Most of you probably know by now that I lost a split decision at UFC 94. It was disappointing to drop the bout but the Fight of the Night bonus takes a bit of the sting out of it. By all accounts it was a very entertaining match with lots of action and position changes. I haven’t seen it yet because the UFC website isn’t compatible with my MacBook software so I can’t download it. On top of the loss I have to walk around with a raccoon mask on because of a busted nose. Not the end of the world but nothing like adding insult to injury.

There were some good things about the experience which I will try to focus on however. Fight of the night bonus was 65K. After I give away a bunch of it to managers and trainers and such I will still have enough to pay the money I owe in bills and to the IRS for back taxes. So that is a HUGE upside to this whole thing. I will be debt free. Also, I will have enough to send my belongings to Brazil in a container. It can’t get pretty expensive and the bonus takes some of the pressure off because I know I will be able to do it.

When I went to the hospital to get x-rays (an accidental head-butt broke my nose in 2 places about 1 minute into the first round) I met Akihiro Gono who was sent for a routine check-up after his loss to Fitch. I have to admit, he is an absolutely polite and pleasant person. We spoke for a while and even got a ride back to the MGM together in time to watch the car wreck that was GSP/Penn.

Another awesome thing was that when I got there the UFC brought in a gear bag with a bunch of hats and a couple of hoodies for all the fighters. It was the first thing I had ever gotten from them. It was awesome. When I was laughing with the brass about it the top guy in the office, Greg, produced a package with a bunch of postage stamps and delivery cancellations. He tossed me the package and says, “Next time you leave update your address, we’ve been trying to get this to you for three weeks.” He handed me a beat up UPS package and inside is a brand new 8GB IPod Touch. I laughed so much I almost cried. That was by far the highlight of the trip along with the bonus. It was just cool to be remembered and receive a gift. After 2 fights in the UFC I was beginning to wonder if I was getting lost in the shuffle.

Also, I got to see many of my friends from the States who went down for the fights. I didn’t win but I got to hang out with some very dear friends. All in all, I had a good experience. My new team supported me well and assisted me with everything. Winning is the only thing that could’ve made it better. After my nose heals up I will be back to training 200% harder. I hope to show a better fight next time around and hopefully stay injury free throughout the bout.