had fought in several MMA events including the UFC and most recently WEC, where he is a former featherweight (145 lb.) champion. In 2005, Brown suffered a near career-ending loss at Deep 22nd 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.

WEC career

Riding a six fight win streak, Mike Brown signed with the WEC for the chance to fight the best talent at 145 pounds. His first fight in the WEC was against jiu-jitsu expert Jeff Curran at WEC 34. In each round, Brown matched Curran's stand-up and then took him down and scored from the top with elbows and punches. Brown won all three rounds en route to a unanimous decision victory.

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. Brown welcomed the opportunity to fight the best in the world and felt that his training with American Top Team had prepared him well. When the heavily favored Faber attempted a risky elbow strike, Brown countered with a right hook to the jaw, knocking down the champion. Brown then followed with a flurry of unanswered punches and the fight was called off at 2:23 of the first round. Brown won by technical knockout and was declared the new WEC featherweight champion.

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. Urijah Faber was defeated a second time by Brown via unanimous decision in front of his hometown crowd in Sacramento. During the middle of the 1st round, Faber injured and broke his right hand. Brown later admitted his corner failed to recognize the correct broken hand and was not aware of the severity but knew Faber was injured. Sherdog and ESPN.com in a post-fight summary noted that Faber's "right hand was no match for the top of Mike Brown's head."

Brown lost his WEC Featherweight Championship against Jose Aldo on November 18, 2009 at WEC 44. The young Brazilian was noted for his major speed advantage over Brown during the fight and was putting together accurate combos the entire fight, eventually getting the stoppage due to strikes in the 2nd round after Brown gave up his back.

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