Tapping Out With TBerg 12.05.08: Episode VIII: Ultimate Endings & New Beginnings

Posted by Todd Bergman on 12.05.2008

In this edition of Tapping Out With TBerg, I give my thoughts on Junie Browning’s numerous second chances and everything Ultimate Fighter related, including the Finale. I will also provide you all the information on the upcoming UFC book tour. I take a shot at a famous MMA hater and I discuss what pro wrestlers could have a chance at success in MMA. Leave your inhibitions at the door because you are “Tapping Out With TBerg.

Awesome Quote for Episode VIII
Stephen Quadros: How long have you had that mustache?
Don Frye: Since I was 5. I got it from my mom's side of the family. She's not a pretty woman.


Was it everything that you hoped for?

The Ultimate Fighter season 8 finished up the taped portion of the show this past Wednesday. While I always wished for more, I can honestly say that the right people are in the finals this year. In years past there always seemed to be someone making it to the finals that got exposed rather easily and made the show look weak with unequally matched fighters competing in the end. I'm looking at you Tommy Spear! Anyway, the season on the whole was rather disappointing due to poor pranks and bad editing. I previously posted a column describing all the problems, so I won't bore all of you with that again. However, I feel like there were some things that really caught my eye this year, so please indulge me and allow me to share them with you.

Phillipe Nover is truly the breakout star of this season and could be a huge player in the Lightweight division. He did everything from passing out in the beginning to knocking out everyone in the end. Phillipe has drawn comparisons to GSP and Anderson Silva this season. He truly has that killer instinct that could take him far in a sport that loves a great background story.

If you didn't initially think that Vinny had great BJJ, then you certainly know now how dangerous he is. Not many people in the UFC use the pulling guard technique, but that is something that Ryan Bader must avoid if he wants to win the LHW finale. Of course, Bader is doing the smart thing by heading to Miami to train with Big Nog and his merry band of amazing fighters. Hopefully, this time with Nog will help Bader become more of a well-rounded fighter instead of a laying and praying machine.

Did anyone else catch that Dana White couldn't say Efrain's name correct if his life depended on it? Both Mir and Nog said it correctly, but anytime that Dana would say his name it became a combination of Efrain and Raphael. That would make for a funny looking ninja turtle if you ask me. It's going to be ok for Dana thought because he already knows how to say Phillipe and that's who is going to win the show.


How do you say his name again?

Moving on to the other notorious "star" of the show: Junie Browning. I realize that it usually takes something like watching yourself act like a complete fool on TV for a person to have the epiphany to want to change their life. I honestly believe that is what is going to happen for Junie. I also think that, above it all, Dana White wants Junie to be successful and knows that the show wasn't a great fit for him. Junie has already taken the first big step to changing his life by moving his training to Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas. Here's what Junie said on his UFC.com blog about the fight with Efrain and his future in the sport.

"On December 13th, people are gonna see how fast I've improved. I told people from Day One that I'm not necessarily the best fighter, but I'm the fastest at improving, I'm the most athletic and I have the potential to be the best. Nothing about the way I fought on the show will look the same. Techincally, athletically, and cardio-wise, everything will be improved completely. I'm training out here at Xtreme Couture with the best people and I feel like I'm way ahead of anybody on the show, even Efrain, the guy I got beat by. I feel that if I fought him again right now, it wouldn't even be close. I'm all ears when I listen to people in the gym and I'll be a lot better everywhere. I promise, everyone will be impressed, and in this fight I'm gonna show people stuff they've never seen."

Browning was a big fish in a small pond back in Kentucky and now has become chum in Las Vegas, trying to improve his skill set. On December 13, we should see the best Junie Browning to date. Let's hope for a clean and sober future for Junie as well.

Following the ending of the shows, the Ultimate Fighter Finale card was released for our viewing. Here's what the card looks like:

Main Card
Phillipe Nover vs. Efrain Escudero- LW Finals
Ryan Bader vs. Vinicius Magalhães- LHW Finals
Wilson Gouveia vs. Jason MacDonald
Kevin Burns vs. Anthony Johnson
Junie Browning vs. Dave Kaplan

Undercard (Watch them on the DVD)
Krzysztof Soszynski vs. Shane Primm
Eliot Marshall vs. Jules Bruchez
Kyle Kingsbury vs. Tom Lawlor
Shane Nelson vs. George Roop
Rolando Delgado vs. John Polakowski

The card looks like a solid night of fights with the inclusion of the Burns/Johnson rematch and the Gouveia/McDonald showdown. Putting Junie on the main card is something that seems a little crazy to me, but it's ratings the UFC is afte,r and I'm sure that they are going to get them. I'm also curious about the Nelson/Roop and Kingsbury/Lawlor fights. I know that Nelson trains with BJ Penn and I expected more from him during the season, but he has a tough match-up against the hard-working George Roop. The same could be said for Kyle Kingsbury. He draws the 155lbs Knockout Champion in Tom Lawlor. Next Saturday should be an exciting night of fights.

MMA fans can read? Oh, it's a picture book!
I thought that I would just throw that stereotype out there before talking about the new UFC book entitled Octagon. Rest assured poor MMA fans, this version of the book isn't the book that weighs over 50 pounds and retails for $2,500. This will be the commercial edition that only costs $27 on Amazon.com. To honor this special occasion, the UFC is rolling out a state-by-state tour of promotional appearances on December 15th at a Barnes and Noble near you. Here is the long list of where fighters will be appearing:

ALBUQUERQUE — Keith Jardine 7:00 PM 6600 Menaul Blvd NE, Albuquerque, NM 87110
BOSTON — Kenny Florian 6:00 PM 800 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02119
CHICAGO — Clay Guida 7:00 PM 297 Oakbrook Center, Oak Brook, IL 60523
CINCINNATI — Dustin Hazelett 7:00 PM 7800 Montgomery Road, Cincinnati, OH 45236
DENVER — Nate Marquardt 7:00 PM 8374 S. Willow Street, Littleton, CO 80124
INDIANAPOLIS — Chris Lytle 6:00 PM 3748 East 82nd Street, Indianapolis, IN
6240
LAS VEGAS — Stephan Bonnar 7:00 PM 8915 W. Charleston, Las Vegas, NV 89117
LONG ISLAND — Matt Serra 7:00 PM 600 Smith Haven Mall, Lake Grove, NY 11755
LOS ANGELES — Karo Parisyan/Kevin Lynch 7:30 PM 189 Grove Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90036
MAUI — Kendall Grove 7:00 PM 325 Keawe #101, Lahaina, Hi 96761
MIAMI — Thiago Alves 7:00 PM 12405 N Kendall Drive, Miami, FL 33186
MINNEAPOLIS — Sean Sherk 7:00 PM 118 E. Broadway, Mall of America, Bloomington, MN 55425
NEW ORLEANS — Rich Clementi 7:00 PM 3721 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Metairie, LA 70002
OMAHA — Houston Alexander 7:00 PM 3333 Oakview Dr, Omaha, NE 68144
PORTLAND — Nate Quarry 6:30 PM 12000 SE 82nd Avenue, Portland, OR 97266
SACRAMENTO — James Irvin 7:00 PM 1725 Arden Way, Sacramento, CA 95815
SAN DIEGO — Diego Sanchez 7:00 PM 2015 Birch Rd, San Diego, CA 91915
SAN JOSE — Mike Swick 7:00 PM 2200 Eastridge Loop, San Jose, CA 95122
SAN LUIS OBISPO — Chuck Liddell 7:00 PM 894 Marsh Street, Bldg. G, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401

I know that I will be making my way to the local Barnes and Noble to the Chris Lytle signing since he's a local hero in Indy for being not only a fighter but also a dedicated firefighter. Any time he fights on a UFC card, the local bars are packed and more people talk about the UFC on local sports shows. So, I encourage everyone head out to the signings if there is one in your neighborhood. The book looks to be a fantastic compilation of photographic violence and personal serenity. For more information on Octagon, please head over to octagon-book.com.

Tapping Out Subject Of The Week
In what will certainly become a fan favorite, I'm adding a new segment into my column. It will predominately be about something that I've had enough of and wish to vent about. This week, it involves the outcry about pro wrestlers joining the ranks of MMA and whether it adds legitimacy or tarnishes the credibility of the sport. This all started when long-time airbag Mark Madden proclaimed that any pro wrestler could win against any MMA fighter inside the Octagon. Madden based this on Brock Lesnar beating up Randy Couture. That's right, his thesis statement was that any pro wrestler could beat any MMA fighter in an mixed martial arts match, and his evidence to back it up was Brock Lesnar beating up Randy Couture. Plain and simple, that's it. One fight and Madden is ready to proclaim that Kamala could beat Fedor. Here is a statement that Madden left on his 105.9 The X jock blog.

Not long ago, I wrote two columns - one for timesonline.com, the other for Wrestlezone.com - about ex-WWE superstar Brock Lesnar entering the world of real fighting and quickly becoming UFC heavyweight champion.

My tone in both - especially the Wrestlezone.com column - was somewhat gloating. As a former pro wrestling broadcaster and still a fan at heart, I loved seeing the "fake wrestler" TOTALLY DOMINATE Randy Couture, the so-called MMA legend. My God, if THAT's your legend, Brock might literally KILL your lesser lights. I was not very complimentary of Couture, calling him a "feeble-looking shell of a legend" and an "egg-sucking dog." Sometimes I just can't help channeling Terry Funk.

Now all of MMA's self-styled "experts" are backtracking, citing Lesnar's considerable credentials as a former NCAA wrestling champion. Too little, too late. Before Brock won, the "experts" chanted "fake wrestler, fake wrestler" like it was some kind of mantra, and the big, bad, blond battleship made you all look like fools.

Anyway, I've received threatening e-mails and been absolutely CRUCIFIED at MMA web site sherdog.net. The keyboard cowboys on the sherdog.net message board have actually mooted burning my house down. I always knew MMA fans were bloodthirsty back-alley "Fight Club" wannabes, and they have not disappointed.


You can also check out Madden's own "awesome" wrestling performance here against Tank Abbot.




If you don't know who Mark Madden is, he is a former WCW announcer and current radio host in Pittsburgh. He's always been largely critical of Hines Ward and anything that dares to challenge Pro Wrestling. While I won't fully criticize Madden's talents, I will hold him to the fact that he doesn't know enough about MMA to discuss the sport and should stick to Steelers football and fake fighting. Madden, I know that you are the "controversial" guy, but really you aren't much more than fodder for a real shock jock like Howard Stern. Keep up with the crazy statements Madden, and your friends here at 411mania.com will continue the beat downs.

While I was extremely annoyed with the statements of Madden, it got me thinking of possible pro wrestling crossovers. So without further ado, here are the Top 5 Pro Wrestlers that I would like to see in MMA.

1.) Samoa Joe – loves the sport and is quite athletic for his size; could possess great leg kicks; has a decent wrestling background.

2.) CM Punk – has a love for the sport; has done some BJJ and Muay Thai training in the past

3.) Kurt Angle – It's been rumored for awhile that Angle would make the jump but still nothing has happened. I can't really see him fighting for the UFC but perhaps Affliction If PRIDE was still around, I think that they would've already made this happen.

4.) The Undertaker – This video speaks for itself. Matt Hughes referring to the Undertaker as Mr. Undertaker is classic. Taker's body is pretty beaten up, but he could probably go to Japan and fight considering they allow almost everyone to fight.



5.) Tajiri – Yes, I realize that most people don't remember him, but I really think that he could do some good in MMA. He had legitimate ability in his kicks and he was ape-shit crazy.

Thanks again for checking out my article here on 411mania.com. Be sure to check out knockoutdogfighting.com which is a great site set up to help out the victims of dog fighting. Remember to support your local MMA and keep your tapping hand strong.