Mike Brown currently sits at the top of the WEC's featherweight division. The talented American Top Team member is in the midst of a ten-fight winning streak with big wins coming against Yves Edwards, Jeff Curran, Leonard Garcia and Urijah Faber (x2).

Brown is considered to be among the worlds best fighters pound-for-pound and looks to further cement his status as the world's greatest featherweight when he takes on a man that many feel could be his greatest test in undefeated Jose Aldo.

Brown sat down with Tommy Kail of FiveKnuckles.com to discuss his upcoming opponent, his place in the division, and give his insight on how his past few fights have changed his career.

FiveKnuckles.com: To start off, let's back track to the night you shocked the MMA world with a first round knockout of Urijah Faber in November, 2008. That victory capped an eight-fight win streak resulting in a WEC featherweight championship. Can you describe what that night meant to you?

Mike Brown: That night was a culmination of years of hard work. I was very happy with my performance. Fortunately enough for me, I was in the right position to cash in on it. The toughest part of the journey wasn't winning the fight, it was drafting for position to get myself inline for the title shot. Going into the fight I was confident that I was going to win, but confidence alone isn't always enough. A fighter can never really know what's going to happen once the cage door shuts. At that point, I did all I can do to make sure I was on top of my game because the opportunity could have easily slipped through my fingers. That night it all came together for me. I got my shot and I made sure I took advantage of it.

I knew going in that I was capable of winning that fight. My teammates and coaches were all confident in me. I think I was viewed as the underdog because I was flying under the radar. The fact of the matter is being successful in MMA really comes down to exposure. It can be tough sometimes. If a fighter doesn't have a lot of notoriety or televised fights, then people just aren't interested. There are a ton of tough fighters out there, but nobody knows about them because they lack the right exposure. That fight changed everything for me.

FiveKnuckles.com: In March of this year, you defended your title against Leonard Garcia who many figured to pose a significant threat in your division. Can you take me through that first title defense?

Mike Brown: I think the world of MMA was anxious to see me defend the title. I knew Leonard was going to be really tough. He's got a good chin and hits really hard. I wanted to make sure I stayed away from some of his bigger shots. I connected big on him early and he got hurt. I was very happy with my performance being that I finished him early on in the fight. It was the first time he's ever been finished. I never anticipated that fight going as well for me as it did. I expected to be able to take him down and submit him eventually. I didn't expect to drop him with a...