Team Australia blog: Chris Indich on 'TUF Nations,' episode No. 9

Guys, sorry I have been MIA the last couple of blogs. Unfortunately, I’ve been busy sorting out some things.

Well, how was that last week? WOW, what a performance by Vik Grujic against Luke Harris. It was such a great performance. Vik just came out ready to scrap, and Luke’s head still appeared in the grandstands.

Even though it was just a recap, I really enjoyed this episode. It was great to get a look back and review all the elimination fights seeing that all of the fights other than the semis are done (which sees three of the Aussies involved between the two divisions, which is good – although, of course, more would have been better). Even though it means Aussies have to fight each other, I would have loved to have seen a clean sweep, but hey, that’s it. In both sports and fighting, sometimes it’s just not your day, and for some of us, that was definitely the case.

It was actually a good reminder to see something as simple as the coin toss again. In this format of show, where controlling the matchups is such a big advantage for the team that has it, this is a big moment. The guys on the team with control can relax a bit, knowing for sure whether they are fighting or not. Those guys not fighting get to relax on their weight for a couple of weeks, and just not be tense or whatever. Even though the initial coin toss would have given us control of the first fight only, who knows how that could have changed the whole dynamic of both tournaments. But let’s not play the “what if” game.

It was good to see some insight and commentary from Kyle Noke and Patrick Cote on their thoughts on each fight and how they saw each bout. I thank coach Kyle for his good words during his commentary – even Patrick, for that matter.

That house. Though I do miss it a touch at times, when I see that kitchen, I think, “Hell, no.”

To see myself fight again was interesting, but now I see it as more of a tool to learn from and see where I went wrong and where I can improve. While it is always hard to take a loss, you really do get a good blueprint to see what you need to work on or improve so that you don’t end up with a black eye. Ha!

The hockey game was an awesome treat. For us to go watch the Candian hockey team vs. the Tampa Bay Lightning was pretty cool, I think. For me and most of the other Aussie guys, this was our first hockey game to watch live, ever! Also, we were lucky enough to be given a box to watch the game, which was again so good. Quality seats and service. What’s not to like? It’s clear to see from my attempt at commentating the game, I knew not much about ice hockey other than “get the puck in the net.” Maybe a part-time gig as a commentator will require some practice. I was cheering for Tampa Bay to buck the trend.

Love a bit of Izzy Style’s wrestling. As a coach, he is a great motivator and excellent trainer.

So there you have it. We have three Australians in the semis, and these fights coming up are going to be great to watch.

Thanks to my sponsors for the ongoing support: Round Table Roofing Pty., Airborn Amusements, Bodywork integration and Toys Collective clothing.

“TUF Nations” cast member Chris Indich (5-1) blogs each week exclusively for MMAjunkie. The Team Australia welterweight takes readers behind the scenes of the FOX Sports 1-broadcast series, which airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET. Australian fans can watch the show every Thursday on FX at 4:30 p.m. AEDT. Catch Johnson on Twitter at @IndichMMA, at his site www.chrisindich.com, or check out his Facebook fan page.