Eliminated Eddie Gordon enjoyed 'TUF 25: Redemption' more than the season he won

Eddie Gordon won’t be the first two-time winner in the history of “The Ultimate Fighter” after being eliminated in his opening-round fight of the reality series’ 25th season. However, he said he’s content with that.

After his “TUF 19” season championship was followed by three consecutive UFC losses, which resulted in his release, Gordon was recruited for this year’s “Redemption” season, which brought back cast members for a second chance.

Gordon (8-4 MMA, 1-3 UFC), who was Team Garbrandt’s third pick, suffered a first-round submission to Team Dillashaw’s Tom Gallicchio (19-9 MMA, 0-0 UFC) in the recently aired second episode. It was a disappointing outcome after Gordon ran the table in his first “TUF” tournament showcase. However, because of the coaches and cast members around him, Gordon said he better enjoyed the overall experience of his second stint.

“We fight, but it’s not the end of the world,” Gordon told MMAjunkie. “I tell these guys it’s going to be a short period of our lives. But we have to enjoy the process. For me, the relationships we built this season were second to none. It sounds crazy, but I had a better experience this time than the first time when I won the whole thing. The amount that I grew, I feel it’s going to help me times 10 with my career.”

Although he could appreciate the experience after the fact, Gordon admitted he was disappointed following the loss to Gallicchio. “Truck” said he planned to become the first fighter to win the reality-show competition twice.

He thought he could outwork Gallicchio, who was Team Dillashaw’s No. 6 pick. Gordon tagged his opponent with some early shots on the feet, but once Gallicchio landed a takedown, the end soon followed. He climbed to Gordon’s back and secured a rear-naked choke to finish the fight in the first round.

“I thought there was no chance on the planet that Tom would have a shot in the fight, and I underestimated him,” Gordon said. “There’s no doubt in my mind. I knew the one aspect of his game – which he was elite and better than me, to be quiet honest since I’m a realist – was on the ground. The guy is a black belt and has more finishes than I have fights total. I was completely aware of it, I was just really confident there was no chance in the world he could take me down and take advantage of that aspect. It just didn’t work out that way.”

Although Gordon has been eliminated, he could have the opportunity to rejoin the tournament later in the season. Potential injuries to other fighters and the eventual wild-card bout, which gives two eliminated fighters a chance to fight their way back in the tourney, provides hope for later in the season.

Regardless, Gordon said he was content with his time on the show despite the loss. He had daily access to UFC bantamweight champ Cody Garbrandt, as well as his star-studded team of assistant coaches, including Urijah Faber and Justin Buchholz. Gordon said it was difficult to stay composed and on track through six weeks of filming, but he’s glad he did.

“Being in the house for six weeks the last time, I never had to live with someone that beat me,” Gordon said. “I never had to look at that person every single day knowing that, ‘Hey, this guy just stole my dreams, my aspirations, my vengeance, my goals.’ Now my fate was out of my hands. I had to sit there and wait for a wild card. That was really tough.

“I didn’t sulk on that. I tell everyone all the time, ‘Think positive, everything happens for a reason.’ … I had some of the best coaches in the world. They took Cody from not even being unranked to being the world champion, and I wasn’t going to let a moment pass by and not take all that knowledge from those coaches. I grew as a fighter times 10 (compared to) the first time I was in the house.”

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