UFC: What is wrong with the Former Champ Mike Brown?
Brown is just 2-3 in his last 5 bouts
On June 7, 2009 Mike Brown (24-8) was on top of the featherweight division world following his second title defense. He had defeated the former champion Urijah Faber for the second time at WEC 41 and looked unstoppable.
His next title defense was at WEC 44 against Jose Aldo (18-1), who would end Brown’s title run with a second round TKO to move from rising start to super star. The fight was a solid bout between two top fighters and no one could question that Brown was still at the stop of the division.
Next up was a “rebound” bout for Brown against an unknown Anthony Morrison as part of the WEC 46 undercard. The sacrificial lamb in Morrison really stood no chance in the fight on Brown made very short work of him with a first round submission victory. Despite being on the undercard the victory would earn Brown a fight with Manny Gamburyan at WEC 48, with the winner earning a title shot against Aldo.
This was a perfect opportunity for Brown to get back to the top of the featherweight division and possibly regain his title. Unfortunately this would be the closet Brown would get to the title as Gamburyan dropped Brown in the first stunning everyone in attendance. Following the fight it surfaced that Brown was dealing with personal issues (Break up with girl friend) and many believed this was the reason for the poor performance.
Brown took five months off and returned to the octagon at WEC 51 with a first round TKO win over Cole Province. The time seemed to have served him well and there was a glimpse of the fighter that knocked out the California Kid.
After another five month layoff, Brown returned to action at UFC 125 against Diego Nunes. While Nunes used a solid game plan of keeping the distance with leg kicks and staying away from the strengths of Brown, the former champ lacked intensity. The fight was close and could have gone either way but the judges’ scorecards ruled a split decision in favor of Nunes.
Wanting a quick turnaround to rebound from the loss, Brown took a fight on short notice against Rani Yahya, who was originally set to face Chan Sung Jung. Yahya used a similar game plan as Nunes but used it to help him get the fight where he wanted it. Thing is Brown didn’t look right, he wasn’t really there and Yahya was able to track him down at will and control him. Now granted Yahya is a submission master and BJJ Black Belt but Brown is also a Black Belt in BJJ and not to mention a solid wrestler, so it shouldn’t have been that easy.
When Brown defeated Faber the second time, he hadn’t lost in nearly three years going 10-0. Since his defeat by Aldo he just hasn’t looked the same and his 2-3 pretty much sums it up. Whether it’s his ongoing personal issues or something else, fans are left wondering “what’s wrong with Mike Brown?”
Google+
About the Author (Author Profile)
My brain child is MMAValor, something I had wanted to do for a long time and finally it’s here. Been an MMA fan since TUF season one (play catch up all the time) and the obsession started to grow like a weed and as the sport grows so does the love for the sport. I’m a jack of all trades, a very organized person that rides an emotional roller coaster daily.Subscribe
If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to receive more just like it.
Comments (3)
Trackback URL | Comments RSS Feed
Sites That Link to this Post
- Ulef Blog | January 30, 2011
As for Mikey; personal issues, bad matchups, and being in the twilight of his career lead me to believe he’s in the same category as Chuck Liddell, Tito Ortiz, and Wanderlei Silva: Former Champs too old to change a style that the young guns have figured out.
Thanks @esquilinho
I agree it just hit him out of nowhere huh?