I lost. It sucks, but hold that thought.
First let’s talk about Clayton McKinney. He went and got his shoulder operated on, proving to everyone in the house that he really was injured and not faking it. We all felt a little bad about it until he did something I couldn’t believe. Tito Ortiz made a point of apologizing about riding his ass and doubting McKinney. He Rangered Up, shook his hand, and said he was sorry. So what did McKinney do? Flipped Tito off as soon as he tuned his back. Douchebag. Any remorse I felt for McKinney was instantly gone. That’s like flipping off a Drill Sergeant after he does push-ups for you in front of the Platoon. It’s straight up disrespect.
Now on to the fight. Did the producers make Josh look like the lovable hero and me look like a ghetto chump? Yeah, but you know what? They didn’t have a choice. Josh is the nicest guy in the house and there’s nothing about him not to like. I respected his skill going into the fight, but I respected him as a person too. When other guys were talking crap or doing something stupid, Josh was writing in his journal and keeping to himself.
Despite his hero status (and apparently my villain status), I knew I could beat him and keep rolling through the rest of the house. When the fight started I dominated it. I was getting my strikes in and taking him down. In the middle of the first round, I got his back and knew the fight was over. I thought for sure I had the rear naked choke or armbar, but I got in a hurry and didn’t get myself set before trying the submissions. That’s a rookie mistake that you aspiring fighters need to remember. I should have chilled, listened to my corner, and set it up. Instead I went for broke and he got up.
When the second round started all I could think was, “Damn I’m tired.” I don’t normally gas out and after only five minutes I was exhausted. It must be something about that facility in Vegas because it’s happened to other guys too. My legs felt heavy, my breathing was deeper than James Cameron’s pockets, and my arms needed Viagra to stay up. The five pounds of hair on my head didn’t help either (I begged the UFC to bring in a barber or I would cut it off myself and they kept stalling on me until the last week of filming). I looked like Sanjaya or Jimmy Neutron.
Anyway, it was a boring fight and I apologize, but some good came out of it. I took some hard shots and fought off some serious submission attempts. I went the distance with a tough guy and came out a better fighter. I gave it my all and didn’t quit.
If there’s one thing that I wish they would have shown it’s the post-fight pep talk in the locker room. Tito’s a master at picking you up when you’re down and after my fight, he really got the team pumped back up.
Don’t stop watching the show just because I lost. There’s still the wild card hanging out there and only me, Uscola, and Hammortree are healthy enough to claim it…for now. Someone’s getting hurt in the next episode.
Well told and great lesson about respect and keeping your head on straight after a loss. Semper Fi, Hank