TUF 11 Clayton Mckinney – Ep. 2

Whats up everyone its Clayton “Moneyshot” Mckinney. I will be blogging each week during the eleventh season of The Ultimate Fighter right here. Look for them on Fridays and I’ll be recapping the events during that weeks episode please add some thing you didn’t see too. You can also email me any questions you might have right here and I’ll answer them each week. I look forward to answering your questions and also blogging for you guys right here. Thanks for all your support!

Team Picks
As far as team picks go i was happy to be on either team. Both Tito and Chuck are amazing coaches as well as fighters.

My Fight
Well what can a say it was pretty uneventful and embarrassing at that. No excuses though Kyle Noke beat me and is an amazing fighter and great dude. However, I had a horrible game plan going into the fight. The way I fight was shown in my first bout with Charlie Lynch. I’m very aggressive and take the fight to my opponent. One of my teammates and friend on the show was Kyacey Uscola. Kyacey had fought Noke outside of the house a few months before the show started and lost a decision to him. We came up with the game plan to not throw anything for the first 2 minutes of the fight and just feel him out. Kyle is a very good counter puncher and also very experienced. The fight wasn’t going too bad and I know I hurt him with one of my leg kicks. I was happy with my footwork too but I just should have let my hands go and fight my fight. I’m not good at a slow paced fight as I need things to be happening, I think that’s when I’m at my best. Anyway, was very happy to have his back and have side control. That’s actually the FIRST time I’ve ever been on top of someone in a fight and obviously I need to work my top game a little more. I was very disappointed with the outcome of the fight. I wanted it to be a war so it sucks we didn’t get to fight longer. I know I have a lot to offer anybody that step in the cage with me but I just didn’t show it against Noke.

[Update: According to the Aftermath show on www.ultimatefighter.com Clayton had a bone floating around in his shoulder and a torn labrum.]

The House
As far as the house goes there is always drama as you all know and it began immediately. One of the reasons you saw me so mad on the first episode was because I cut 20 pounds in 24 hours, and some of the guys were being extremely loud in the locker room right before weigh-ins. I had asked them nicely to be quiet but of course had no luck with that so I got irritated. Uscola talked to them and told them to chill because I wasn’t feeling well and they were cool after that but none of that was aired.

Fan questions
What were you doing before trying out for the show?
Answer – Right before the show I was actually just hanging out. I lived in St. Pete FL at the time and was working at a bar and teaching Muay Thai. I took about 6 months off of training right before the show (great timing). Once I found out I made the show I moved back to Orlando so I could train with my team at The Jungle. I only had about 3 weeks to train before I left.

What was the team selection like?
Answer – Team selection was fine with me. Like I stated above I didn’t care who’s team I was on because both are great coaches. I definitely thought I was going to be picked earlier but I spoke with the coaches after the season and they said they knew my shoulder was messed up so that’s why I was down the ladder. Maybe that’s true maybe it’s not.

Did you think they were going to pick you to fight first?
Answer – I wasn’t sure who they were going to pick first. I thought maybe Chris Camozzi or maybe me. I wasn’t totally surprised with the outcome of the first pick though.

Do you think people will view you as using the injury as an excuse?
Answer – People will say whatever they want to say, and that’s fine with me. If they keep watching the season they will soon find out the real story behind my shoulder. Editing is a funny thing guys, haven’t you learned that yet? Stay tuned for more awesome fights and of course drama!

Make sure to also check out James Hammortree’s Episode 2 Blog.