After two weeks full of antics that have disrupted the house on The Ultimate Fighter: Team Nogueira vs Team Mir, lightweight Junie Browning will finally get a chance to put his money where his mouth is the second lightweight quarterfinal bout.
Browning’s opponent? Team Nogueira’s Roli Delgado, who is excited about the impending scrap. “This is the fight I wanted,” he said.
Before the bout is officially announced, the talk is already starting between the two, and surprisingly, coach Frank Mir adds a little fuel to the fire when he asks Delgado where he got his black belt in jiu-jitsu. As Delgado goes through a long explanation, the other fighters and Mir break out in laughter, with some questioning if he is a legitimate belt holder.
“I think Rolando bought his black belt from McDonald’s,” said Browning.
Delgado takes everything in stride though, choosing not to lose sight of the ultimate prize – which is winning the competition.
At the official fight announcement, Browning brings a black belt and throws it at Delgado’s feet before spitting on it. Mir shakes his head in disappointment, while the opposing coach, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, says “he shows no respect at all.” UFC middleweight champ Anderson Silva, who has been working out with Team Nogueira, agrees, and tells Delgado “He’s afraid of you, that’s why he does that.”
For Browning, it’s just another piece of psychological warfare.
“I know I’m in his head, even if he won’t admit it,” he said.
As the fight draws nearer though, it looks like there may not even be a Browning-Delgado showdown as Browning – who was 163 pounds the night before – weighs in at 158, two pounds over the limit. He has one hour to lose the weight, and with the help of teammate Dave Kaplan, Browning makes 156.
In the first round of the fight, Browning showboats and lets Delgado hit him in the face. Delgado eagerly obliges, and his busy standup attack rapidly builds up points. Browning simply stalks his foe, and some solid 1-2s jar the Arkansas resident late in the round.
The second round is a better one for Browning, and a brutal body attack
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pays dividends as Delgado starts to slow down. A right hand to the head by Browning drops Delgado, but the Kentucky native can’t finish his opponent off, and after two rounds conclude, it’s announced that there will be a third ‘sudden victory’ round.
In the third, Browning pulls ahead, helped in part by Delgado’s decision to butt scoot for at least a minute as Browning scored with leg kicks. When it’s over, the decision is split, and it’s for Junie Browning, who moves on to the lightweight semifinals.
After the fight, Browning apologizes to Nogueira for the fight announcement incident, and while Delgado is devastated by the loss, he is told to hold his head high for his gutsy performance.
After this week’s bout, Team Mir evens things up in the competition at two wins apiece, while keeping control for next week’s bout pick. Here’s how the teams look:
TEAM MIR
Krzysztof Soszynski
Vinny Magalhaes
Elliot Marshall 1-0
Tom Lawlor – Eliminated in week three by Ryan Bader
Junie Browning 1-0
Shane Nelson – Eliminated in week four by Efrain Escudero
Dave Kaplan
George Roop
TEAM NOGUEIRA
Ryan Bader 1-0
Shane Primm – Eliminated in week five by Elliot Marshall
Kyle Kingsbury
Jules Bruchez
Phillipe Nover
Efrain Escudero 1-0
John Polakowski
Roli Delgado – Eliminated in week six by Junie Browning
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