‘TUF 12’ Teammates Brookins, Johnson Expecting Unexpected
Tristen Critchfield Dec 2, 2010
They trained together for six weeks as part of Georges
St. Pierre’s team on “The Ultimate Fighter 12,” but both
Jonathan
Brookins and Michael
Johnson expect to see different versions of one another when
they face off for the six-figure UFC contract which goes to the
winner of Saturday’s
“The Ultimate Fighter 12 Finale.”
“It definitely doesn’t hurt, the fact that [I] know him that well,” Brookins said during a conference call Thursday. “But I can’t say that it helps. It might have helped a little bit more if we were fighting the week after the semi-final fights, but since you had so much time since we left the house, you’re not really fighting that same guy that you knew. But that’s just how time goes -- you change. You’re not going in there blind. Not completely.”
Johnson said he benefited from his time spent with Brookins on the
show, but is aware of the potential changes that his opponent has
likely made.
“He was one of my main training partners on the team. I loved working with Jonathan. We competed a lot in the training room. He made me a better fighter during the course of the season,” Johnson said.
Brookins defeated Ran Weathers, Sevak Magakian, Sako Chivitchyan and Kyle Watson to earn his spot in the final bout, while Johnson was victorious over Pablo Garza, Aaron Wilkinson, Alex Caceres and Nam Phan.
After taping for the show wrapped, Brookins returned to training at the Gracie Barra Orlando gym. Johnson, however, spent some time working out at his home in Springfield, Mo., before heading to Albuquerque, N.M., to get some instruction from Greg Jackson’s and Mike Winkeljohn’s Jackson’s Mixed Martial Arts. There, Johnson sparred with UFC fighters such as Diego Sanchez, Carlos Condit, Clay Guida and Donald Cerrone.
“I think it’s helped me out as a fighter and gotten me well prepared,” Johnson said.
Brookins has the advantage when it comes to fighting big-time opponents, having lost to Jose Aldo by third-round technical knockout at WEC 36 in 2008. Brookins, who has also competed in Bellator, took the loss as a learning experience.
“I felt really prepared. I felt like it was a great fight for me. I felt like I had a great chance, and I was really excited about it,” he recalled.
“There were just certain things going on in the fight that I wasn’t prepared for. Ultimately, it taught me some incredible lessons in the sport. Immediately after the loss, it didn’t take me long to come to the conclusion that I was thankful for the things that [Aldo] introduced me to.”
Brookins was released by the WEC after that bout. Having previous fights as a featherweight gives the Florida-based more options now that the UFC and WEC have merged. Brookins said that his decision to compete at either 145 or 155 pounds could be made on a fight-by-fight basis.
“I’m just gonna go by the fights where they need me. If there’s a good fight at ‘45 and they call me up...I’m gonna be there. If there’s a fight at ‘55...I’ll be there. It’s nice to be able to go to both weight classes,” he said.
Johnson, who has won four of his last five fights, said it was his most recent loss -- a submission defeat to Bellator veteran Eric Marriott in May 2009 -- that gave him the motivation to reach his current level of success.
“I made a lot more sacrifices. I started taking my training a lot more serious and actually focusing on my goal at hand. [I stopped] letting in the things that stopped me from doing what I had to do or any distractions,” he said.
Johnson utilized a similar determination when trying out for “The Ultimate Fighter.” After being passed over for the eighth and ninth seasons, the Springfield Fight Club product persevered and finally made the cut for the show’s most recent installment.
“I think it was almost like a blessing in disguise that I didn’t make Season 8 and Season 9. Season 12, I’m in the finale against a great fighter...I had the best coach, one of the best fighters in the world -- Georges St. Pierre -- so the timing couldn’t be any more perfect.”
Reflecting on their time spent filming the show, both fighters were grateful to be part of St. Pierre's diverse team. By the end of the season, many of the members of Josh Koschek's squad were complaining about the lack of quality coaching.
“You almost didn’t want to brag to the other team, but you almost had something to brag about,” Brookins said. “You could tell kind of quick that we were getting a better coaching staff than the other team.”
Added Johnson, “I think the main thing that separated our coaching staff from their coaching staff was Georges actually trained with us every day. I got a feeling that Koscheck didn’t do that.”
“It definitely doesn’t hurt, the fact that [I] know him that well,” Brookins said during a conference call Thursday. “But I can’t say that it helps. It might have helped a little bit more if we were fighting the week after the semi-final fights, but since you had so much time since we left the house, you’re not really fighting that same guy that you knew. But that’s just how time goes -- you change. You’re not going in there blind. Not completely.”
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“He was one of my main training partners on the team. I loved working with Jonathan. We competed a lot in the training room. He made me a better fighter during the course of the season,” Johnson said.
“It helps because I do know some of his strengths. I know to watch
out for certain things. Also, it might hurt, because he’s not gonna
be that same fighter come Saturday night, and neither am I. It’s
going to be exciting to see what new things we’re going to bring to
the table.”
Brookins defeated Ran Weathers, Sevak Magakian, Sako Chivitchyan and Kyle Watson to earn his spot in the final bout, while Johnson was victorious over Pablo Garza, Aaron Wilkinson, Alex Caceres and Nam Phan.
After taping for the show wrapped, Brookins returned to training at the Gracie Barra Orlando gym. Johnson, however, spent some time working out at his home in Springfield, Mo., before heading to Albuquerque, N.M., to get some instruction from Greg Jackson’s and Mike Winkeljohn’s Jackson’s Mixed Martial Arts. There, Johnson sparred with UFC fighters such as Diego Sanchez, Carlos Condit, Clay Guida and Donald Cerrone.
“I think it’s helped me out as a fighter and gotten me well prepared,” Johnson said.
Brookins has the advantage when it comes to fighting big-time opponents, having lost to Jose Aldo by third-round technical knockout at WEC 36 in 2008. Brookins, who has also competed in Bellator, took the loss as a learning experience.
“I felt really prepared. I felt like it was a great fight for me. I felt like I had a great chance, and I was really excited about it,” he recalled.
“There were just certain things going on in the fight that I wasn’t prepared for. Ultimately, it taught me some incredible lessons in the sport. Immediately after the loss, it didn’t take me long to come to the conclusion that I was thankful for the things that [Aldo] introduced me to.”
Brookins was released by the WEC after that bout. Having previous fights as a featherweight gives the Florida-based more options now that the UFC and WEC have merged. Brookins said that his decision to compete at either 145 or 155 pounds could be made on a fight-by-fight basis.
“I’m just gonna go by the fights where they need me. If there’s a good fight at ‘45 and they call me up...I’m gonna be there. If there’s a fight at ‘55...I’ll be there. It’s nice to be able to go to both weight classes,” he said.
Johnson, who has won four of his last five fights, said it was his most recent loss -- a submission defeat to Bellator veteran Eric Marriott in May 2009 -- that gave him the motivation to reach his current level of success.
“I made a lot more sacrifices. I started taking my training a lot more serious and actually focusing on my goal at hand. [I stopped] letting in the things that stopped me from doing what I had to do or any distractions,” he said.
Johnson utilized a similar determination when trying out for “The Ultimate Fighter.” After being passed over for the eighth and ninth seasons, the Springfield Fight Club product persevered and finally made the cut for the show’s most recent installment.
“I think it was almost like a blessing in disguise that I didn’t make Season 8 and Season 9. Season 12, I’m in the finale against a great fighter...I had the best coach, one of the best fighters in the world -- Georges St. Pierre -- so the timing couldn’t be any more perfect.”
Reflecting on their time spent filming the show, both fighters were grateful to be part of St. Pierre's diverse team. By the end of the season, many of the members of Josh Koschek's squad were complaining about the lack of quality coaching.
“You almost didn’t want to brag to the other team, but you almost had something to brag about,” Brookins said. “You could tell kind of quick that we were getting a better coaching staff than the other team.”
Added Johnson, “I think the main thing that separated our coaching staff from their coaching staff was Georges actually trained with us every day. I got a feeling that Koscheck didn’t do that.”
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