An Aussie Abroad – Damien “Beatdown” Brown
Each time there is a fight show here in Australia there is a burning desire from the fighters to make that leap from the Australian scene to the International one. Not many fighters get there (besides our handful of UFC fighters) or if they do they float about in obscurity. Damien “Beatdown” Brown (7-3) is on a mission to put an end of that, well, for his career anyway.
Damien is fresh off a decision victory at the latest Legends FC show and his name has been thrown about as a contender for the company’s Lightweight championship. On the title aspirations Brown was realistic with where he is in his career. “I don’t want to be the kind of guy that wins one fight and gets handed a title shot. I want to work for it and show everyone that I deserve it. If that means I have to fight every single guy in the Lightweight division then I will do it. I think that I need at least another two fights with the company before I deserve a title shot.” Another thing that makes it tough to make a claim to a shot at the title is that one of his coaches is currently in the hunt for the title too. “I have so much respect for Adrian Pang and I really look up to him. I am more than happy to bide my time and fight my way through the division before being handed anything.”
Training out of arguably the best fight camp in Australia, Integrated MMA is what Damien attributes to much of his success. Having some of the best coaches and training partners in Australia has made him realize just how far he can go in the sport. “There are so many great guys in the gym in all different weight classes.” His coaching team of Dan Higgins, Adrian Pang and Steve Compton has really allowed him to hone his skills as a mixed martial artist and that was seen with his underdog fight on the latest Legend FC card . “My coaches are fantastic and Adrian Pang is a deadset beast inside the cage.” Brown was optimistic in how his training is going to impact his performance next time he fights for Legend FC.
“It’s all about building an experience” he explains. “Having a second fight there really helped me. The first time around I was nervous, even more nervous than usual. It was kind of like a whole new experience but the second time I was just excited and really had an idea of how things were going to play out. I am looking forward to my next opportunity with Legend, they really have looked after me and treat me like royalty over there.” It’s an experience that a lot of Australian fighters dream to get, however there is only a handful who are truly committed to break into the overseas market.
On the topic of the recent TUF Smashes trials Damien was positive but realistic “It was a great experience but I think they may have had an idea who they were picking before the try outs. I think they looked at records and that’s it.” To his own credit though it doesn’t make too much of a difference, having already broken the international market through Legend FC Brown is one step ahead of many of the Aussie hopefuls looking to make that giant leap into the wide world of mixed martial arts. Of his competition Damien wished them the best of luck but did want to make one thing clear “If he doesn’t make the house or fights again in Australia or whatever I want everybody to know that I will fight Sonny Brown on any card in Australia. If the opportunity comes up I will take it.” The bad blood between these two stems from their 2011 fight where Damien dominated for three rounds before being caught with a gogoplata. “It happens and it’s not that I lost.” Damien explains “It’s just the way that he acted. I am a pretty respectful guy whether I win or lose but Sonny wasn’t respectful at all and I just want another chance to fight him.” Although it is unlikely to happen due to Damien’s desire to continue fighting overseas it’s the only fight that he wants to take on Australian soil.
Like most fighters these days Damien knows the importance of social media in getting your name out there. He created a Twitter account (@beatdown_brown) out of frustration at first but the whole idea of it started to grow on him. “I did it after the trials, I kind of wanted to see what everyone else thought of it. If I wasn’t stuck in Sydney I wouldn’t have ever done it but it’s a great platform to talk about fights and also get in contact with other fighters and people who watch me fight.”
Having the support of great sponsors is always a key part to a fighter being able to dedicate much of their life to training. Damien’s personal sponsors who have supported him throughout his career; Australian Sports Nutrition Brisbane, ProdigyFit allow him to develop his skills and train on a daily basis. Not only does he have his own sponsors but of course his teams sponsors help keep the elite training of Integrated MMA possible; Australian Sports Nutrition Southport, Fairtex, AtomicFM, QA Signs, All Type Cabinets and MMA Sports Mag.
For Damien it is now time to get recovery back on track. Having just fought a tough three round fight that Damien says was “the toughest fight of his career” he is in no hurry to rush into another fight just yet. His last two fights with Legend FC were on just three weeks notice so naturally he is looking forward to taking a fight with a full six week plan. “I have fought three times this year already” Damien explains “I am ready to recover and then fight again in a few months. I am ready to win and get yet another victory on the international stage!”
Be on the lookout for this next Australian break-out star as he makes his MMA dream come true abroad!
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