5 fighters who starred in the WEC but struggled in the UFC

#2 Mike Brown

Mike Brown was past his prime when he joined the UFC in 2011

Largely considered a journeyman for the early portion of his career, American Top Team stalwart Mike Brown made his UFC debut in 2004 with a loss to Genki Sudo, and like many fighters back then, appeared to be one-and-done in the promotion. But a drop to 145lbs in 2005 saw him go on a lengthy win streak, and in 2008, with one loss in his last 10 fights, he was signed by the WEC, where he debuted with a win over perennial contender Jeff Curran.

That set up a title fight with then-Featherweight champion Urijah Faber – and in one of the biggest shocks in the history of the promotion, Brown knocked ‘The California Kid’ out violently to claim the gold. Two title defenses – over Leonard Garcia and Faber in a rematch – cemented his position as the top 145lber on the planet, before he was dethroned by the surging Jose Aldo in late 2009.

Brown bounced back with two more WEC wins before debuting in the UFC in early 2011, but to everyone’s surprise he was outpointed in his first two Octagon appearances by Diego Nunes and Rani Yahya – two fighters he’d have been favoured to beat easily in his WEC days.

From there he was able to struggle to a pair of Octagon victories over journeymen Nam Phan and Daniel Pineda, before a knockout loss to Steven Siler in 2013 marked the end of his UFC career – and the end of his MMA career as a whole too.

Like with Torres, Brown’s issues in the UFC came down to timing; his raw strength and grappling skill had allowed him to succeed in the WEC, but by the time he re-entered the Octagon in 2011 he was 35 years old, far past his prime from an athletic standpoint, and due to his extended years in the game, his skills were already on the wane.

Had his Faber win come in the UFC, he’d probably be remembered as a legend today – as it is though, he’s largely, and unfairly, forgotten.