Mike Brown’s Blog - Unsung Heroes

(Editor’s Note: WEC Featherweight Champion Mike Brown will be periodically blogging his training camp adventures as he prepares to defend the title against Urijah Faber on June 7 at ARCO Arena.)

By Mike Brown

I’ve spent a good deal of time talking about how important my training partners are to my overall success. From JZ Cavalcante to Luiz “Buscape” Firmino to Yves Edwards, I’ve spent a decent amount of my blog space talking about how great the training at American Top Team has been.

Throughout this entire journey, there have been a few people that deserve just as much credit as my teammates. First, I can’t begin to tell you how supportive my girlfriend Jennifer is of my career. She understands that this job requires a lot of time traveling and in the gym and she is completely cool with it. In this business, being away from home is part of the game and it doesn’t bother her. She knows what I am trying to accomplish and her support has been awesome.

Truth be told, I think she puts up with my schedule because she truly likes fights as much as I do. I remember a couple of years ago when one of my ATT buddies, Jeff Monson, was fighting Kazuyuki Fujita in PRIDE. We were at a local bar here called “All-Stars.” All of the guys from ATT gather at this bar to watch fights. Well, the bar was scheduled to show the fight, but not until 4 a.m. As it grew later and later, I didn’t think I had enough energy to stay awake for the fight. So I told my girlfriend that I wanted to go home and go to bed.

“No way, we’re staying to watch Monson fight,” she quickly responded in a manner that I could simply not argue with.

Needless to say, I was at the bar until 6 or 7 in the morning watching Jeff submit Fujita. I can only look back and laugh at that now. Here I am, a professional fighter, wanting to go to bed when a big bout is on television, and my girlfriend refuses to leave until the fight is over. Ha ha.

That’s one of the things that make my girlfriend great. She knows that I’m passionate about this sport. She doesn’t mind if I watch UFC or WEC fights after I’ve spent the whole day in the gym. She embraces the sport and my training just as much as I have. That means so much to me.

I talk a lot about the fighters at ATT, but some of the staff there is equally helpful. For example, yesterday I was running a 3 ½ mile route. I wasn’t completely focused on the run because I had just finished working out. Next thing I know, I hear a truck pulling up really close to me. It’s the ATT Coconut Creek General Manager, a man we refer to as “Puma,” and a few of his staff members. They could tell I was a little unmotivated and they immediately began pushing me hard. It was exactly what I needed. Sometimes it’s not striking advice or jiu-jitsu technique that helps. Sometimes, you just need a little nudge or a kick in the butt.

As June 7 gets closer and closer, I’m glad I took the time to recognize just a few of the many people who help me on a daily basis. With an intense training camp, it’s easy to go a little crazy. Having the right people around me is just as important as any other training camp element. In the crazy world of MMA, they keep me grounded, and more importantly, sane.