TUF 11 Fighter Rich Attonito’s Guest Blog: Episode 11

(Bring him the gabagool and nobody gets hurt. Photo courtesy of Rich’s Facebook page.)

Our beloved TUF 11 guest blogger wraps up last week’s jam-packed episode, and explains why things got so heated between house heel Jamie Yager and the rest of the fighters. Rich and Jamie will throw down this Saturday at the TUF 11 Finale. Tune in and show your support!

Last week everyone was treated to the final episode of The Ultimate Fighter with certainly no shortage of drama. But first we got a visit from some guys who know how to handle drama the right way, the Marine Corps. My grandfather was in the Marines. Several of my uncles also served in the Armed Forces as well. So it was great when Dana surprised us with a visit from these guys.

We got a chance to see and learn some very cool tactical techniques they use for disarming people with weapons. They were so efficient at it, they made it look easy. After we got to train together they came over for a BBQ. We got a chance to interact with them on a more personal level and it was definitely fun to meet these guys and hear their stories. I have the utmost respect for the men and women of our country who sacrifice so much for our personal freedoms. I made sure I took the chance to express my gratitude to them.

At the same time it was the last days of the show and a last chance to set the record straight with the Minority Report. They had been pretty loud throughout the entire taping of the show, staying up until three or four in the morning most nights making a lot of noise without much consideration for others. Mainly Yager and McCray. I’m actually the one who came up with the idea to retaliate for the air horn incident that happened within the first nights of being in the house. There was no way we could let these guys get away with it, so it was just a matter of timing the attack when there wasn’t much time for a counter-attack.

We included Brad and Kyle in the attack for Josh’s sake. They had been breaking his balls the entire show and led the charge on dressing up his bed in pink. We figured this was his opportunity to get a little payback. Everyone else was focused on the other two. I can’t tell you the satisfaction we got from blasting them awake with a bunch of air horns and silly string. It was perfect. Brad only got mad because he thought it was guys from the other team. After he realized it was Josh he didn’t mind because of the prank he pulled on him.

As for the other drama, let me try to explain things a little better and why the situation escalated the way it did between Yager and the majority of his team that you saw, all of which happened on the last day of the show, which was the same morning of both semi-final fights. I thought it was bizarre that everyone got into it so heated on the day we were getting let free. Finally we would have our phones back and be able to matriculate out into the free world. This was supposed to be a day of positivity! Not quite. So I’ll give all you CagePotato faithfuls an inside scoop. Be grateful, biotches.

I remember Hammortree’s food had been getting crushed up on the counter for the last few days by someone in the house. Try to remember, people’s behavior became erratic after being secluded inside two locations for six weeks. He thought it was Yager, who adamantly denied any such involvement. To make a point because no one would own up to crushing his food, Hammortree stole the 8-Ball from the pool table and hid it. He said he’d return it after the perpetrator came forward. When nobody fessed up to doing it the finger began to point at none other then Jamie Yager. I remember they argued in the kitchen about it and it got pretty heated.

Hammortree was certain that it was Yager and neither guy would back down. For the rest of us it was at least a little entertaining. Yager had been blamed so many times for things and it typically ended up being a misunderstanding that saw Yager not guilty as charged. But nobody would apologize to him out of spite and sheer dislike for the guy. He was definitely loud and obnoxious at times, which is why so many people had a problem with him but he’d also been wrongly accused more then one time. This time I had a feeling that things weren’t the way they seemed.

So everyone got real pissed off because they wanted to play pool and understandably didn’t like being penalized for something they didn’t do. Finally, Brad admitted to smashing up Hammortree’s food. If I recall correctly, there was something Hammortree did to trigger Brad to f–k with him. I will say that Brad is not the type of guy to do anything without reason so I wish I could remember what it was specifically. Either way the situation subsided and the ball was returned. Brad apologized to James and that was that, or so it seemed.

Not too long after, Brad bombs a food mix out of the window at the sun bathing Floridians James and Clayton. It wasn’t a big deal and was actually pretty funny, until Yager decided to throw a bag of flour out of the window. I was outside at the time and the bag didn’t miss Hammortree by much. He was livid and walked upstairs, got his trash bin, and dumped it on Yager’s bed. You all saw what ensued at that point. This time Yager denied throwing the bag of flour but he was definitely guilty as charged. I remember thinking they might trade blows when they were up in each others faces. I certainly don’t let people get in my face so I was expecting someone to throw a punch.

With the tension in the air, Kaycey, who has been fed up with Yager’s antics since the beginning of the show pretty much snaps. He calls Yager out to fight him downstairs in the backyard. Yager acts like he’s down for the challenge but then doubles back and decides not to go outside. How anti-climactic. Keep in mind this is the last day.

So the fights go down and everything is set for the finale. Congrats to Court McGee and Kris McCray for making it to the end. They fought through the competition and have earned their way to the finals.

It was definitely tough to watch Court and Brad fight. These were two guys who I became very close with over the six weeks in the house. I didn’t have a favorite of who I wanted to win because I liked the both of them. It was awkward for the entire team but we all knew this was a forgone conclusion and the reason we were there to begin with. I know I just wanted to see both guys lay it on the line so they didn’t have any regrets about their performance and let the best man win.

The TUF show was a great experience and I feel very fortunate to have been a part of it. Things didn’t end up going my way but that’s how life can be sometimes. What matters is what you make out of the opportunities you’ve been given and I plan on making the most of mine.

Thanks to my sponsors: Buffalo Wings & Rings (Coconut Creek), Institute of Human Performance (IHP), and American Top Team. Be sure to follow me @ twitter.com/RichAttonito and on Facebook for all the updates on my life and training.