» Fighter: Mike Thomas Brown

WEC featherweight champion Mike Thomas Brown (18-4) joined Fighters.com’s radio partner MMA Gospel Saturday for discussion of his upcoming title defense versus Nova Uniao’s “Junior” Jose Aldo (14-1) at WEC 44 in Las Vegas November 18.

Read More About WEC Champ Mike Thomas Brown Talks Jose Aldo, Kimbo Slice Gun Rumor…

Reverend Turk and congregation welcome former IFL champion and current cast member of TUF 10, Roy “Big Country” Nelson to the show. Also appearing will be WEC Featherweight Champion Mike Thomas Brown!!

“California Kid” Urijah Faber (22-3) signed a multi-fight, multi-year contract to return to Zuffa, LLC.-owned World Extreme Cagefighting, announced WEC general manager Reed Harris on MMA Junkie Radio Monday.

Read More About Faber Signs WEC Contract, WEC 44 Bolstered With Nunes v Davis…

WEC featherweight champion Mike Thomas Brown (18-4) will defend his title from Nova Uniao’s “Junior” Jose Aldo (14-1) at WEC 44 in Las Vegas November 18, the WEC announced.

Read More About Mike Thomas Brown vs Jose Aldo, Gamburyan vs Garcia Announced for WEC 44…

Fighters.com spoke with “Snowman” Jeff Monson (24-8) as he prepares for a week of fights in December when he will have the opportunity to redeem his 2002 loss to “Suave” Ricco Rodriguez (30-8) and then venture to Switzerland just days later to compete in the World Grappling Championship. 

Fighters.com: Jeff, the last time we spoke was just before your win over “Smashing Machine” Mark Kerr (14-9) at Vengeance Fighting Championship in Concord, north of Charlotte, 27 September.  You have a fight coming up at Mixed Fight Alliance  in Miami 13 December against Ricco Rodriguez.  It’s a rematch of a fight you originally lost at UFC 35 in 2002.  What are your thoughts on facing Rodriguez again?

Jeff Monson: Well, I like Ricco.  He’s a good fighter and a big name; but, I’d like to get back at him for losing to him the first time.  [laughing]  Hopefully it’ll be a different result this time around.  But I don’t really have revenge in mind or anything.  It’s been seven years or whatever.  But, I think I definitely put a lot more into my fighting than I think he does, so, you know, I should to go out and get the win.

Fighters.com:  You’re on a two-fight win streak in recent months with the Kerr victory and a win over “Titan” Jimmy Ambriz (12-8) at Beatdown in New Town, northwest of Bismark, 11 October.  Where do you think a victory over Rodriguez will put your career?

Jeff Monson: Well, I need to win a few more in a row.  So, I want to take them, you know, like the old cliché, “one fight at a time.”  I’m taking this particular fight very seriously.  Ricco’s a big name.  And he kicked my ass before.  It was probably one of the worse beatdowns I ever experienced in a fight from start to finish.  [laughing]  So, I know he’s capable of doing well.

Ricco has fought a lot of big names.  He’s beat about everybody and, even the fights he’s lost were to top fighters, you know, so Ricco’s tough.   I just think I need to win every fight right now.  My career cannot take another loss at this point.  Saying that, I am taking this fight very serious.  I know I need to win a few in a row to get a shot at a title somewhere or get back to the top again. 

Fighters.com: Will a win in December take you back to Sengoku in Japan?  The last loss on your record was to Fighters.com’s seventh-ranked heavyweight ”Babyface Assassin” Josh Barnett (19-5) at Sengoku in Tokyo 18 May.

Read More About Monson: Lesnar is going to win the fight against Couture. …

New WEC Featherweight Champion Mike Thomas Brown’s (15-4) dethroning of “California Kid” Urijah Faber (21-2) via first-round TKO won him the “Knockout of the Night” bonus at WEC 36 in Hollywood, FL, 5 November.

“Cowboy” Donald Cerrone (8-1) versus “Razor” Rob McCullough (16-5) made “Fight of the Night”.  Cerrone won the unanimous decision over McCullough.

Rani Yahya’s (12-2) guillotine choke on Yoshiro Maeda (23-6), which ended the fight at 3:30 of round one, was “Submission of the Night”.

Brown, Cerrone, McCullough, and Yahya each earned $7,500 in addition to their regular fight purse.

“Bad Boy” Leonard Garcia (11-3) was awarded a separate bonus of $7,500 for his performance versus “Little Evil” Jens Pulver (22-9-1), according to MMA Weekly.  Garcia won via TKO at 1:12 of the first round.

Former WEC Featherweight champion “California Kid” Urijah Faber (21-2) got shocked by American Top Team’s Mike Thomas Brown (15-4) via TKO stoppage at 2:23 of the first round Wednesday night at WEC 36 in Hollywood, north of Miami.

Brown took the title decisively following a right hand that laid the former champ out. 

Chael Sonnen (21-9-1) won a surprisingly boring unanimous decision over Fighters.com’s third-ranked middleweight and WEC Middleweight Champion Paulo Filho (15-1) in a non-title fight that was heckled by fans throughout.  Official scores were 10-9 twice for Sonnen, 10-8 for Sonnen.

 ”Bad Boy” Leonard Garcia (11-3) dismantled “Little Evil” Jens Pulver (22-9-1) in a 1:12 TKO shocker to move up the ranks in the WEC’s stacked 145-pound division.

Read More About WEC 36: Mike Thomas Brown Shocks Urijah Faber To Take The Title, Garcia Dismantles Pulver….

Fighters.com caught up with WEC featherweight title challenger Mike Thomas Brown  (19-4) on the horizon of the most important fight of his career in Sunrise, north of Miami, 5 November.

Fighters.com: On November fifth you’re facing “California Kid” Urijah Faber (21-0) for the WEC featherweight title.  Some analysts have labeled Faber the best MMA featherweight in history.  Does facing a popular fighter like Faber bring intimidation or do you find motivation in the potential dethroning of a champion during the peak of his career?

Mike Thomas Brown:  I love being the underdog.  I have nothing to lose and everything to gain.  Urijah is a very tough guy; but, I train with tons of tough guys.  It’s just another day at the office.

Fighters.com: Would you say that the approaching title bout is the most important fight of your life?

Read More About Brownie: “Hardcore fight fans know what I’m capable of doing; but, some people don’t know anything beyond ‘The Ultimate Fighter’.”…

WEC Featherweight Champion “California Kid” Urijah Faber (21-1) will defend his title against Florida native Mike Thomas Brown (19-4) 10 September in Hollywood, FL, the WEC announced Thursday.

Faber most recently won a unanimous decision against former UFC Lightweight Champion “Little Evil” Jens Pulver (25-10-1) in June, extending his win streak to thirteen.

WEC 36 will be Faber’s sixth title defense.

Brown, from American Top Team, will look to extend his own seven-fight win streak. He most recently earned a unanimous decision over “The Big Frog” Jeff Curran (34-10-1) in June.

Also headlining the event is a middleweight title rematch between champion “Ely” Paulo Filho (16-0) and Chael Sonnen (20-9-1).