I remember my first introduction to “The Ultimate Fighter” clear as day.

I was about 11 years old, sitting in my grandparent’s garage where they had a small TV across from an old couch. A commercial then came on featuring a burly, scary-looking man with a thick beard and a mouth full of gold teeth. A voice-over informed me that this man’s name was Kimbo Slice.

He was pounding his fists into his palms as if he were moments away from beating someone up.

The voice-over said that he would be fighting a man named Roy Nelson. The screen quickly cut to a video of Nelson and I couldn’t believe what I saw. 

While Kimbo resembled a bodybuilder, with six-pack abs and clearly defined muscle tone, Nelson represented the opposite. He had what I could only describe as a beer belly. 

The juxtaposition between these two men could not have been more clear, and it was enough to convince me I had to watch them fight.

A few days later I turned on the TV, only to realize their fight was preceded by an episode of reality TV featuring other MMA fighters. They played pranks on each other, smack-talked, and acted like kids. I loved it. 

By the time the actual fight happened, I forgot that that was the reason I had tuned in in the first place. 

Nelson then beat Kimbo in a shockingly uncompetitive contest, and the episode was over. But I was hooked. 

From there I went down the rabbit hole. I spent my days scouring Wikipedia to read about the UFC and its fighters and would ride my bike back and forth across town to the nearest Blockbuster so I could rent DVDs of the earliest UFC events. 

After seeing Royce Gracie dominate three of the first four UFC tournaments, I fell in love with MMA and especially jiu-jitsu.

From there, the rest is history. I essentially dedicated my life to martial arts and I never looked back. Regardless of what was going on in my personal life, I always made time to train. 

Flash forward to today and that hasn’t changed. I’m still as passionate and dedicated to grappling as I ever have been, and I love every day of my life because I get to be involved in the best sport in the world. 

But a few months ago, something unexpected happened. I received a call explaining that the UFC wanted to do a version of “The Ultimate Fighter” but for jiu-jitsu. And they wanted me to be a part of it. 

I couldn’t believe it. 

After all, it felt like just yesterday I was sitting in my grandparent’s garage watching that early season of TUF. 

To me, this was a no-brainer. I had to do it.

I had a vision of giving people what TUF had given me all those years ago: a sense of wonder over a sport that I had very little prior knowledge of. 

If I could show people how cool, fun, and exciting jiu-jitsu could be, I could potentially help push the sport to the next level. 

Getting to Vegas

When I arrived in Vegas to begin filming the show, I had no idea what to expect. 

I’ve never had cameras follow me before, and I worried that the mental stress of being constantly monitored while preparing for a competition would be too much for me.

After a few days of getting settled in, the filming began. 

Many of the other grapplers on the show I knew, but some I didn’t. Lucky for me, everyone showed each other respect and we all got along well. 

On the third day of being there, teams were picked, and the first-round matches were announced. 

My opponent would be Isaac Doerderlein. 

Immediately, I realized I had been given a very tough first match. 

Isaac is one of only five Americans to ever win the IBJJF World Championships in the gi. He had never done a no-gi event at the black belt level, and so I felt he was being underestimated by many. But to me, his skills and experience represented a significant challenge. 

But I was determined to win, and I was focused on making my way through the bracket to the finals, where I would be crowned UFC BJJ Champion.

Filming a Reality Show

We were all thinking about the competition, but we had to set those feelings aside because first we had to film the show. 

The week of filming was very fun. All we did was train, hang out, and do various activities that the production team had planned. 

I enjoyed that part of the week. I was physically and mentally fatigued, but getting to know all of the other athletes and coaches was a treat. I got a lot of value from hearing about their experiences. 

Having cameras around me was certainly something I had to get used to, but after a while, I didn’t notice them. 

The Competition

On the last day of filming, we competed.

I’ve competed thousands of times in my life, but this one was a first for me. On top of the actual competition, we had to film various shots of B-roll and follow cues related to the production of the show. Usually, I’m left to my own devices when it comes to competing, so having to follow a checklist of items before competing was certainly a new experience. 

But before I knew it, I was walking into the UFC Apex to compete inside what I’ve since heard referred to as “The Octobowl,” which was essentially a mat space shaped like an octagon, but with rounded corners. I felt this was a very cool and unique environment to compete in.

Isaac and I slapped hands, and then we went to war. 

The match played out similar to how I thought it would, with Isaac pulling guard and me playing top position. Isaac won the first round based on his guard work and leg attacks, and I won the second round with a couple of guard passes and an attempt at a darce choke. 

It all came down to the third round. Isaac entered my legs several times and attempted tight footlocks. I countered several of his attempts with deep inside heel hooks, but he refused to tap. 

We then went to the judge’s scorecards, and I lost two rounds to one. 

I was devastated. I felt I had let one of the biggest opportunities of my career slip between my fingers. I had a chance to make history and I blew it. 

The Aftermath 

I left Vegas with my tail between my legs and nothing to show for my efforts. 

But after sulking for a few days, I looked back very positively on my experience. I took part in a show that could potentially amplify the reach of this sport, I had what I can only call a once-in-a-lifetime experience to live out a childhood dream, and I fought with my heart on my sleeve. 

On top of all that, I left the show more motivated than ever. 

Since we filmed, I've put massive amounts of time and effort into improving my weaknesses. 

More cardio, more specific training, film study, and drill work designed to make sure I don’t make the same mistakes twice. I believe that these adjustments will pay dividends over time and I have the show to thank for inspiring them.

I’ve also felt a fairly positive reception from fans after the show aired on YouTube.

I’ve picked up a few hundred new Instagram followers and more messages than I could respond to in a reasonable timeframe. 

I’m happy to know that the show has been received positively, and I’m pleased with the effort that the UFC is putting into promoting the sport. 

Whatever your views are on the UFC as a business, you can’t deny that having their marketing machine pumping out jiu-jitsu content will only get more and more eyeballs on the sport. 

All in all, I’m very happy that I was a small part of something I truly do believe will have lasting effects on the grappling world. Any step we can take to help grow this sport is a step in the right direction, and I think this was just that. 

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