Each week on MMAFighting.com, UFC middleweight Tim Credeur will share his journal of his experiences as one of sixteen fighters on "The Ultimate Fighter 7" competing for a UFC contract.
"Crazy" Tim Credeur's The Ultimate Fighter 7 Journal - Episode 1 & 2
This blog is going to be very different than any of the other blog's from the show. During the show I kept a day-to-day personal journey about my experiences on the show. It is very personal but will give you insight into the mind and feelings of a fighter going through this very difficult process that we have come to know and love as the Ultimate Fighter.
Day 1
I am taken to the Palace Station Casino and everything is shrouded in mystery as usual. I did not even see one other contestant and then I was sequestered to my room. Immediately after I was picked up from the airport and I was taken to the UFC gym to weigh-in. I came in at 188 and I felt great. In my hotel room there was a huge bag of Tapout gear for me to wear. I was told that I could not leave my room under any circumstances and that I would be picked up at 10:30am the next morning. I got my last phone call to my wife Mamie and at the same time that it broke my heart it really inspired me to fight hard for her more than for anything else. They also took all of my money, cell phone and unacceptable clothing. I had an exciting yet difficult night of sleep.
Day 2
I was escorted to the van at about 11am. I recognized a few of the guys in the van and I made a total of eight. We went straight to the UFC gym and waited a while as the other van of 8 showed up, then another van of eight and then another van of eight. We were all pretty much freaked out looking at 32 of us in the gym. Dana [White] got there and made everything real clear as he always does with just one phrase "Your fighting to get on this show boys." Dana said he was sick of the fight posers and was looking for real guys ready to fight and to make that happen we would show our skills in the cage not on a resume. "The next 48 hours will be the most important 48 hours of your life," Dana said, and honestly he was right. We were told that weigh-ins would be tomorrow and we would be fighting the next day. Dana paired everyone up and I was paired up with the most experienced fighter of the 32 in Boston's own Eric Charles who had a legit 10-5 record. It was a really good match up for me and I was excited about the fight. I left the gym at about 195 and I think the 9-pound cut is going to be pretty easy. I am going to go train at the gym tonight and hopefully get to around 188 or lower so that tomorrow's final cut is a breeze. I don't really know what to say because I have worked for this for so long and I am here now and I am so excited. I pray that my opponent is safe and protected but at the same time I will be doing my job for my family, my friends and for Louisiana.
Day 3
I showed up at the UFC training center and weighed in at about 193, I guess I just floated the weight. It is really weird with my body and weight cutting now. It is almost getting to the point now that I can will my body to lose weight. I did a couple rounds on the jump rope and about 20 minutes on the bike. I asked Forrest's Muay Thai coach Mark Beecher to hold pads for me and he did. The guy is really really good. He did about 3 rounds with me at a pretty good pace and I was actually pretty stoked to do some Thai pads after all the boxing pad work that I have been doing. I really liked the guy's style and I think he was mildly impressed with me as well. I think they may have thought I was just a straight BJJ guy but then realized quickly that I was not. I put on my sauna suit and all my clothes after and I did about 20 minutes on the treadmill and 20 minutes on the dyna-bike. I was chillin' with Gerald Harris from Team Quest. I love that guy. He has 2 kids and is still fighting for the dream; it is guys like him that really inspire me to compete.
I left the gym at about 189 and just hardcore'd it through to the next day. I slept really sound and woke up at 7am and went back to the gym and was down to 186.5. I was pretty relieved to know that I had very little left to do to get to weight. I did a couple rounds on the jump rope and then about 10 minutes on the treadmill. I was at weight easy and I felt great. I usually look really bad at 185 but because of my training I looked and felt great. I went back to the hotel and rested until 11:30 and then we returned to the gym.
The doctor made a big deal about my arm and was just amazed that I was able to compete at this level with it. I made weight easy at 185 and then I began to get excited. I squared up with Eric Charles and I saw a lot of fear in his eyes. I wish all the best but I am coming like a freight train and he cannot stop me, not now, not ever. Back in the room I am enjoying eating and re-hydrating myself. I am really excited about tomorrow. I miss Mamie and I can feel the pain of not having her in my chest. I think sometimes when you have been with someone for so long and for so much time you forget about life without them. I feel it and I hate it. I love her so much. Today I signed my first bout agreement with the UFC and it stated that I am getting paid $0 for my fight. I never thought that after all these years of training and fighting that I would finally make it here only to fight for free. It is actually pretty ironic.
Day 4
I woke up pretty early and I was very excited. My nerves were obviously there but I had trained so hard and so long that I just knew that there was nothing else I could have done to prepare for the fight. I felt great and I knew that everything was falling into place. I just felt like it was my time and I was ready to show what I have been training to do for most of my life. Eric just got a bad match-up and I was going to destroy him, I knew it. I got to the gym and it was just electric. I was actually going to fight in front of 32 of the best guys in my weight class as well as Rampage, Forrest and Dana White plus it was in front of so many cameras. I remember fighting Chael [Sonnen] in Bodog Fight in front of the cameras and I did not perform to my potential, I was just not going to ever let that happen this time.
The fights started at noon and they were going pretty quick. My game plan was easy: take him down and tap him now. I knew Eric was 10-5 and most of his wins were via knockout. Fighting to get into the house was for real. The guys who lost were going home. I could not stand to go home and call my wife and tell her to come get me after only three days, no way. I have sacrificed so much to be here and so has Mamie and there was just no way I could stand to see her face. The fights were wars. Guys were getting KO'd and submitted left and right.
I had the guys from Team Forrest in my corner and they really went above and beyond. I came to the cage and I just felt it. When they called it I was amped. We came out to the center and we flurried a little bit, I saw an opening and I shot and pinned him on the fence and then I hit a switch on him and took him straight down to his guard. I threw a couple punches and then passed immediately to side mount. He gave me the far arm and I spun into Armlock 7. He held a little and I hit him and took the armbar and it popped a little.
The fight was over in less than a minute. It was just surreal, I got props from some of my heroes and I made it into the house, I was just elated. After the rest of the fights Dana gave us the speech and told us we were all pretty bad dudes. I was very proud to be there. We went to the house and it was just amazing. I am in a huge room with 7 guys in it. We have a fireplace, a huge tub and an amazing marble shower. We are all getting along great together and it going to get tough having to fight one another. Tomorrow we are going to pick teams and have a late training session and then the next day is a media day, which will be really crazy. One fight down and three more fights to go. Wow what an experience. I am truly blessed to have this opportunity.
This blog is my personal opinions and personal experience from the show. I cannot speak for anyone else but this is how Tim Credeur see's it so enjoy it. If you have any questions concerns of comments please hit me up on www.myspace.com/crazytimbjj or crazytimbjj@yahoo.com.
Don't miss the party every Wednesday night at City Bar Downtown. Please attend if you can it will be a great time to support your local UFC fighter and I am down to earth and cool so feel free to come introduce yourself and ask me any questions you have or discuss fights. I am the guy that looks like a wilder beast. I will also be selling the new "Crazy" Tim T-shirts that you can view on my myspace page. Until next week keep on fighting.
"Crazy" Tim Credeur's The Ultimate Fighter 7 Journal - Episode 1 & 2
This blog is going to be very different than any of the other blog's from the show. During the show I kept a day-to-day personal journey about my experiences on the show. It is very personal but will give you insight into the mind and feelings of a fighter going through this very difficult process that we have come to know and love as the Ultimate Fighter.
Day 1
I am taken to the Palace Station Casino and everything is shrouded in mystery as usual. I did not even see one other contestant and then I was sequestered to my room. Immediately after I was picked up from the airport and I was taken to the UFC gym to weigh-in. I came in at 188 and I felt great. In my hotel room there was a huge bag of Tapout gear for me to wear. I was told that I could not leave my room under any circumstances and that I would be picked up at 10:30am the next morning. I got my last phone call to my wife Mamie and at the same time that it broke my heart it really inspired me to fight hard for her more than for anything else. They also took all of my money, cell phone and unacceptable clothing. I had an exciting yet difficult night of sleep.
Day 2
I was escorted to the van at about 11am. I recognized a few of the guys in the van and I made a total of eight. We went straight to the UFC gym and waited a while as the other van of 8 showed up, then another van of eight and then another van of eight. We were all pretty much freaked out looking at 32 of us in the gym. Dana [White] got there and made everything real clear as he always does with just one phrase "Your fighting to get on this show boys." Dana said he was sick of the fight posers and was looking for real guys ready to fight and to make that happen we would show our skills in the cage not on a resume. "The next 48 hours will be the most important 48 hours of your life," Dana said, and honestly he was right. We were told that weigh-ins would be tomorrow and we would be fighting the next day. Dana paired everyone up and I was paired up with the most experienced fighter of the 32 in Boston's own Eric Charles who had a legit 10-5 record. It was a really good match up for me and I was excited about the fight. I left the gym at about 195 and I think the 9-pound cut is going to be pretty easy. I am going to go train at the gym tonight and hopefully get to around 188 or lower so that tomorrow's final cut is a breeze. I don't really know what to say because I have worked for this for so long and I am here now and I am so excited. I pray that my opponent is safe and protected but at the same time I will be doing my job for my family, my friends and for Louisiana.
Day 3
I showed up at the UFC training center and weighed in at about 193, I guess I just floated the weight. It is really weird with my body and weight cutting now. It is almost getting to the point now that I can will my body to lose weight. I did a couple rounds on the jump rope and about 20 minutes on the bike. I asked Forrest's Muay Thai coach Mark Beecher to hold pads for me and he did. The guy is really really good. He did about 3 rounds with me at a pretty good pace and I was actually pretty stoked to do some Thai pads after all the boxing pad work that I have been doing. I really liked the guy's style and I think he was mildly impressed with me as well. I think they may have thought I was just a straight BJJ guy but then realized quickly that I was not. I put on my sauna suit and all my clothes after and I did about 20 minutes on the treadmill and 20 minutes on the dyna-bike. I was chillin' with Gerald Harris from Team Quest. I love that guy. He has 2 kids and is still fighting for the dream; it is guys like him that really inspire me to compete.
I left the gym at about 189 and just hardcore'd it through to the next day. I slept really sound and woke up at 7am and went back to the gym and was down to 186.5. I was pretty relieved to know that I had very little left to do to get to weight. I did a couple rounds on the jump rope and then about 10 minutes on the treadmill. I was at weight easy and I felt great. I usually look really bad at 185 but because of my training I looked and felt great. I went back to the hotel and rested until 11:30 and then we returned to the gym.
The doctor made a big deal about my arm and was just amazed that I was able to compete at this level with it. I made weight easy at 185 and then I began to get excited. I squared up with Eric Charles and I saw a lot of fear in his eyes. I wish all the best but I am coming like a freight train and he cannot stop me, not now, not ever. Back in the room I am enjoying eating and re-hydrating myself. I am really excited about tomorrow. I miss Mamie and I can feel the pain of not having her in my chest. I think sometimes when you have been with someone for so long and for so much time you forget about life without them. I feel it and I hate it. I love her so much. Today I signed my first bout agreement with the UFC and it stated that I am getting paid $0 for my fight. I never thought that after all these years of training and fighting that I would finally make it here only to fight for free. It is actually pretty ironic.
Day 4
I woke up pretty early and I was very excited. My nerves were obviously there but I had trained so hard and so long that I just knew that there was nothing else I could have done to prepare for the fight. I felt great and I knew that everything was falling into place. I just felt like it was my time and I was ready to show what I have been training to do for most of my life. Eric just got a bad match-up and I was going to destroy him, I knew it. I got to the gym and it was just electric. I was actually going to fight in front of 32 of the best guys in my weight class as well as Rampage, Forrest and Dana White plus it was in front of so many cameras. I remember fighting Chael [Sonnen] in Bodog Fight in front of the cameras and I did not perform to my potential, I was just not going to ever let that happen this time.
The fights started at noon and they were going pretty quick. My game plan was easy: take him down and tap him now. I knew Eric was 10-5 and most of his wins were via knockout. Fighting to get into the house was for real. The guys who lost were going home. I could not stand to go home and call my wife and tell her to come get me after only three days, no way. I have sacrificed so much to be here and so has Mamie and there was just no way I could stand to see her face. The fights were wars. Guys were getting KO'd and submitted left and right.
I had the guys from Team Forrest in my corner and they really went above and beyond. I came to the cage and I just felt it. When they called it I was amped. We came out to the center and we flurried a little bit, I saw an opening and I shot and pinned him on the fence and then I hit a switch on him and took him straight down to his guard. I threw a couple punches and then passed immediately to side mount. He gave me the far arm and I spun into Armlock 7. He held a little and I hit him and took the armbar and it popped a little.
The fight was over in less than a minute. It was just surreal, I got props from some of my heroes and I made it into the house, I was just elated. After the rest of the fights Dana gave us the speech and told us we were all pretty bad dudes. I was very proud to be there. We went to the house and it was just amazing. I am in a huge room with 7 guys in it. We have a fireplace, a huge tub and an amazing marble shower. We are all getting along great together and it going to get tough having to fight one another. Tomorrow we are going to pick teams and have a late training session and then the next day is a media day, which will be really crazy. One fight down and three more fights to go. Wow what an experience. I am truly blessed to have this opportunity.
This blog is my personal opinions and personal experience from the show. I cannot speak for anyone else but this is how Tim Credeur see's it so enjoy it. If you have any questions concerns of comments please hit me up on www.myspace.com/crazytimbjj or crazytimbjj@yahoo.com.
Don't miss the party every Wednesday night at City Bar Downtown. Please attend if you can it will be a great time to support your local UFC fighter and I am down to earth and cool so feel free to come introduce yourself and ask me any questions you have or discuss fights. I am the guy that looks like a wilder beast. I will also be selling the new "Crazy" Tim T-shirts that you can view on my myspace page. Until next week keep on fighting.
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