Hi, MMAjunkie readers. My name is Michael Graves, and I’m an American Top Team competitor on this season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” which debuts tonight on FOX Sports 1 at 10 p.m. ET (7 p.m. PT).
It’s cliché at this point, but I was introduced to “TUF” more than a decade ago, back in 2005, with Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar’s three-round war for the ages.
I’ve since gone unbeaten through nine amateur fights and four pro bouts, with all of my wins coming via stoppage. But back during that first season of “TUF,” I was a 14-year-old wrestler.
Like a lot of people, I think, I honestly didn’t think there was too much skill involved in MMA when I was first introduced to the sport. But as I began to experiment more and more with martial arts, and watched more and more fights, I realized that couldn’t be further from the truth.
I’ve been a fan of MMA for a very long time. And, for just as long, I’ve been a fan of “TUF.”
But, like anything, you get less interested in something when it’s more or less the same for so long. So, I was a big fan of the UFC’s recent decision to highlight women’s MMA with the show — a big change-up from past seasons.
But this season, which pits my home gym, American Top Team, against our South Florida rival Blackzilians camp, it takes it to a whole new level.
For those unaware, this is a very real rivalry — an old and heated, cross-generational rivalry that I like to compare to a clan war, of sorts. Dan Lambert and Glenn Robinson don’t get along, a lot of the coaches don’t seem to get along, and the rivalry is definitely real among fighters like me, who are on the come-up and looking to climb that ladder in the sport.
Rivalries among MMA academies are common, like they are with teams, cities, states and countries in other sports. But this is a rivalry that is very intense, and definitely felt by all those involved.
That will be very clear, right from the very first episode of “TUF 21.”
This debut episode is going to introduce that rivalry to viewers, and provide more context to where we’re coming from — and the season just takes off from there.
When I heard that this season would be contested between ATT and the Blackzilians, I thought it would be very interesting and very different than past seasons — and I was definitely right on both counts.
I’m really blessed and honored to have the opportunity to be a part of this season, and I’m really excited to share the experience with all the fans out there — especially fans that might not yet be aware of how real our gym-to-gym rivalry is.
You don’t want to miss this season; you don’t even want to miss a single episode. And I’ll be here each week to share my thoughts from all the episodes.
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.
* * * *
ATT and Blackzilian fighters discuss their rivalry:
view original article >>