You Mad? - A Recap of this Week’s Beefs, Twitter Beefs, Squabbles, Rants, Wars of Words and Other Assorted Drama in MMA

Is it me or did everyone seem to be in a good mood this week? I mean, everyone except Junie Browning and Thai authorities. I guess it's holiday spirit. Or, everyone is too worn out and hungover from holiday parties to be getting upset about anything. I'll choose to believe it's just good cheer that's making everyone so...cheery. Anyway, here is what was causing trouble this past week. Ho ho ho!

Junie Browning vs. Police in Thailand: Well, this one is a right trainwreck. I honestly can't keep up with it all because I read that Junie's posted something on Facebook and then I go there to check it out and it's not there. And, it's all very crazy. This is what I've heard:

The initial reports stated that Junie started a brawl in a bar in Phuket where he was reportedly beating up an expat female. Female bar staff and other tourists tried to intervene and he got all fighty with them, too. Then, he went to the hospital and got all fighty there and somehow fled, which resulted in a manhunt to find him. Junie posted to his Facebook page (which has since been removed?):

This post sounded rather confident but just a few days later, Junie had a very different message on his Facebook page (which also seems to be gone now but that Bloody Elbow was able to capture):

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.

More on Junie (including pictures!) after the jump.

There also was apparently a post on his Facebook wall (also no longer there) from a female who witnessed the whole kerfuffle and it said:

"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."

On Sunday, Junie posted these pictures of himself on his Facebook page. They appear to show his injuries from the incident in the bar.

He also spoke to MMA Weekly and gave them more of his side of the story:

"I was in fact the victim in this case, and it is important I am able to tell my side of the story and provide you with pictures and evidence to support it. There was an attempt to end my life and I am begging for help from the U.S. Embassy."

"Sunday night, we arrived at a small bar in Karon with two other females, one of which was friends with the owner. It happened to be the owner of the bar’s birthday, Simon Wilson Menzies. So he was surrounded by a group of 12-15 of his closest friends who had been drinking in celebration previous to our arrival. My girlfriend and I had a few drinks, and seeing we didn’t know anyone, had decided to leave to go home. We had contacted a cab and he was on his way to meet us. He would call when he arrived. A discussion via text message with one of the girls I had arrived with resulted in MJ Castro and Simon Menzies confronting me in the street," recalled Browning.

"MJ was screaming and swinging her hands in front of my face. I do not know why she was mad. Nothing that I had said involved her or her friends whatsoever. I assumed she was mad that we were leaving the party because we were on our way out to meet our cab. Without any notice I found myself in a physical altercation with Simon in the street."

Browning quickly realized he was over-matched and out-numbered.

"I could tell from the moment he stepped in front of me, he was looking for a fight. At this point, it just involved me and Simon, my girlfriend standing next to us. In only a few seconds, my girlfriend was thrown across the street and I had been hit from behind in the back of the head by a glass beer bottle. I stood up looking for my attacker and found myself surrounded by a mob of people.

"It was no longer a man on man ‘bar brawl’ but a fight for my survival. I was trying to defend myself in the street when at some point I fell back to the ground. They drug me back into the bar where they pummeled me with punches and kicks. It was me against everyone. For a second time I received a mass blow over the head with a thick glass mug that split my head open and made me fall to the floor. I curled up in the fetal position, submissive, and I continued to be kicked and hit. My arms up covering my face I felt a slice to my forearm and another stab to my neck," Browning told MMAWeekly.com.

There is a lot more about the fight that continued at the hospital and Junie's escape in the MMA Weekly article so I suggest checking it out. According to Browning, he has now fled the country and is still pleading for U.S. Embassy assistance.

Status: I guess no one knows where Junie is yet but he did have time to post the Facebook photos so I guess he is somewhere with an internet connection. I'm sure this is far from over yet.

Sean Sherk vs. U.K. Police: In other news of fighters being hunted down by police in foreign countries, we have Sean Sherk being the target of police in Huddersfield, England. Apparently, he was riding in a car that was stopped as part of what Sherk thought was a routine roadblock. But, it was not routine as the police were armed and there were, like, a hundred of them. Sherk remained in the car after being told to get out because he didn't understand what he was being told to do, so he was dragged out of the car and searched.

It seems the car Sherk and his driver were in was somehow linked in a database to some gang figure, which is why it was stopped. After the police checked for weapons, Sherk and his driver were sent on their way, with Sherk taking it all in stride. But, he did say that the police that dealt with him in the U.K. were much harsher than any police he's dealt with in the U.S.

Status: Move along, nothing to see here.

Mark Munoz vs. Chael Sonnen: These two are meeting up at UFC on Fox 2 and since Chael Sonnen is involved, we can expect epic trash talk, right? Sadly, no. Chael kinda likes Mark so I think we may have another one here like the Sonnen vs. Brian Stann fight. When asked if he was going to try and hype the fight with trash talk, Mark Munoz also said that he won't really go there, but that he'll leave it up to Chael:

He can sell the fight. I'm not known for talking any trash outside the Octagon, I just let my hands do the talking.

When asked if any of the things Chael has said about Anderson Silva ever get into his head, Munoz said:

It's easy for me to push it away. You know, me and Chael actually go way back. We got respect for each other and I don't think he's gonna talk trash. Despite what everybody thinks, Chael is a good guy. We're managed by the same manager, management team, you know, so we're actually real cordial with one another.

Boooorrrring. When Munoz was asked about what percentage of Chael talking to the media is what Chael actually thinks and what percentage is just selling the fight, Munoz replied, with a smile:

About 99% is selling the fight. So, it's 1% him.

Munoz also conceded that it will be a tough fight with both fighters bringing their best and we'll all see the best man win. And then I fell asleep.

Status: Seriously, though, I like these guys and I like the respect and camaraderie. I also look forward to watching this fight.

Dennis Hallman vs. Dana White: This is merely an update on the speedo incident - nothing really new has transpired between these two. However, after not making weight for his fight at UFC 140 in the wake of the speedo thing, Hallman says he was pretty sure Dana White would have given him the axe had he not won his fight against John Makdessi:

"If I would have lost this fight after pissing Uncle Dana off with the bikini and then not making weight, if I would have not have performed, if I wouldn't have finished this guy, if I would have fought him to a decision or something, then I could have expected to get cut even if I would have won. But I think that giving him the business and handling him the way I did probably saved my job and gave me one more chance to not screw up again. I had to pay five grand to that kid. I don't want to pay five grand to anybody anymore for not making weight, so that's not going to happen anymore. ... Between my pro and [amateur] fights, I have over 100 fights and this is the first time I didn't make weight. I'm ashamed of it, and it won't happen again."

Fortunately, he did win his fight although he still weighed 158.5 pounds for a 155 pound fight so he forfeited $5000 of his purse form the fight.

Status: It seems all is well and hopefully Hallman will have no further weight problems going forward. And, hopefully there will be no speedos, either (although I thought the speedo thing was pretty funny).

Donald Cerrone vs. Nate Diaz: According to the extended preview for UFC 141, Donald Cerrone and Nate Diaz had a little run-in when they were in the same area for open workouts for UFC 137. According to both of them in the video, it went like this:

Cerrone: I went over and said, "Hey, man, what's going on?" to shake his hand.

Diaz: Yeah, he shouldn't have done that. He's in my bracket. We're gonna fight each other.

Cerrone: He slaps my hand out of the way and calls me a "punk ass" and walks off.

Diaz: You go your way, I'll go mine.

Cerrone:You wanna talk sh** to me? You're just gonna enrage me and piss me off. So feed my f***ing flame. That's all I say. Let's go.

This could be all hype and whatever but it sure seems fun to me. They both seem like the type to get irritated with their opponents so it should be good fun.

Status: Be sure to watch the fight on December 30 at UFC 141! Fun!

Miscellaneous Trash Talk:

Michelle Waterson (on Ronda Rousey via Bleacher Report):

"We’re not going anywhere. She can wait a couple of months to fight. If she’s that good, I don’t think a couple of months is going to hurt her".

Dana White:

"The thing about fighting is this isn't a team and we lose a game and we got a hundred more games this season and no big deal. As long as you play well, you'll move on and do something else. Fighting is tougher than any other sport out there. It's you, and only you, no matter how good your team is or who you got behind you. You go out there alone and you're only as good as your last fight. These guys overcome a lot of adversity. A lot of stuff happens throughout the years that people don't know. I respect fighters so much and what they do and how they do it. It's a tough business."

Alistair Overeem:

"People have accused me of using steroids since I was 17. I remember my first fight, my girlfriend was in the audience, and she told me people, jealous guys, were whispering I was taking steroids. That was when I was 17. I was a middleweight back then. All I can say is my side of the story. When I was 20, I was already a natural heavyweight. I weighed 222 pounds."

Lead photo via Facebook