Brock Lesnar and Junie Browning may be light-years apart in terms of name recall, but suffice it to say that becoming a UFC fighter is enough to make one more popular than 99.9 percent of the entire world’s human population. (Damn with the exact computation.)
With that said, it always pays to heed Austin Powers’ signature utterance, “Oh, behave!” unless our fighters’ idea of fun is getting fined, incarcerated or both; with the bonus of getting international bad press for themselves, their respective organizations and their—and our—sport.
The following is a recap of our two fighters’ misdeeds of varying natures, consequences and years of commission:
Lesnar was charged in Canada with 1) improper tagging of an animal during a hunting trip in November 2010, 2) leaving meat to rot and 3) illegal possession of wild life. (The latter two charges were dropped.)
Here’s a statement from Lesnar, from MMAWeekly.com (12/20/11):
In November 2010, I went on a filmed hunt in Alberta, Canada. It was sponsored by Fusion Ammunition and guided by Trophy Hunters Alberta. In Alberta, Americans can’t hunt without a licensed outfitter. The outfitter is there to make sure you follow the rules. I had two deer tags for the trip, which meant I could legally shoot two deer. On the first day of the trip, I shot a mule deer. On the second day, I shot a white tail. Video from the hunt has been on the internet for over a year. After I shot the mule deer, I failed to immediately tag it. As far as I was involved, that’s all there is to it.
Now it’s resolved. I paid my fine today. It’s the kind of thing that happens to hunters all the time. I want to thank the Canadian authorities for their cooperation in resolving this misunderstanding. I love Canada and I can’t wait to go back to Alberta for a hunt.
(In reference to the withdrawn spoilage charge) I can’t really tell you anything about it. I understood I couldn’t bring deer meat home with me across the border even if I wanted to, so I trusted the outfitter to properly handle it. They are professionals and I understand it was handled appropriately.
I’m glad to put this behind me, so I can focus on my fight against Alistair Overeem at UFC 141 on December 30.
Indeed, being able to focus on one’s upcoming UFC 141 main event fight with the least amount of worry is a good thing.
And here’s an excerpt, also from MMAWeekly.com (12/22/11), on the Thai misadventure of former UFC fighter Junie Browning:
Browning was sought by police after he was involved in a bar brawl in Phuket last week, and has since sent out pleas to the U.S. Embassy seeking refuge to exit the country and get back to the United States.
According to the latest report from Phuketwan.com, Browning turned himself in to police on Wednesday, but was not arrested…
…Browning was a part of the brawl at the bar in Phuket, as well as another incident hours later at a local hospital where he and some of the other participants in the fight once again engaged in some sort of violence.
On Wednesday, Browning and his girlfriend, along with a lawyer, showed up at the Phuket police station to face authorities who had been looking for him since the incident occurred.
Don’t want to get into trouble far away from home?
Then, especially when visiting a foreign land as a famous or not-so-famous MMA fighter, keep in mind that it’s always good practice to respect and observe your host country’s laws and ethics. (Unless you sympathize with a suffering people and their just cause and decide to join a popular uprising…but let’s not get into that.)
Also, as in the case of Lesnar, be extra judicious with those laws—for all their justness or all their worth. Remember the legal principle “ignorantia legis neminem excusat,” or “ignorance of the law excuses no one,” in the language of you and me.
Or perhaps our fighters should be required to take up lessons in civility and diplomacy from our foreign affairs expert and model citizen Chael Sonnen?
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