Chandler Cole and Jordan Heiderman put on the fight of the season during TUF 30. A spinning heel kick floored Heiderman early and he came storming back late in round three to steal a victory.
While Cole didn’t get the result he wanted in the fight, he was happy with the show he put on for the UFC’s executives. With that in the bank, the injury storyline, and the fact that many who have lost in the house had gotten contracts in the past – Cole felt pretty good about his chances to make his UFC debut after the fact.
“I felt like I was right there and I put on a good show. Especially, I thought the storyline would help me get on the big show. Dislocating my arm on day one, completely tearing my UCL, and still putting on the fight of the season,” Cole explained. “But we all got emails from the UFC saying ‘best of luck – we wish you all the best in the future of your career.”
The email was hard for him. Not just because he wasn’t going to realize his goal, but because of the harsh reality that he would have to go back to the regional scene to take fights. While he likes fighting in front of his home crowds and his friends and family, it was hard for him to take the step back.
“When I got that I was kind of bummed. Having to fight back locally – you know, I love my fans and I love the love I get back home – but I haven’t really made it if it’s easy to come watch me fight,” he said. “It was hard to go back to the regional scene. It was hard to get motivated, but the discipline kept me in the gym – the discipline kept me training. Going back to fight on the regional scene, it was hard because I know when I belong.”
But find that motivation he did. The Virginia native vowed to stay as active as possible – even taking a boxing fight despite never putting in a boxing training camp. That activity has led him to Dana White’s Contender Series to get where he feels he really belongs.
“My goal was just to stay active. I knew a lot of people wouldn’t want to fight me,” Cole said. “It was a mess trying to find opponents, but basically it got up to the point where I’m like ‘look it doesn’t matter if I got to fight the high school janitor. Sign him up – I’m just trying to fight.”
Cole will fight Thomas Peterson as part of week 4 of Dana White’s Contender Series this Tuesday. That fight will air on ESPN+ with the card beginning at 8pm EST.
You can hear the entire audio of this interview at 2:23.
