WEC GM: Brown vs. Aldo a Legacy Fight for Champion

World Extreme Cagefighting General Manager Reed Harris thinks more than the featherweight championship will be at stake when Mike Thomas Brown defends the title against Jose Aldo in the WEC 44 “Brown vs. Aldo” main event on Nov. 18 at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas.

Harris sees it as a legacy fight for Brown.

“If Mike Brown beats Jose Aldo, I think he’ll be considered the best featherweight in history,” Harris said during a Monday teleconference. “That’s the kind of fight we’re looking at. This is a fight all fighters want to see.”

Brown, 34, until recently a relative unknown outside hardcore circles, achieved global stardom with two decisive victories over former champion Urijah Faber. Mixed in between was an overwhelming submission win against UFC veteran Leonard Garcia. The American Top Team standout will carry a 10-fight winning streak into his third title defense.

“If I fight like I can, I’ll beat anybody in the world,” Brown said. “No doubt about it.”

A Portland, Maine, native, Brown last competed five months ago, when he outdueled Faber and won a unanimous decision in their rematch. He has not lost in nearly four years and has earned recognition as one of the top 10 pound-for-pound fighters in the world.

“Mike Brown is a worthy champion and one of the greatest guys I’ve ever met in the sport,” Harris said. “We couldn’t be prouder to have him as our champion. He’s never passed on a fight. He’s never even asked who he’s fighting.”

Aldo, a former Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion and arguably the most potent striker in the featherweight division, will enter the marquee matchup with momentum on his side, as well. The 23-year-old Brazilian finished the respected Cub Swanson in only eight seconds at WEC 41, and his stock has risen exponentially since he entered the WEC in June 2008. Aldo’s admiration for Brown runs deep.

“He’s very strong,” he said through his translator. “He’s the champion. He’s the guy to be beaten. I respect Mike very much. I’m ready for whatever happens.”

Other notes from the teleconference included:

• Nothing new was reported on the DirecTV-Versus stalemate, though WEC Vice President Peter Dropick believes a deal between the two entities will eventually get done. “At this point, I don’t know when that will be,” he said. “I know they’re still talking.” DirecTV dropped the Versus network, which carries WEC shows, from its lineup in September;

• Brown’s pre-fight routine includes staying up late and “eating a lot” the night before and sleeping in the day of the fight. He always picks up a cup of black iced coffee, either from Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts en route to the arena in order to “rev” his engines;

• Brown welcomed the idea of competing on pay-per-view, whether it was for the WEC or the UFC. “I don’t care who promotes it. As long as fans are familiar with the fighters, people will watch. It’s now about the fighters. It doesn’t matter what promotion it is. I’d love to be on pay-per-view. It’s more revenue for everybody,” he said;

• As someone who has trained in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and muay Thai since childhood, Aldo claimed fighting for a major mixed martial arts title was like “living a dream.” The Nova Uniao product also promised a better version of himself would appear in the cage against Brown. “I’m training for a five-round fight. I’m used to training for three-round fights, so it’s a little different,” the challenger said;

• Brown compared Aldo favorably to Faber and Garcia, the two world-ranked fighters he left in his wake en route to the top of the 145-pound division. “He’s the same caliber. He’s a great striker. He’s really fast. He might have the best jiu-jitsu out of those guys, but we haven’t seen it. Everybody has weaknesses, and it’s my job to find them,” Brown said;

• Aldo described former world heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson as one of his idols. “He’s a guy who knocked out a lot of people. I’m a fan,” he said. Aldo has delivered 10 of his 15 career wins by knockout or technical knockout, the last three inside one round;

• Brown, who has never been knocked out, pointed out that three of his four submission losses came before he joined American Top Team. “I wasn’t with the caliber of jiu-jitsu guys I’m with now. My submission game is probably my strength now, where it used to be my weakness,” he said.

• When the subject of Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson arose, Brown had nothing but praise for the YouTube street-fighter turned mixed martial artist who currently trains at American Top Team. “He’s a hard worker. He’s very, very humble. So many people talk s--t about the guy. I’ve never once heard him talk bad about anyone. He trains hard, and he likes to fight. You can’t hate a guy because people want to see him fight and he’s making money,” he said.