The ‘Barn Cat’ Tamdan McCrory is back in the UFC six years after he last competed in the Octagon.
McCrory was released by the promotion in 2009 after a memorable 3-3 stint in the UFC where he’d gained something of a cult status, in large part due to his unlikely looks, with his gangly, bespectacled appearance outside of the cage in particular making him look more like a librarian than a fighter.
McCrory then disappeared off the scene for five years only to resurface last year when he signed for Bellator.
He’s since impressed with a first round KO win over Brennan Ward followed up by a first round armbar submission win against Jason Butcher.
According to McCrory, Bellator were all-set to offer him a shot at the vacant middleweight title next, but instead he’s made the decision to jump ship and return to the Octagon instead.
“I left a title shot in [Bellator] to come to the UFC,” McCrory said in a statement to announce his move. “If I wanted to win that belt I could have stayed and done it, but I wanted to be back in the sport of MMA, not the MMA entertainment business.”
It’s an interesting move by McCrory and time will tell whether it works out for him or not, but either way you have to respect his desire to compete against the best opposition the sport has to offer.
