But what do you do when you run into an old buddy who’s struggling to keep his legs after a very nasty car bomb that took the lives of three other soldiers and fifteen children? It’s hard to deal with even if you weren’t the best of friends. The simple answer-treat him the same as if it were any other day even though it’s not and never will be.

So there we were, Tommy Batboy, Tim Kennedy, and myself (Crigger the Curmudgeon) touring Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio with a handful of MMA fighters. It was the day before the UFC’s Fight for the Troops and we had the opportunity to take Shane Carwin, Anthony “Rumble” Johnson, Kris McCray, and Jared Hamman to the Center for the Intrepid on Fort Sam Houston. We were touring the fourth floor and watching wounded vets participate in a fencing class when a guy in a tattered hat hobbled over to me on crutches and said hi.

Oh. Shit.

I recognized him right away as a guy I served with in Afghanistan and in that instant the war hit home. We’d been at Bagram together in 2006 and I knew him as a smart, stand-up guy, hardcore soldier, and avid grappler. We had a mutual interest in MMA and he was one of those guys you always refer to as “a good dude,” which is damn near the best compliment a soldier can give another soldier.

It was a surreal moment, but also one that reinforces my faith in our incredible soldiers. Here he was, a broken body relegated to south Texas for almost a year, yet all he wanted was to heal up and get back to his unit at Fort Bragg. I would say it was tough for me to witness, but how hypocritical would that be? I’m not the one going through 20 surgeries to keep my legs and dealing with the loss of three comrades who never got out of the same truck alive.

Up until now I’ve been pretty lucky. I’ve been in the Army 24 years and known hundreds of soldiers, but only lost one friend to the war on terrorism. It was a black day, but when you consider the hundreds of thousands of people who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan, I’m fortunate to have only lost this one friend.

Or am I? I had no idea this guy was even wounded and when I heard his story of how it happened, I couldn’t help but wonder if there are any others out there that I don’t know about. So I immediately Googled “casualty list” and scoured it for any name I knew. Thankfully there were none, but that list doesn’t include WIAs. For all I know my close friends from way back in the day are jacked up in a hospital somewhere. So I called and emailed them. All of them.

The point? The Army is the biggest fraternity in the world. Use it to find out what’s up with your buddies. For all you know one of them is in a long-term care unit and could use a call. Or they may be wondering if you’re okay.

Outside the Warrior Transition Center

Ranger Up started sponsoring MMA fighters in 2006, but only the ones with military service under their belts. Since then we’ve sponsored over 40 guys and still maintain a steadfast policy that only veterans and active duty get our money. Check it out.

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So my boy, Jamie Yager, gets to fight Josh Bryant. Was I hoping he’d avenge my loss? Hell yes, but at the same time, I’m still in the tournament and want that victory for myself. Since I’d already fought Josh I tried to prepare Jamie and tell him that Josh was there for the long haul. Josh has the gas tank of a semi-trailer, so I wanted Jamie to concentrate on winning the rounds. Jamie looked good in the first round, but then he seemed almost lost and resorted to what he knows best – kickboxing. The problem with that strategy is he gets overextended. Josh was content to sit at home and wait for Jamie to get tired and make a mistake. Josh will eat a punch to take a punch and by doing that, he dragged Jamie into the deep water until he couldn’t handle it anymore. It wasn’t just that Jamie got tired, but he was taking licks too. Those punches pull down your energy bar quick.

When it looked like Jamie couldn’t get off the stool for the third round, Saul Soliz grabbed me and said, “get his ass up out of the stool.” They didn’t show it, but they knew we were tight and wanted me to motivate him. I told Jamie that whatever decision he made he’d have to live with. He said his neck was hurt, but I think he was also physically tired. I can tell you that I didn’t want to fight a third round against Josh either, but I got up and took my beating instead of quitting. I wish he would have gotten up, but there’s nothing we can do about it now. It’s time to reap what you sow.

Tito kept calling Yager a pussy (that word got thrown around a lot in this episode) and there really wasn’t anything I could say because Tito’s our coach, so I kept my mouth shut. What’s worse is I knew Jamie was going to get an earful from all the guys in the house that didn’t like him. Nick Ring, Hammortree, Kacey…everyone as going to give it to him and it started right away. Even while Jamie was being taken to the hospital the guys were bad mouthing him on the van ride back to the house. It was crazy, but of course, the drama wasn’t over yet.

The next day we learned that we were losing our coach, Tito Ortiz. I had mixed feelings about that. We had a week left and I wanted him to stay, but I was focused too. It didn’t really mater to me who my coach was, but at the same time I had been training with Tito for five weeks so it shook me up a little. It sucks, but what can you do? That decision was made WAY above my pay grade. When I look back on it, it might have been a good thing. Team Punishment was arguing among each other so much that maybe it was a good thing because we needed someone else to get us in order for the final week. Tito came to the house to say goodbye and you could see he was upset, so it all worked out.

Rich Franklin was named as our new coach and I have to tell you, he’s pretty cool. He’s a BIG 185-pounder, man. We rolled that evening and I learned a lot from him. He also earned a lot of respect by not dogging Tito out. That went a long way with us.

So I found out I’m fighting Josh Bryant again. Sweet! The Savage wants REVENGE! Be sure to tune in next week for that.

I’ll let you in on a secret – the producers left out a few cool things. They’re not showing what was going on in the house at this time at all. See, no one washes the dishes in the house and they pile up almost every day. So we had this game like a skeet shoot where people threw the dishes in the air and we threw rocks at them. It was fun as hell. Also Brad Tavares stole a 45-pound plate from the gym and we played water rugby with it in the pool. Good times.

I was more a lot more confident and energetic this fight. When Kyacey wasn’t able to take me down, I felt like I could control him and when he tried to open up on me, I clinched. I was a lot more mature this fight. I had way more energy and a full gas tank. I was relaxed and could have turned up The Savage at any time. It felt great to get that win.

I actually felt bad for Kyacey because he just became a new father. Actually I feel bad for everyone who loses because we’re all in it to win it, but it was my day. It was my spot in the tournament and my time to shine. He would have felt the same way if he’d won.

When they announced the quarterfinal matchups I was bummed. Noke’s my friend and I trained with him in Albuquerque at Greg Jackson’s camp. Before the announcements they called us in and asked us who we wanted to fight and who we didn’t (they didn’t show that part). I said anyone but Noke and what happened? I got Noke. It’s not that I didn’t want to fight him because he’s good. It’s because he’s a friend.

So back at the house we got to play UFC undisputed with Forrest Griffin. What a shameless plug that was, but hey, it was fun. What they didn’t show you was that one of the controllers broke so it really only lasted 40 minutes and one guy dominated the whole group – Brad Tavares. He not only beat everyone, he beat Forrest. That’s cold.

So Nick Ring says he’s hurt and can’t go on, but I tell you what. The next day he was working out doing weights and cardio. I’m like, if you’re going to take a chance on your knee like that, then take the chance in the cage. He’s a funny guy. He does what’s good for him and no one questions him., so it’s his call if he says he can’t go on

I can honestly say I saw Hammortree’s loss coming a mil away. He’s kind of one dimensional. He wants to strike with his right hand or go to ground and wrestle. Court was composed and chill and waited for Hammortree to make a mistake, which he eventually did.

So be sure to tune in next week when I get to fight Noke. It’s a barn burner.

Nick Ring is injured, Rich Attonito is injured, Hammortree is injured…my chances of getting that wildcard spot are looking better and better. Of course, that’s not the way I want to get ahead, but if no one else is able to step up and fight, then put me in coach. Nick did a good job of hiding his injury, but some of us could tell he wasn’t 100%.

This week’s episode jumped straight into the fight between Seth Bazscynski and Joe Henle. Does that tell you anything? That’s right – the fight’s going into the third round. Yet again, another fight surprised everyone. We all thought Seth would walk right through Joe. The two are on totally different levels, but if there’s one thing you have to know by now about MMA fighters, it’s never underestimate the power of ambition. Joe wanted that fight so badly that he stepped up and brought the heat. Too bad his cardio let him down.

The first round Joe escaped some serious submission attempts by Seth. First he wriggled out of a triangle and then a guillotine. Joe rained down some decent ground and pound to remind Seth him he wasn’t a pushover too. Props to that. I don’t think anyone disagrees that Joe won the first round. The second could be argued for either guy. Seth got the better of the striking and almost choked Joe out at the end of the round, so he clearly won that round and with the score 1-1, we go into the third.

On the sidelines, you could see what was coming. As a fighter, you learn to recognize what a guy in the cage is going through and we could all tell that Joe was gassing. Being on Team Punishment, I was happy. The fight count was 4-2 before this fight and if Seth could pull of the W then we’d be almost even. Sure enough, Joe gassed out and Seth got the unanimous decision.

We didn’t get to savor the win though because Dana and the coaches lined us up in the bleachers to make the wildcard announcement. I tell you what, my heart was pumping. I looked calm on TV, but I was thinking, “please just give me another chance.” When Dana announced Kacey Uscola as the first wildcard pick, my heart sunk for a moment since he’s on my team. I wasn’t sure if they’d pick Court McGee for the second spot since he was on Chuck’s team just to make it even. Then Dana announced me as the second wildcard.

Life is good.

Don’t count me out yet.

By the way, I notice no one has been commenting on my blog. Why no love, Rhino Den readers? Do I have to bribe you with free stuff? Okay, that’s not beneath me. Funniest comment on this blog gets a free shirt.

The sweatshirt incident only made things worse for him. Uscola found his sweatshirt in Jaeger’s room (which I shared with him). I don’t know if you caught it, but I told Uscola I took his sweatshirt up to the room and even after that, he still went after Jaeger. It was like he’d opened his mouth and didn’t want to go back on it, so he kept taking it further. Remember this is the same guy who went ballistic over the air horns in episode 2, so he’s a powder keg with a nitro can on top and the sweatshirt thing just made him blow. The posturing between those two really divided Team Punishment, but Tito made sure it didn’t happen during practice. There was some crazy name calling outside of practice, but once we hit the mats, the jaw jacking ended.

Now for the fights. Did Uscola’s knee hit Ritchie in the head? In person and from my angle in the stands it looked like he got hit, but when I saw it on tape, I thought it was like a Jamie Varner knee and Ritchie took a dive. Once again Uscola lost his temper and started yelling at Ritchie to get up and fight. I don’t blame him though because it could have been a good fight. Up to that point it could have gone either way. Uscola got dropped but he weathered the storm unlike Charlie who got dropped and turtled up. I knew Jaeger would win that fight, but I was impressed how he didn’t let Charlie take him down. He’s like a cat. When Charlie failed to get him off his feet, he lost the fight right there.

Did anyone catch what Chuck Liddell called Jaeger by the way? Crab Man. It’s from My Name is Earl in case you didn’t know. That was only one name for him. He got called Sideshow Bob, Buckwheat. You name it. Anything with a fro, he got it.

Don’t forget to watch next week. It’ll be my turn to fight soon enough.

Let me first say something about the people who’re bagging on Jaime Jager for rooting for Brad instead of Hammortree. Our lives don’t start when we walk into the TUF House. Jaime and Tavares have been friends for a long time. It’s hard enough to watch your boy go out into the cage and fight his heart out without a brand new team loyalty, and when he’s been your boy for years, sometimes emotion takes over and you find yourself screaming for your battle buddy. None of us fighters really saw anything crazy in it, we all knew the deal.

Kris McCray in War Eagle Flag by Ranger Up

His thing with Jamie was also kinda blown out of proportion. Jamie’s a really vocal guy and Nick prefers to handle things man to man. When you work out in the same gym all the time and you’ve been around the game for some time you get a certain flow and you have a certain way you do things. When you’re thrown into a situation like TUF, you kinda gotta re-learn some of that stuff all over again. That’s all that was up with Nick and Jamie.

The fight with Tavares and Hammortree: there really isn’t a ton to say. Both guys fought hard and it coulda gone either way. Dana is always telling us that you don’t leave it in the hands of the judges and that sort of fight is why. Both guys are tough and fought their hearts out. Hammortree didn’t lay an egg out there, he just came up short that day.

So I know we’re down 0-2 as a team and the preview shows Tito losing it on that door ala Rampage, and yeah we were all a little frustrated at this point in the show. We’re all about bunch of Alpha Dog fighters who want to win and want to put a good showing on, ya know? Tito is competitive too, but one of the things he did that was great for all of us on his team was kept us positive, even when we were down. “The wins are going to come guys,” he’d keep telling us. “Keep working hard, keep going after it day after day and the wins are going to come.” For him use getting the most out of our time on TUF and the experience we got out of it was really important to him, and we all respected him a lot for that. We all appreciated him caring as much about us growing as a fighter as the number of W’s in the win column.

Like they said at the end we got two fights coming up next week. You really don’t want to miss this one.

Fortunately Tito picked me third. Or maybe it was second. I don’t remember now. I considered myself lucky because I met him in my hometown of DC during the Ultimate Warrior Challenge when I won a fight in impressive fashion and got to party with him afterward and he seemed pretty cool. I thought he could add to my skillset, so I was pumped. I wouldn’t have been upset with being on Chuck’s team, but Tito has a different style that compliments mine, so it was all good.

As far as the other team, Chuck must know those guys personally because none of us could figure out why he picked the guys he did. All of the fighters on Team Ortiz finished their fights to get into the house, but all of Chuck’s guys didn’t. That makes as much sense as Universal Health Care. The only thing I can think is Chuck didn’t get to see much of us, but then again he’s been in the business a long time, so he should know who has the killer instinct and who doesn’t. All I could think was, Bad move, dude.

Things picked up the next day when we started training with Tito. Everything you’ve seen and heard about him being an intense guy during training are true. He’s a beast. On the second day I hurt my knee and did the typical Soldier thing – Ranger Up  and keep going so he doesn’t notice. The last thing I wanted was to show weakness and have him following me around like he did with McKinney. That poor bastard got rode hard when Tito found out he was hurt. He’s like a lion watching a weak animal fall out of a herd. The only thing going through his mind is “Steak Dinner!”

The next day Chuck announced the first fight. My first thought was, “it’s going to be a tough night for McKinney because Noke is so versatile.” He’s called KO Noke for a reason. He and I trained together at Greg Jackson’s for a few months, so I knew how dangerous he was. McKinney is on my team and all, but Noke is no joke. I’ll admit it’s kind of cool when you’re not picked to fight because you know you’re not on the hook and you can relax for a little while longer. Even though it’s just temporary. You gotta fight someday.

My roomate back at the house was Jamie Yager. Now, I like Jamey and Brad Tavares, but they didn’t get along with everyone because they’re very…vocal. I’m not a fan of stuff like that “Brown Pride” that Tavares was throwing around, either. Still they’re good guys and the air horn thing was funny. It was Yager’s idea. We were leaving the gym after practice and he saw some air horns sitting in an office. He grabbed them and we decided to play a prank and wake the house up in the middle of the night. I didn’t think Kyacey Uscola would get so pissed, but he really was off the deep end when we started blasting them. Uscola said if anyone fucks with his sleep they would pay with their lives. To me it was funny. I’ve had brothers who made hollow threats like that, so I didn’t take him seriously.

The next day was fight day and I knew McKinney was going to be in trouble. He just didn’t look right. He’s a talented fighter, but Noke was clicking that day. When McKinney got caught in the triangle, he should have let Noke back up. Instead he tried to punch his way out and got deeper in trouble and had no choice but to tap out. They tell me that losing a fight is an emotional experience (I don’t know, I’ve never lost), so it’s understandable that McKinney was pissed when Tito insisted on making a teaching point out of his mistake. But I think Tito was right to say, “let’s talk about what he did wrong.” That was the right thing to do. It showed Tito cares and he really wants to see us succeed by teaching us the right way while it’s still fresh in our minds.

The Liddell piñata? Fricking hilarious. It was Tito’s birthday and he wanted to have a little fun and to be honest we needed it, even if it was just the first week. Was I scrambling after those dollar bills? Yes. Yes I was. I was hoping for a twenty or something, but it was all singles like he was going to take us to a strip bar or something so we all got a little excited. I ended with something like 38 bucks and a van ride back to the house.

Did anything happen that didn’t get shown? Well, I did a back flip in the pool the first day. They didn’t show that, which I don’t understand. That’s good TV.

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This report is exclusive to Ranger Up from our friend Tommy Waterworth (or T-Wat as we like to call him).

We at Ranger Up like to get the most out of our money. Hell, we’re Americans. We bitch when our coffee is cold and our beer is warm, which is why we’ll never move to England. So we’re getting a little aggravated at one of our fighters because, well, he isn’t getting us our money’s worth. We pay Kris McCray to wear our shirt during his walk in and victory speeches and our name across his butt during his fights. But his fights don’t last more than a frickin minute! Ranger Up has sponsored Kris McCray in three of his four professional fights, but they seem to be getting shorter and none have gone past the first round. He’s in and out of the ring so fast, fans only see “RUP” before he’s celebrating back in the dressing room. How is this cost effective?

Okay, so I’m kidding. We love the fact that Kris walks into a cage, destroys someone, and walks out after a humble acceptance speech. He’s a microcosm of the American military – walk in, kick ass, walk out, drink a beer and tell stories with dad. McCray brought the scunyon, defeating his toughest opponent yet in Igor Almeida in just 39 seconds. Almeida was undefeated in 5 fights until McCray showed the handspeed of a young Phil Baroni and knocked him into the arms of stranger-Big John McCarthy. McCray pummeled Almeida on his feet with a relentless barrage of heavy hands and forced Big John to step in to avoid potential brain damage. There’s no doubt McCray is for real. He’s made it through The Ultimate Fighter tryouts twice only to be told the UFC changed gears and brought in heavyweights or lightweights. He’s upped his game by training with Greg Jackson. He won nine amateur fights and now he’s won his fourth professional fight in the first round.

Big Ranger Up kudos to him and The Ultimate Warrior Challenge for putting on another great show and supporting the troops by shelling out 450 free tickets for local soldiers. With 5180 total fans and some very good fights, the UWC proved once again that it’s the best MMA show on the east coast. If you didn’t catch the Dodson-Runez fight (streamed on Sherdog), go check it out. It was one of the best fights of the year.