Tamdan McCrory doesn’t try to be geeky, or socially awkward, or different. He just is. But some might naturally assume that the New Yorker’s stellar 11-1 fighting record and that having “UFC Fighter” on his resume would make the longtime outcast an emerging hero or popular figure in his rural hometown. Think again.
“Growing up, I didn’t really fit in. I’ve always been kind of like a weird kid,” said McCrory. “It’s not that I choose to stand out from everybody else, I’ve just always been different and people don’t really understand me. I guess I never really developed great social skills and I don’t always open up and talk to people or whatever. I got picked on a lot in college too … It’s funny because if you came to my hometown (Cortland) and asked people that I went to high school with if they knew who I was, they’d all tell you ‘Oh I used to kick that kid’s ass ‘ or ‘He was a b----.’ Everybody is hating on me now, I guess. There are a few people in my town that know who I am, and the ones that do don’t give a s---. It’s not like I’m anything spectacular. I don’t walk around saying I’m some badass, I’m just a regular Joe and this is my job. It’s a way to make a living. It’s very rare that I go to a place where someone knows me. I haven’t been on TV so nobody knows who I am.
“You also have to take into consideration that I live in NY state and MMA is not legal here. So it’s not like you can go and watch fights here on the weekend. That’s why I never get (far with women), man. I can’t even pull the UFC card, man, to get chicks.”
In fact, to hear McCrory tell it, strangers around his hometown of roughly 15,000 people still taunt and threaten him almost as much now as they did during his elementary and high school years – which was quite often. Over the past few years the promising pro MMA fighter has had to endure everything from having his prescription glasses slapped off his face around town, to being punched in the face, to having strangers sit near him in a restaurant and crack jokes about him. McCrory presumes he is often the object of ridicule because he looks like a weakling. Indeed, a lot of fans who see McCrory fight for the first time probably can’t resist thinking “I could take that guy.” Many entertain these far-fetched fantasies the moment they lay eyes on the bare-chested McCrory and his rail-thin 6 foot 4 inch frame. But despite a Doogie Howser-like demeanor, the moment McCrory starts throwing leather with reckless abandon fans quickly realize he’s in a class with fighters like Jeremy Horn, Kenny Florian, Dustin Hazelett and Luke Cummo -- guys who don’t “look the part” and are mistaken for guppies even though they can swim in MMA’s deep waters with the big sharks.
McCrory clashes with Hazelett on Saturday night at UFC 91. He already made a strong statement by beating fellow New Yorker Luke Cummo in a battle that was affectionately dubbed “Battle of the Nerds.” McCrory doesn’t apologize for being bright. He was an A- student in high school despite rarely studying or doing homework. He earned a kinesiology degree in college and excelled in subjects such as philosophy, physics, calculus and physiology. Athletics was another story. He wrestled in high school but posted a losing record during his first two seasons. While in college he visited his local MMA gym, run by Muay Thai and martial arts expert Erik Charles, and receiving beating upon beating.
“I kept getting my ass beat but I kept coming back,” McCrory said. “When I kept coming back, that’s when he started having more respect for me and took me under his wing.”
More than two years into his pro career, McCrory has grown by leaps and bounds. He relies on a swarming, free-swinging style, always attacking and looking for the finish, whether punching from his feet or on the ground. Unlike most UFC fighters, McCrory does seem to fight with some anger, as if he has a chip on his shoulder about something. He says that he sees parallels between himself and the average “Barn Cat,” which happens to be his nickname. McCrory has a tattoo of a Barn Cat on the inside of his right bicep. He explained his choice of monikers like this:
“I come from upstate New York and there’s a lot of abandoned barns,” McCrory said. “They’re like essentially wild cats. They kill their own food, they get in fights with other animals, they’re like the core of being wild. They fend for themselves and get nothing handed to them. They’ve got to fight for everything they want and need. If some other cat or animal is between that cat and its next meal, you can expect a major scrap. Pound for pound the Barn Cat is the most ferocious animal alive. They’re just f------- brutal. I guess I’m kind of like that, too.”
In Hazelett, a highly-skilled and unpredictable jiu-jitsu ace, McCrory faces perhaps the toughest challenge of his career.
“He’s got a reputation obviously. He’s beaten some good guys and he’s got a lot of flashy s--- he likes to show, which is cool,” said McCrory, who has been working to improve his “Rubber Guard” since attending a seminar with Eddie Bravo. “Whatever, they’re all human. I’ve worked hard to get where I’m at. I’m not the greatest at any one thing but I can handle myself all over. I’ve got good wrestling, good jiu-jitsu and good striking. The bottom line is I’m looking to control this fight and I think I’m going to have the better wrestling. I’m looking to put the fight where I want it to be and keep the fight on my terms.”
McCrory hopes this is the beginning of a long and prosperous stay in the UFC. In the end, he hopes to enjoy the respect of his peers, both in the UFC and his own hometown – someday.
“Yeah dude, that’s the goal,” he said. “You don’t want to be a nobody forever.”
Tickets for UFC 91: Couture vs Lesnar, are still on sale. To order tickets, click here.
Want to Leave a Comment?