Jon Manley, of Ludlow, was one of 16 mixed martial arts competitors who won qualifying fights to make the roster of the popular "The Ultimate Fighter" reality show.
It wasn’t the place Jon Manley wanted to watch his reality television debut, but it was also a reminder of what it took to get him on that screen.
After suffering a staph infection while on “The Ultimate Fighter,” Manley was in a hospital waiting room when the premiere of the latest season of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s popular show aired.
Manley, of Ludlow, was one of 16 mixed martial arts competitors who won qualifying fights to make the roster of the popular reality show, which runs weekly on FX. The field of 16 – who lived and trained together for six weeks in Las Vegas – was whittled down to four, of which the 26-year-old Adams native was one.
With three victories – two by decision and one by submission – Manley reached the semifinals against Colton T. Smith, in a bout that aired Friday.
The winner of the show, which will be decided in this Friday’s live finale, will receive a six-figure contract to compete in the UFC – the world’s preeminent MMA organization.
Manley's chances at that big payday ended on Friday's show, as Smith scored a decision victory to advance to face Mike Ricci for the "TUF 16" title.
“The experience on the show, every step of it, was just crazy,” Manley said Thursday in a phone interview. “It was awesome. I’ve always wanted to be on the show.”
The journey from Ludlow to Las Vegas had its ups and downs. A serious back injury sidelined Manley for more than a year, and he was cleared to return to competition from a hand injury just in time to try out for “TUF.”
In order to fly out to Vegas, members of his Team Link fight club raised more than $700 in only two days.
“It’s one of those things that you say, ‘I know I’m hurt, but I can’t pass this up,’” Manley said.
Manley, who has a 7-1 professional record, is another success story from Team Link – the Ludlow-based Brazilian jiu jitsu and MMA school run by noted trainer Marco Alvan.
In 2007, Gabriel “Napao” Gonzaga – who is one of Manley’s coaches and mentors – rose to prominence in the UFC’s heavyweight division and received a championship match. More recently, Ricardo Funch received several opportunities to fight on the big stage of the UFC.
Manley now operates his own Team Link affiliate studio in Northampton.
“Most of the credit has to go to Marco and Napao,” Manley said. “Gabriel brings the people in, and he’s a good coach. Marco is awesome. His teaching methods are great, the way he breaks everything down.”
Brazilian jiu jitsu was a natural fit for Manley, who excelled as a high school wrestler. As a teen, Manley primarily was interested in skateboarding and snowboarding – not your traditional team sports.
However, there was something about wrestling that lured him in.
“I stepped on a wrestling mat and it was like, ‘OK, I got this,’” said Manley, who has dealt with a learning disability. “I got pretty good in one year, and I found jiu jitsu pretty soon after.”
That skill on the mat, a combination of grappling and submissions, worked to Manley’s favor in his second “TUF” bout against James “Snake” Chaney, one of his closest friends and training partners in the house.
After an initial decision win over Ricky Legere Jr. that many felt was lackluster, Manley did not disappoint in his chance at redemption. The two began trading blows before Manley took the bout to the ground, where he feels most comfortable.
Manley escaped one submission attempt by Chaney and finished the fight with one of his own.
“I met that kid at tryouts, and I got way too drunk,” Manley said of the bond he had with his opponent. “He had to take me back to the hotel and put me in the fetal position.”
A decision win over Joey Rivera put Manley in the semifinals.
Regardless of the outcome of “TUF,” Manley feels he is on the UFC’s radar screen. Many non-winners of the show go on to receive contracts.
“They know I’ve got heart. I’ve got to see them giving me another chance,” Manley said. “I definitely think my stock rose a lot on the show.
“The experience – getting to fight four times in a month and a half – is so nuts.”
To do what Manley and others do for a living, don’t you have to be a little nuts?
For more on Manley’s Team Link school, log onto www.teamlinknoho.com