'TUF 21: ATT vs. Blackzilians' blog: Michael Graves on episode No. 6

Michael Graves

Hey, everybody! Thank you, once again, for checking out this installment of my weekly blog for “The Ultimate Fighter 21: American Top Team vs. Blackzilians.” I really appreciate your interest in me and this season!

After filming ended earlier this year in South Florida and before this season began to air, I wasn’t exactly looking forward to seeing the first few episodes on TV. Actually, that’s an understatement. If it wasn’t for this blog, I’d have gone out of my way to not watch it – at least not the first few episodes.

Suffering your first loss would be horrible enough if it was on the regional circuit, with just a handful of local guests there to see it happen. I was very fortunate to go unbeaten for so long, as both an amateur and a professional, but that just set me up, really, to fall short on the biggest stage of the sport, with millions of viewers around the world honed in on my well-publicized shortcoming.

That was bad.

But, really, it was just as painful, if not more so, to watch my teammates fall short in their bouts. I’ve been teammates with most of my American Top Team cast members since I relocated from Georgia to Florida several years ago to pursue MMA as a career.

I know how hard everyone trains at American Top Team. And I know everyone, from our highest-level UFC fighters to our early-level fighters, expects to win each and every single time they step into action. That’s drilled into us American Top Team fighters early and often, to say the very least. For the first few episodes, almost nothing went according to plan and it was painful to be a part of.

Of course, most importantly, there was also my longtime friend and partner in crime Steve Montgomery’s very frightening health scare, which really shook some of my cast members and really put things in perspective.

No, the first few episodes weren’t kind to American Top Team.

The way the show has been presented is stunning. I’ve heard a lot of people say it’s the most intriguing season yet. But it has been quite painful at times to relive a number of experiences that I’d much rather forget.

But one experience that I’d like to relive over and over again is when my teammate Hayder Hassan, who is as dangerous as they come, did what he does best last week, scoring a heart-stopping, first-round KO in his long-awaited UFC debut.

Like I’ve said in the past, Hayder embodies everything American Top Team is all about, from his work ethic to his attitude to his fighting style to the way he carries himself inside and outside the octagon.

This season, at times, has been painful. But I’ve been smiling quite a bit the past week, and that all goes back to my man Hayder making a major statement in his long-awaited UFC debut. I don’t think there’s anybody who deserves to taste that kind of success as much as Hayder, and I couldn’t be happier for him.

After I left the “TUF” house, I went home to Georgia for a few weeks. I came back to Florida just recently to resume training with the best team in the world. And the fact that my return to American Top Team lines up with Hayder’s stunning victory has lit a new fire under me, and I’m just ready to get after it.

Since I left the house, I’ve been training harder than I ever was before, especially in terms of strength and conditioning, and this past week has made me so much more excited to step back into the cage and once again represent American Top Team, the best academy in the world.

It would’ve been very tough for this week’s action to live up to Hayder’s fight last week. And unfortunately it didn’t.

Marcelo “Grilo” Alfaya is a true veteran of the game – he’s been fighting since I was in elementary school, I believe – and he’s and a major part of American Top Team. He’s shared the cage with guys like Jon Fitch, Jake Ellenberger and Luiz Cane and has fought for Bellator MMA and WSOF.

He’s very talented and a very, very dangerous fighter. But last night wasn’t his night and he didn’t fight his fight, falling short to Jason Jackson in a decision.

There are few things that I can think of that are more heartbreaking than watching a teammate fall short, especially on the biggest stage of the sport. But, as hard as it is to watch that happen, I’m still moving forward. I’m hungrier than ever to get back in the cage and move that much closer to achieving my dreams in this sport.

This is only the beginning.

Thank you again for checking out my latest blog, and I hope you tune in for the rest of the season, because there are a lot of great fights left to enjoy!

Also see:

• ‘TUF 21: ATT vs. Blackzilians’ blog: Michael Graves on episode No. 5
• ‘TUF 21: ATT vs. Blackzilians’ blog: Michael Graves on episode No. 4
• ‘TUF 21: ATT vs. Blackzilians’ blog: Michael Graves on episode No. 3
• ‘TUF 21: ATT vs. Blackzilians’ blog: Michael Graves on episode No. 2
• ‘TUF 21: ATT vs. Blackzilians’ blog: Michael Graves on episode No. 1

Michael Graves (4-0), an American Top Team fighter on “The Ultimate Fighter 21,” blogs about the season each week exclusively for MMAjunkie. Follow him on Twitter at @gravesmma.

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ATT and Blackzilian fighters discuss their rivalry:

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