TUF 8 Sherblog: Fire the Cannons

I would like to start my blog by giving George Roop big props for his fight with John Polakowski. Five days before their fight, George mangled his right hand. It had been caught in the Octagon fence as Shane Nelson attempted a takedown. Roop’s hand looked like a catcher’s mitt -- extremely swollen and red. I knew exactly what he was going through, except I had four weeks to get ready for my fight and Roop only had four days. Mir’s doctor is a miracle worker; he worked out most of the swelling and Roop was able to make a fist.

Roop’s game plan was perfect; he was going to jab all day and go for the takedown once Polakowski came forward -- we all knew that John had no ground game. The plan worked to perfection. Roop did not throw a single right hand in the first round and still won the round. I know the second round was very close but Roop deserved the win.

After Roop’s win, Team Mir celebrated in the locker room. I guarantee that no one had Team Mir winning 5-3. This clearly proves how individual the sport is. You can surround yourself with a great group of guys and become a tight family, but at the end it’s you, and only you, in that cage.

Once we were back at the house all hell broke loose. John Polakowski got hammered and he’s the only Polak I know that can’t handle vodka. As his blood alcohol increased, John took his hugging to the extreme and every single toast was for peace. I did not think Polakowski had a shell to come out of. Boy, was I wrong.

With a few exceptions, our days were relatively boring -- we didn't know whether to wind a watch or bark at the moon. We needed something to release some stress and break the monotony. Bader suggested a food fight. Everybody jumped on the idea. Those in the kitchen took out some eggs and fired them at the guys in the hot tub. Junie “Loose Cannon” Browning got pegged with an egg and lost it. I found it ironic that one day he is encouraging everyone to throw eggs at him and the next he is pissed off about it. He probably missed the attention and thought it was time for another Junie episode.

Once Junie calmed down, everyone took part in the food fight. We used everything that was available: fruit, veggies, flower, sugar, jam, eggs, cereal and pizza. The kitchen looked like a war zone but we all had a great time and it was a great stress release. I am pretty sure that this will be shown on a future episode so I will not get into some of the details. Just know that some s--t did go down after the food fight involving Junie.

It was no secret as to who would be matched up for the semifinals; Eliot Marshall called out Bader in front of everyone after his win over Primm and Junie jumped over the cage after Efrain’s win over Shane Nelson. That left Nover against Roop and Vinny against me.

During our meetings with Dana and the coaches, I had asked to fight Ryan Bader. I based this decision off Kyle Kingsbury’s fights with Bader and myself. I felt that Ryan had trouble, whereas I dominated. I also fought Kingsbury after four weeks in the house, which should have helped Kingsbury become a better fighter. As for a fight with Eliot or Vinny, the odds became 50/50. If the fight went to the ground, there was a very good chance of being submitted so I would have to keep the fight standing in order to claim the victory. Ultimately, I felt that Bader would be the best matchup for me.

To this day I am still confused about Vinny saying that I was talking s--t about him. I never talked trash about anyone. Did I discuss my game plan for Vinny with Eliot and talk about Vinny’s weaknesses? Of course. Eliot was my main training partner and pretty much the only true friend in the house. I knew I would fight Vinny and every time Eliot and I would train together he would mimic Vinny’s style to help me get ready for the fight. I am sure that anyone’s game plan against Vinny would be the same as mine.

The kid is a phenom on the ground, and I’d be stupid to go to the ground with him. If that is s--t talking than yes, I am guilty.