Inside Fights First Look: The Ultimate Fighter 5, Part One

Born and raised in the small town of Biddeford, Maine, Allen graduated from Biddeford High School in 1992. To escape the cold Maine winters, he often visited friends who had moved to Tampa Bay. He often fulfilled their only request: bring lobsters from home. Allen soon parlayed this into a business, moving to Tampa eight years ago, and is now the proud owner of two “Monstah Lobstah” seafood restaurants in the Tampa/St. Petersburg area.

About a year and a half ago, he began training in jiu jitsu under Rob Kahn at the Tampa Bay Gracie facility. Having wrestled in high school, and boxed since the age of thirteen, the self proclaimed “Crustacean Sensation” feels his well rounded game will lead to success on The Ultimate Fighter 5. A New Englander for life, Allen roots for the Red Sox and Patriots while not training. He lists Gladiator as his favorite movie, and Deal or No Deal and I Love NY as the shows he’ll miss watching while in the house. The two things he’ll miss the most: his wife Anetka, and going to church on Sunday.

UFC veteran Nick Diaz’s younger brother is looking to make his own mark on mixed martial arts in The Ultimate Fighter 5. After graduating Tokay High School in Lodi, California in 2003, Nate started training in mixed martial arts at his brother’s behest. Training takes up his daily routine, practicing jiu jitsu in Stockton during the day and then driving an hour each way into Sacramento at night to work on his boxing. Mixed martial arts is the only sport for Nate, who briefly played football in high school. When he is not training, Nate can be found cornering his big brother’s MMA bouts, and listening to Eminem, Tool, and Led Zeppelin on his iPod.

This 25 year old from Southern California is anything but your typical surfer type. Enrolling in kyokushinkia karate at the age of ten, martial arts have been a part of Robert’s life for the better part of two decades. Robert added wrestling to his resumé while attending Dana Hills High School in Orange County, from which he graduated in the year 2000 – the same year he started competing in mixed martial arts. Robert lists take-down defense and striking as his strengths, and is looking to hone his abilities while training with the coaches of The Ultimate Fighter 5.

In May, 1991, Manuel’s family relocated from Armenia in search of economic opportunity. Shortly after his arrival, Manuel began training in judo at Gokor Chivichyan’s Hayastan Academy and quickly became one of the top judokas in the country, winning junior nationals less than two years later. He went on to win junior nationals eight times, the junior Olympics once, and was a member of the 2000 judo junior world team. It should come as no surprise that judo is Manuel’s base in a well rounded MMA arsenal.

The cousin of UFC fighter Karo Parisyan, Manuel was dubbed “Pitbull” for the tenacity he displayed in fighting current lightweight champion Sean Sherk. Manuel last fought eighteen months ago in a win against The Ultimate Fighter 2 alumnus Sam Morgan, but soon after dislocated both shoulders. He did not begin training again until seven months ago, and is hungry to get back inside the Octagon.

When he is not training, Manuel is a huge soccer fan, following UEFA and the English Premier League and listing Roberto Carlos and Zinedine Zidane as his favorite players. Other athletes he admires include Tom Brady, Derek Jeter, Dwyane Wade, Sergei Federov and Slava Fetisov. He hopes to emulate their winning ways inside the Octagon on The Ultimate Fighter 5.

Born and raised in Kenosha, this Wisconsinite can’t help but think of what his life would be like if he wasn’t a mixed martial artist – “probably eating cheese — not much else do in Kenosha.” Far removed from the Midwest, Geraghty will be pursuing the opportunity of a lifetime on The Ultimate Fighter 5. Nicknamed “Duke” by his father at a young age, Brian took up MMA during high school after seeing one of his friends training at a freestyle gym. Brian’s curiosity led him to the mats, where he was determined to master the art of submissions.

While he swears he has not mastered anything yet and has much to learn, Duke lists submissions as one his strengths, particularly triangles and kimuras. He is hoping to sharpen his all around game while in Las Vegas, and is very excited to work with the coaches. Despite him being away for six weeks, Brian’s girlfriend is very supportive of his career. Aside from missing her, Brian is not looking forward to being away from the local Wisconsin music scene while on the show, or leaving behind his Reno 911! and Chappelle’s Show DVDs.

Born in West Virginia, Corey’s family moved to Florida when he was a baby and spent his formative years living on a pig farm thirty miles north of Tampa Bay. Corey was a three sport athlete at Springstead High School, playing free safety and wide receiver for the football team, running the 800m and 1600m for the track team, and becoming a two-time state champion for the wrestling team. His success in wrestling landed him a scholarship to Colby Community College in Kansas, where he would meet his future wife. After Colby, Hill attended Upper Iowa University. He left twelve credits shy, but vows to finish to fulfill a promise he made to his mother and father – the two biggest role models in his life.

After leaving Upper Iowa, Hill took a job building homes before a friend convinced him to try mixed martial arts. Corey took to it immediately, and soon quit his job to begin training full time. Now residing in Colorado Springs with his wife and two young children, being away from them for six weeks will be extremely difficult, but being a good father and husband is his number one priority and will provide all the motivation he needs to become The Ultimate Fighter. Hill lists wrestling and striking as his strengths, and plans to use his height to his advantage inside the Octagon. He plans to focus on his jiu jitsu while training in Las Vegas.

At 22 years old, Joe may be one of the youngest competitors on The Ultimate Fighter 5, but he boasts one of the more impressive resumes in the house given his defeat of Season 5 coach Jens Pulver at UFC 63 in 2006. This came only a few short months after Joe completed his degree in computer science at Wentworth College and took a job as a network administrator.

Nicknamed “J-Lau” by his friends at East Bridgewater High School, he has balanced his MMA training with academics since he took up jiu-jitsu as a sixteen year old – a mandate from his parents who ensured education was the first priority for him and his younger brother Dan. Fortunately, his job has given him a leave of absence to pursue his dream in Las Vegas. Despite his victory over Pulver, Joe insists he still has much to learn, both from the coaches and his housemates. While in the house, he will miss his family, TV shows like Heroes and The Shield, and the sounds of Outkast, Linkin Park, and Incubus on his iPod. Most of all, this self professed tech nerd will miss an internet connection.

Gray has an extensive background in wrestling, as he was a varsity letterman all four years of high school at St. Edward High School in Lakewood, Ohio. As a senior in high school, Gray was national champion, earning All-State and All-American honors while leading his team to an undefeated season and a number one ranking in the nation.

He went on to wrestle alongside The Ultimate Fighter 3 winner Rashad Evans at Michigan State University, where he was a two-time All-American. After graduating, Gray received a call from Season 5 coach BJ Penn who was preparing for a fight at the time. Penn wanted someone with Gray’s abilities to train with him to improve his wrestling game, and offered to fly him to Hilo, Hawaii in order to do so. Gray obliged, and received his first taste of mixed martial arts. After his stint with Penn, Gray moved back to Las Vegas and worked as a real estate agent for two years before joining Team Couture, with whom he now trains full time.

Gray was dubbed “The Bully” because his bull terrier, Hank, harasses any other dog that comes in its path. His fiancé plans on taking a trip to Thailand while he is in the The Ultimate Fighter 5 house for six weeks, which Gray thinks will make it easier for him to focus on the task at hand. He is hoping to improve his jiu-jitsu while training with the coaches and other fighters on the show.