Junie Browning lived in the Ultimate Fighter house for six weeks this year, and based on the 12 one-hour TV episodes that came from that footage, he has been described as an "alcoholic psychopath with an anger control problem" whose presence "made a mockery of the show's credibility."So when I talked to Browning and asked him to explain his behavior, I expected him to offer some kind of excuse, and say that a few isolated incidents were blown out of proportion. Instead, he told me he thinks the show's producers did him a favor with what they let the audience see.
"I think The Ultimate Fighter made me look a little nicer than I was," Browning said. "I was pretty happy about that. I did other stuff like that that they didn't show -- the usual, me acting like a prick."
And for the most part, Browning thinks the show accurately reflects what life was like in the house for the 16 MMA fighters who were on this season of the show, which will conclude with a live night of fights on Saturday.
"I think it reflects it pretty good," Browning said of the show's portrayal of his behavior. "At least the entertaining parts. There was a lot of down time, sitting around not doing s**t. I'm the kind of person who needs to be doing something all the time. You feel like you're in jail."
I asked Browning whether he thinks he has a drinking problem, and he insists that he doesn't.
"No, I haven't even drank since I was on the show," Browning said. "Maybe once since I was off. Since then I've just been training my ass off."
That training has taken place in Las Vegas, at Randy Couture's gym, where the 23-year-old Browning is living with the head coach, Shawn Tompkins, and devoting himself to becoming a full-time fighter for the first time in his life.
"I moved out here to Xtreme Couture and I'm using this place as my camp, and I don't believe anyone else from the show is training like I am," Browning said. "I get to see how some of the best lightweights in the world train -- Tyson Griffin, Mac Danzig, Gray Maynard. Those three are just sick. I try to pay attention to everything they're doing. They're some of the best there are, so I try to roll with them as much as possible."
In MMA, only the stars make a lot of money, and Browning says he'll have to scrape by until he makes it in the sport.
"I'm broke, completely," Browning said. "It sucks, but I'm training. If I win I'll keep on fighting full-time, but you can't live broke forever. I'm eating beans and bologna."
Browning says he'll make $16,000 for his fight with Dave Kaplan in the Ultimate Fighter finale, adding, "But that's more than I've ever made in a year."
Because of his outsized personality, the UFC will take the surprising step of airing Browning's fight with Kaplan live on Spike TV in the Ultimate Fighter finale, even though both Browning and Kaplan have already lost fights on the show. Browning knows he's there to play the role of villain.
"They'll probably boo me and probably throw rocks at me," Browning said. "They'll probably try to fight me coming out to the cage. But that's OK. Some of the best fighters in the world, everyone hated them starting off. I think people will grow to like me once they see I can fight. Muhammad Ali, people hated him.
"But I want people to pay attention to my next couple fights. Try not to think about the show and look at me more as a fighter and judge me on that. People who saw me on the show are going to be impressed. I'm not like that all the time."
Comments (Page 1 of 1)
This hillbilly is a psychotic drunk. Why Dana wants anything to do with him is a mystery. The UFC needs serious competent professionals to guard against becoming a Kimbo Slice promotion. Jumie feeds stereotypes of MMA as being a glorified bar fight tough man competition.
The guy is not a very good fighter.....his ego is far bigger than his ability.
Anyone with a brain knows why Dana (and not the other TUF fighters) kept Junie in the house after screwing up, what, a dozen times? The problem is Dana claimed on many occasions he could have (in the case of Tyson, Kimbo and others) promoted circus acts and made a lot of money but that the sport and UFC should be better than that. Junie has small mans syndrome and nothing else. I'm surprised the two fighters who got hit with glass didn't man-up and beat the piss out of Junie. Both 205'ers looked scared to tangle with lil Junie and that was a shame. The fact is Junie only looked good in his very first fight against an unknown fighter. He looked horrible in his fight against the skinny kid with big heart but very limited skills and was lucky to barely win that fight. He was looking to tap in his last fight, much like Tyson bit Holyfields ear because he knew he couldn't win. The only difference is Tyson WAS a real talent with otherworldly skills and Junie is a so so fighter who'll be out of the UFC in a year or so never to be heard from again.
Junie quote : "People who saw me on the show are going to be impressed. I'm not like that all the time."
Not like that ALL THE TIME? Gee, what a relief, you moron. Most people are NEVER like that. Good to know you're only like that sometimes.
Ed,
On the one hand you say everyone with half a brain knows why Dana kept the lil KY colonel on the UF Show. I know Junie has small man syndrome, but he is fighting other small men, at least in the lightweight catagory.
I know there is a fine line in between promotion of a controversial MMA fighter and a playground goon, but Dana White knows the difference and the sport it as a critical juncture with CBS putting on two lousy shows last Summer, it di the MMA game a diservice for sure.
Anyway I guess we are talking about it and that makes for some promotion.
I'm 39 years old and have been a UFC fan since UFC #1. The TUF show was a great concept, but take it for what it's become. It has ZERO to do with "professional" fighters, unless the definition of a pro MMA fighter includes pissing and ejaculating in each others food, assault with a deadly weapon and knocking guys half your size out on a dare when they're drunk. I used to like to watch with my son. He is forbidden to watch now and I think I'm done too. i like a little drama, it makes for good TV, but the key is a "little" drama. I thought Leben pissing on another fighters bed was bad! Look at Forrest, that's a hard working MMA fighters who blossomed on the show. Isn't that enough? I rooted for him, liked him, loved watching him. Do they really need "Junies" to get ratings?
All I want to say in this mma blog is everytime there's a boxing match there's always some fan of the mma always bashing boxing...saying something like how boxing is dying and mma is the future. Really? all you punks have been saying that for years and still making chump change! Secondly boxing make more money on fight night than ufc or mma or whatever you wanna call it. Future? pls you wish!
I will continue to watch TUF but i agree it has gotten a little silly with all the stuff in the house. I like the change they made to make them fight their way into the house as they have done the last couple seasons but they need to get back to more quality, proffesional fighters. Maybe they could go back to the challenges rather than showing all the shinanigans in the house. However I think Dana played it perfectly by asking the other fighters if they wanted the chance to settle it in the cage with Junie that is exactly what I was hopeing for.
Junie Browning is a total JOKE. Anybody that knows anything about the fight game is it is 90% mental. And Junie is a mental case. Yes, he needs to grow up and recieve some mental help. I was stupid enough to stay tuned in to the show because just like everyone else wanted to see Junie get his bell rung, his clock cleaned. He still has it coming and thats why Dana booked him for Saturday's show and that will be the it a show, a beat down. This season was boring to say the lease. They used Junie and he is so stupid he doesn't even know it. It will in years to come which will mess with mental instabilty even more. Dana knows that Junie will never make it the UFC and yet he booked Junie for the money he will make off the mentally disturbed. Where is the creditbilty of the UFC and Dana that he preached in early show's Dana sold out the UFC and the fans on some moron. Shame on you Dana. Frank Mir you tried say the same thing in blog's, but you have a contract to up hold and I understand that totally. You voted him off and that should have been the end of Junie Boring a.k.a Wantabe. Enough said but the fans need to give Dana a Blast of Sh*t for selling out.
Does Junie come from a Trailer Park? He sure acts like it.....