Out of the spotlight and incognito for the past few years, Junie Browning has regrouped and repackaged himself as something he believes in. A clean and sober athlete who is looking to take his spot back in the big leagues.

A former UFC fighter and pretty much the star of The Ultimate Fighter Season 8, Browning has faced a lot of adversity since the show including some personal demons he is still fighting today. Browning was released from the UFC after an incident that Dana White decided crossed the line when it came to upholding UFC standards.

Browning went to Thailand where many stories emerged of arrests, mob involvement, fighting, and police. Most were untrue and exaggerated, but some were factual and a little scary. Junie at one point was seeking asylum in the US Embassy according to news sites and was scared for his own life. To look across the table at him last night while interviewing him – you could not tell. Not at all.

Junie’s last four fights were losses to people he should not have lost to. Not if you have known him for as long as I have. Junie started in small shows in Kentucky before graduating to shows like Caged Inferno and eventually signing with the now defunct, American Fight League. He landed on the cover of Tapout Magazine, and at that point people started taking notice.

Junie appeared on the Ultimate Fighter and the rest was history.

Last night I sat down with Junie before his fight with Brian Stevens for Hardrock MMA’s event tonight. The event takes place at the Triple Crown Pavilion in Louisville, KY. Brandon “Hardrock” Higdon, matchmaker and husband of owner Vanessa Higdon, was very excited about Junie’s participation in the event.

“We’re really pumped about this event”, Brandon said. “Junie has been our friend for a long time and we are happy he is choosing to restart his MMA career with us. It’s going to be an amazing night”.

The full pre-fight interview with Junie is below.

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