Mike Brown

At a glance

• Former WEC featherweight champion who took the title from Urijah Faber in 2008, with a 26-9 pro record.
• Head MMA coach at American Top Team since retiring from competition in 2014.
• Has coached Dustin Poirier, Alexandre Pantoja, Bo Nickal, Mateusz Gamrot and Renato Moicano; 2018 World MMA Awards Coach of the Year.

Overview

Mike Brown was born in 1975. He won a Maine state wrestling title in 1992 as a junior at Bonny Eagle High School and went on to wrestle at Norwich University in Vermont. He fought in Japan and the United States before signing with the WEC, where he beat Jeff Curran in his debut.

On November 5, 2008, at WEC 36, he knocked out Urijah Faber in the first round to become featherweight champion, a result Sports Illustrated named Upset of the Year. He defended the belt against Leonard Garcia and then against Faber in their rematch at WEC 41 in 2009. He later competed at featherweight in the UFC and retired in 2014 with a 26-9 record.

What you'll find

Brown is most active on Instagram and X, where he shares training at American Top Team and follows his fighters' bouts. He also shows up in MMA media around his athletes' camps and fight weeks.

As ATT's head MMA coach, he sits in the corner for a long list of UFC and PFL fighters, so his accounts are a direct way to follow the gym during fight weeks.

Why follow

He has coached a deep roster: Dustin Poirier, former UFC interim lightweight champion, Alexandre Pantoja, who has held the UFC flyweight title, plus Bo Nickal, Mateusz Gamrot, Renato Moicano, Danny Sabatello and Johnny Eblen.

Combat Press named him Coach of the Year in 2016, 2017 and 2018, and he won the Shawn Tompkins Coach of the Year award at the 2018 World MMA Awards. He already trained at American Top Team as a fighter, including for his title win over Faber.

MMA Official's take

Brown is a fit for athletes and coaches who want to see how one of the biggest gyms in the United States gets fighters ready. His content is in English and centered on American Top Team.

Start with his Instagram during fight week for one of his athletes, such as Alexandre Pantoja or Mateusz Gamrot, then go back and watch his win over Urijah Faber at WEC 36 to see the fighter he was.