Junie Browning Claims Phuket Assault Story Is a Shakedown, Fled Hospital to Avoid Being Killed by Thai Mafia


(Well, it was a nice vacation while it lasted.)

On Tuesday, we let out a long, weary sigh when we heard news that TUF 8 madman Junie Browning had allegedly beat up a woman at a bar, then beat up the bar’s staff and guests, then continued to beat up all of them later at a hospital. Considering Junie’s history of hospital violence, the story was all too believable.

Of course, Browning has his own version of the events, which paint him as a marked man in a corrupt country, doing his best to defend himself. Here’s what he wrote on his Facebook page immediately after the incident:

Wow what a helluva weekend?!.. Some pussy named Sie Menzies and about 10 of his friends started a fight with me, I guess just to test a ‘UFC fighter guy’ at his shitty little bar in Karan Thailand. Had a beer bottle and glass mug shattered on my head then to make everything better, stabbed severely by some crazy Thai bitch. On a positive note I managed to break a few orbital bones, at least a couple jaws, and some unconscious bodies laying on the ground before I blacked out from loss of blood and apparently had to be resuscitated in the ambulance. So, how was your weekend?

Once the gravity of situation sets in, Junie becomes deathly serious:


(Well, it was a nice vacation while it lasted.)

On Tuesday, we let out a long, weary sigh when we heard news that TUF 8 madman Junie Browning had allegedly beat up a woman at a bar, then beat up the bar’s staff and guests, then continued to beat up all of them later at a hospital. Considering Junie’s history of hospital violence, the story was all too believable.

Of course, Browning has his own version of the events, which paint him as a marked man in a corrupt country, doing his best to defend himself. Here’s what he wrote on his Facebook page immediately after the incident:

Wow what a helluva weekend?!.. Some pussy named Sie Menzies and about 10 of his friends started a fight with me, I guess just to test a ‘UFC fighter guy’ at his shitty little bar in Karan Thailand. Had a beer bottle and glass mug shattered on my head then to make everything better, stabbed severely by some crazy Thai bitch. On a positive note I managed to break a few orbital bones, at least a couple jaws, and some unconscious bodies laying on the ground before I blacked out from loss of blood and apparently had to be resuscitated in the ambulance. So, how was your weekend?

Once the gravity of situation sets in, Junie becomes deathly serious:

“Im officially the biggest American patriot there is now. These other primitive countries are all about money, mafia and corrupt law enforcement. Regardless what you believe I never touched a female in theses events that occurred and my girlfriend was there from start to finish to vouch. Hitting Thai women was an excuse for them to demonize me and get some baht out of me. You all don’t understand with my name, people will use it against me. I acted like an idiot on a reality show for publicity so they are using that against me. Im sorry and I care about people more than you thank and I appreciate all the support from the intelligent people that understand that these primitive countries are trying to kill me ( Literally ) . I need help BAD! please call the US Embassy in my regards. Thank you very much everyone.

Apparently in the news story I fled the scene in the hospital before the police got there. It’s obvious by this picture that the police were already there. It wasn’t until hours later my girlfriends and my phone were flooded with phone calls saying that the Thai mafia were headed to the hospital to kill me did we leave. We understood that it is a very corrupt place so we had to flee and get in contact with the US Embassy. Funny how cropping a photo changes the whole story.

In a follow-up post on his Facebook wall, a woman believed to be Junie’s girlfriend supported the story with some gory details of her own:

The Thai government is so corrupt! For anyone out there that knows the story about what is going on with Junie Browning, it is not true!

When two men get into an argument it should stay between them. 15 guys jumped on top of Junie and smashed his head in with glass bottles and beer mugs. I had to throw myself on top of his body while he gargled blood and they continued to kick him. Then even after… he lay unconscious some Thai girl stabs him!!!

If you know me then you know I would not make this up. I was there from start to finish.
Then you take all the guys from the brawl into the same room in the hospital? What do you expect to happen? Listen, this is not the USA this is Thailand. The country revolves around money and the mafia DOES exist. When you get a phone call saying that there is a price on your boyfriends head and if they find you they will kill you too just to get to him you run.

Junie Allen Browning did nothing but fight for his life and try to protect me. All the media and mma forums like to talk shit because it makes a good story. Get a clue! You like to sit on your couch at home and watch the discovery channel and think you know what it is like around the world? That’s retarded! No women were involved in the fight and Junie did nothing that wasn’t provoked.”

Junie’s exact whereabouts are still unknown.

Quote of the Day: Nate Quarry Has What The UFC Needs, Commentating-Wise


(When The Walking Dead didn’t call him back, Quarry knew he was bound for the UFC once again.) 

Nate Quarry has always been a charismatic guy; not only was he the first fighter ever to ink a sponsorship with a basketball shoe company, but anyone who’s ever seen his epic clowning of Kalib Starnes and post-fight speech thereafter knows the man has character in spades. More aware of this than anyone is Quarry himself, who recently began angling for a UFC commentating job on the popular mixed martial arts forum The UG:

I want to be an on-air personality for the UFC. There I said it … My qualifications? Well, I’ve been a fighter for the past 14 years. I’ve trained with some of the legends of the sport and even cornered them for some of the greatest fights in UFC history. I was there when the UFC went from 5 shows a year to being in every home in America. And, I know my ish. Plus, I’ve been a public speaker since I was 7 years old, standing up in Church and giving Bible readings. Last year I spoke at a TEDx conference where it was me, a mike and 300 business people for 18 minutes. And now I travel around the country speaking on behalf of my XLIF back surgery that game me my life back. Not to mention I hosted my own tv show on Comcast called American Cage Fighter. It was only broadcast in Nor Cal but was really well received and replayed every day of the week. Do I have your support?

Simply put, yes Mr. Quarry.


(When The Walking Dead didn’t call him back, Quarry knew he was bound for the UFC once again.) 

Nate Quarry has always been a charismatic guy; not only was he the first fighter ever to ink a sponsorship with a basketball shoe company, but anyone who’s ever seen his epic clowning of Kalib Starnes and post-fight speech thereafter knows the man has character in spades. More aware of this than anyone is Quarry himself, who recently began angling for a UFC commentating job on the popular mixed martial arts forum The UG:

I want to be an on-air personality for the UFC. There I said it … My qualifications? Well, I’ve been a fighter for the past 14 years. I’ve trained with some of the legends of the sport and even cornered them for some of the greatest fights in UFC history. I was there when the UFC went from 5 shows a year to being in every home in America. And, I know my ish. Plus, I’ve been a public speaker since I was 7 years old, standing up in Church and giving Bible readings. Last year I spoke at a TEDx conference where it was me, a mike and 300 business people for 18 minutes. And now I travel around the country speaking on behalf of my XLIF back surgery that game me my life back. Not to mention I hosted my own tv show on Comcast called American Cage Fighter. It was only broadcast in Nor Cal but was really well received and replayed every day of the week. Do I have your support?

Simply put, yes Mr. Quarry. Though it is a shame to know that we likely won’t ever see him fight again (he hasn’t competed since a second round TKO loss to Jorge Rivera back at UFN 21 in 2010), it would be nice to hear an actual fighter’s take for once when it comes to the action unfolding inside the octagon. Kenny Florian provides this from time to time, but establishing a fighter on a more permanent basis would be a great move for the UFC.

For those of you who might have forgotten, Quarry was a contestant on the very first season of The Ultimate Fighter and could add an interesting perspective when it comes to the ever growing number of TUFees fighting in the octagon. The man is also a ten fight UFC veteran who has overcome near insurmountable odds in order to continue competing professionally.

But the problem here is Quarry’s timing. Aside from their recent signing of former MMA Live host Jon Anik to cover various UFC related gigs, including a role as play-by-play announcer for the UFC’s fights on FX and FuelTV, the UFC has also brought over commentator Todd Harris to handle their pre-fight shows since their absorption of the WEC. So where exactly could Quarry fit in? Perhaps Anik needs a color commentator for the FX and FuelTV shows, and there’s no way Quarry could be any worse at it than Troy Aikman.

So what say you, Potato Nation, would you like a little more of “The Rock” in your lives?

-Danga  

Wednesday Morning MMA Link Club: Dos Santos Considering Olympic Boxing Run, Ortiz Calls out Franklin, Filho Goes M.I.A. Again + More

(“UFC 140: Jones vs. Machida” video trailer. Props: YouTube.com/UFC)

Some selected highlights from our eBros around the MMA blogosphere…

– Dana White Relieved Shogun vs. Henderson Didn’t Headline FOX Premiere (5th Round)

– ‘Tapped Out’ Author Talks Transformation From Pudgy Writer to Formidable Fighter (MMAFighting)

– Chael Sonnen Accepts Anderson Silva’s Challenge to Fight in Brazil (Five Ounces of Pain)

– UFC Champ Junior Dos Santos Contemplating 2016 Olympic Run in Boxing (FightLine)

Tito Ortiz Has a Message for Rich Franklin: ‘I’ll Break You Off Some’ (MMA Mania)

15 MMA Fighters Who Are Ready to Explode Onto the Scene (BleacherReport.com/MMA)

– Remember When Joe Rogan Was on the Cover of “Black Belt” Magazine? (The Fight Nerd)

Paulo Filho Pulled Out of ANOTHER Fight, and Now KSW Is Pretty Heated (MiddleEasy)

– Vadim Finkelstein: We Will Offer the UFC a Fight Between Velasquez and Fedor (Lowkick.Blitzcorner.com)

DREAM New Year! 2011 Will Likely Feature Fedor Emelianenko and Shinya Aoki (MMA Convert)

– Media/Insider Fallout From UFC’s Debut on Fox (Fight Opinion)

– UFC 139: Payout Perspective (MMA Payout)


(“UFC 140: Jones vs. Machida” video trailer. Props: YouTube.com/UFC)

Some selected highlights from our eBros around the MMA blogosphere…

– Dana White Relieved Shogun vs. Henderson Didn’t Headline FOX Premiere (5th Round)

– ‘Tapped Out’ Author Talks Transformation From Pudgy Writer to Formidable Fighter (MMAFighting)

– Chael Sonnen Accepts Anderson Silva’s Challenge to Fight in Brazil (Five Ounces of Pain)

– UFC Champ Junior Dos Santos Contemplating 2016 Olympic Run in Boxing (FightLine)

Tito Ortiz Has a Message for Rich Franklin: ‘I’ll Break You Off Some’ (MMA Mania)

15 MMA Fighters Who Are Ready to Explode Onto the Scene (BleacherReport.com/MMA)

– Remember When Joe Rogan Was on the Cover of “Black Belt” Magazine? (The Fight Nerd)

Paulo Filho Pulled Out of ANOTHER Fight, and Now KSW Is Pretty Heated (MiddleEasy)

– Vadim Finkelstein: We Will Offer the UFC a Fight Between Velasquez and Fedor (Lowkick.Blitzcorner.com)

DREAM New Year! 2011 Will Likely Feature Fedor Emelianenko and Shinya Aoki (MMA Convert)

– Media/Insider Fallout From UFC’s Debut on Fox (Fight Opinion)

– UFC 139: Payout Perspective (MMA Payout)

Sadly, Brian Stann Will Not Be Fighting Minowaman in Japan


(And here we have some lovely fan art of Minowaman doing battle with Godzilla and Ghidorah, while a rocket blasts out of his crotch. / Props: mma-core)

So this is weird: Coming off his submission loss to Chael Sonnen last month, Brian Stann was briefly under the impression that he’d be getting a rebound fight against a mulleted giant-killer in the Land of the Rising Sun. As Stann told MMA Sucka (tip via MiddleEasy):

I thought I was fighting on the UFC card in Tokyo. I thought I was going to fight a gentleman by the name of Ikuhisa Minowa or ‘Minowaman’ and unfortunately, you know, the fight didn’t happen. He actually asked to fight me. I agreed and then for some reason it just didn’t materialize…From what I was told by the UFC, I think they already filled the main card for that one, so there’s not really any room for me anymore.”


(And here we have some lovely fan art of Minowaman doing battle with Godzilla and Ghidorah, while a rocket blasts out of his crotch. / Props: mma-core)

So this is weird: Coming off his submission loss to Chael Sonnen last month, Brian Stann was briefly under the impression that he’d be getting a rebound fight against a mulleted giant-killer in the Land of the Rising Sun. As Stann told MMA Sucka (tip via MiddleEasy):

I thought I was fighting on the UFC card in Tokyo. I thought I was going to fight a gentleman by the name of Ikuhisa Minowa or ‘Minowaman’ and unfortunately, you know, the fight didn’t happen. He actually asked to fight me. I agreed and then for some reason it just didn’t materialize…From what I was told by the UFC, I think they already filled the main card for that one, so there’s not really any room for me anymore.”

Best known for leg-locking enormous men in Japanese freak show fights, Minowa has built a career as the David to the MMA world’s Goliaths, scoring career victories over Bob Sapp, Butterbean, Giant Silva, Hong Man Choi, Kimo Leopoldo, and many other opponents who carried more mass than skill into the ring. But he also had one UFC appearance back in April 2000, stopping the relatively normal-sized Joe Slick by cut-TKO.

In a way, the “All American Hero” vs. the “Japanese Underdog in the Red Shorty-Shorts” would be an undeniably entertaining storyline for the UFC’s return to Japan — and it’s kind of a bummer that it’s not happening. Still, does this mean that the UFC is considering booking Minowaman against somebody at UFC 144? Sean McCorkle might want to clear his schedule…

UFC 138 Excuse Watch: Chris Leben Had to Cut 21 Pounds in 24 Hours Before Munoz Fight

Chris Leben eye bloody UFC 138 Mark Munoz
(Leben gets his cut checked out by forensics investigator Vince Masuka. Gif via IronForgesIron)

We knew something was up. After the first five minutes of his UFC 138 main event battle with Mark Munoz on Saturday, Chris Leben already looked like he was heading into the championship rounds — sucking deep breaths, his body drifting towards a Pudzianowski-esque shade of crimson. And according to a Fighters Only report, it wasn’t just trans-Atlantic jet lag or a post-Halloween candy hangover:

Chris Leben cut nearly 21 pounds in 24 hours to make weight for his fight with Mark Munoz, Fighters Only was told ahead of last night’s bout. The 31-year old middleweight had “a terrible weight cut” and was in such bad shape before the weigh ins that medical staff were keeping a very close eye on him.

Chris Leben eye bloody UFC 138 Mark Munoz
(Leben gets his cut checked out by forensics investigator Vince Masuka. Gif via IronForgesIron)

We knew something was up. After the first five minutes of his UFC 138 main event battle with Mark Munoz on Saturday, Chris Leben already looked like he was heading into the championship rounds — sucking deep breaths, his body drifting towards a Pudzianowski-esque shade of crimson. And according to a Fighters Only report, it wasn’t just trans-Atlantic jet lag or a post-Halloween candy hangover:

Chris Leben cut nearly 21 pounds in 24 hours to make weight for his fight with Mark Munoz, Fighters Only was told ahead of last night’s bout. The 31-year old middleweight had “a terrible weight cut” and was in such bad shape before the weigh ins that medical staff were keeping a very close eye on him.

A source close to Leben told Fighters Only on Friday that Leben had been left “shattered” by the amount of weight he had to cut on weigh-in day. He was in the hotel sauna from Friday morning hooded up and wearing layers of clothing as he sweated water out of his body. His dehydration and general condition was such that one of the medical team backstage said Leben would be pulled from the fight if things deteriorated any further.

Indeed, Leben was so delirious after the fight that he was drawing dicks where they didn’t really belong. So what the hell happened? Leben understood that his fight with Munoz represented a pivotal moment in his career that could have established him as a top contender in the UFC’s middleweight division. And yet, trying to cut over twenty pounds before the fight suggests that somewhere along the line, he wasn’t taking his preparation as seriously as he should have. If Leben comes out with an explanation for the epic miscalculation, we’ll let you know.

Related: Five of the Worst Weight Cuts in MMA History

Carlos Condit vs. Josh Koscheck Likely for UFC’s Super Bowl Weekend Card

Carlos Condit Jon Fitch UFC photos
(Yeah…whatever happened to that guy, anyway?)

Carlos Condit is going to have to re-earn his title shot the hard way. After his slated fight against George St. Pierre went up in smoke as quickly as it was handed to him, Condit is now likely to return at UFC 143: St. Pierre vs. Diaz (February 4th, Las Vegas) against perennial welterweight contender Josh Koscheck. UFC president Dana White discussed the matchup at the Leben vs. Munoz post-event press conference:

Right now, Carlos wants to fight. He wants to fight on the same card as GSP and Diaz, so we’ll see what happens. Koscheck has been offered (the fight).”

Carlos Condit Jon Fitch UFC photos
(Yeah…whatever happened to that guy, anyway?)

Carlos Condit is going to have to re-earn his title shot the hard way. After his slated fight against George St. Pierre went up in smoke as quickly as it was handed to him, Condit is now likely to return at UFC 143: St. Pierre vs. Diaz (February 4th, Las Vegas) against perennial welterweight contender Josh Koscheck. UFC president Dana White discussed the matchup at the Leben vs. Munoz post-event press conference:

Right now, Carlos wants to fight. He wants to fight on the same card as GSP and Diaz, so we’ll see what happens. Koscheck has been offered (the fight).”

And by all appearances, Koscheck has accepted it, telling Twitter: “Yep, when I talk….. i get… Feb 4th weekend Vegas :) I will be fighting!!!!!!!!!!! Thx you DW!”

Koscheck began pre-emptively trash-talking Condit last week, saying that Condit has “0 chance” to beat him, dropping some nasty puns on Condit’s manager, and arguing that the Natural Born Killer doesn’t deserve his top ten ranking. Condit hasn’t publicly responded to the barbs yet, but we expect that to change now that he’s been booked in the co-main event of the UFC’s Super Bowl Weekend card.

As of now, the only other supporting bout reported for UFC 143 is a lightweight clash between Joe Lauzon and Anthony Pettis.