Chris Tuchscherer Determined to Prove That He Belongs in UFC

(Courtesy of Zuffa, LLC)

Chris Tuchscherer was distraught when he got a call telling him he wouldn’t be included in the cast of tenth season of The Ultimate Fighter. Lucky for him that feeling didn’t last long.

Unbeknownst to Tuchscherer, Ultimate Fighting Championship representatives were impressed with Tuchscherer’s 17-1 record and decided to bypass the show and give him a shot in the big show immediately. “I told my wife and family. But I had to keep it quiet for a month and half before I could publicly say it,” he added.

Tuchscherer won’t get an easy introduction to the Octagon as he faces Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 102 in Portland, Ore. on Aug. 29. “I look at this fight as one hell of an opportunity to show that I belong in the UFC,” Tuchscherer said. “I worked my ass off for five years to get here. I am a hard worker and I’m going there to win.”

Five years ago Tuchscherer was a senior wrestler at Minnesota State University. The two-time NCAA Division II All-American took his first fight before he finished college, relying heavily on wrestling and basic punches and kicks.

It wasn’t until he lost against Travis Wiuff at the YAMMA Pit Fighting event in April 2008 that Tuchscherer decided to study muay Thai. “This is when I woke up and I had learned that I needed to do stand up,” he said.

Tuchscherer, a training partner of UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar, hasn’t lost since that night and doesn’t intend to at UFC 102. He might have made it to the big show but he still has to prove that he belongs.

Below is a video of Tuchscherer’s fight against Matt Eckerle. You can’t draw a comparison between the quality of competition in the Dakota Fighting Championship and that of the UFC, but it’s something.