I was sick last week, but you guys probably didn't even notice.  I have been getting ready for my fight at UFC 91.  I am pretty much a hardcore fan of the sport and I was planning on attending that fight before I found out I was a part of it.  I doubt you will hear many fighters tell you they are stoked to be on the preliminary card, but for me I get to fight (which I love) and I get to watch the return of Randy Couture.  It is pretty sweet.

I finally have my permit and my manager has me driving around in his $100,000 SUV.  First of all, who pays $100,000 for a gas-guzzler and then lends me of all people the SUV? He lent it to me because it has back-up cameras so I can practice parking and things like that.  He doesn’t realize that I want to try to drive backwards using only the camera to guide me.  He has a few cars and when he said he was going to lend me one to practice I was thinking he had some beat up hooptie that he was saving for his kids.  I wonder if he is having financial problems because when I “tried” to leave his driveway he told me how much it cost and that if I wreck it make sure I totaled the thing.

My training right now is pretty tough.  We have like three guys besides me fighting in early November and they are all in my weight range, so the Lally’s have been really giving us a go.  In the morning I will do Gustavo Dantes BJJ class, then we have Aaron Simpson’s wrestling class for about an hour and a half.  Then I will usually go for a run or something like that.  Then back to the gym at five for advanced kickboxing and professional sparring.  We pretty much always have a full gym of top-level guys.  Carlos Condit has been here for a few weeks; Varner is always in the gym along with Steinbeiss and Simpson. We have tough SOB’s going all the time.

My fight is at 170 so I am working hard on my diet and I have already made the cut to 173 without dying so I am confident I can get there.  The crazy thing is I feel stronger and more powerful the more I cut.  My hand speed is increasing and my footwork is improving.  Maybe I am indeed a 170 pounder.  I intend to show Dana White and Joe Silva that I belong in the UFC and I can put on exciting fights.

As for the show, I was going to start cutting down to 155 just so I could beat Junie senseless.  After reading Ryan Bader’s blog I realized that Junie might be heading to 170 with Haagen-Dazs as the main sponsor.  That and I promised my Mom I would never pick on children with special needs are the only reasons I have not flown out to Kentucky to smash him.  I thought it would be impossible to have someone who is a bigger loser then Jeremy May on the show and they proved me wrong.

To Rolando, first of all having a name like Roli or Rolando and being a small guy, a guy like you deserves a black belt.  I mean you had to get picked on by all kids of guys like Mir and Junie as you were growing up.  Had you came to my gym, we would of let you teach us.  You may not be Donald Trump, but you showed a ton of heart and self-control.  That little punk Junie tries to call Rolando a loser and saying the round wont go past the first.  You showed that little bastard what heart and determination are all about.

Junie does his best impression of Jake LaMotta meets Jim Carey and allows Rolando to stay in the fight and take this thing to a split decision.  Junie showed he has a quitter's heart and the inability to back up the trash talk.  He is living proof that a bunch of tattoos, living in a trailer park, and having a bad attitude does not make you TUF or tough.  My guess is Junie will not make it past the semi-final round.  He will be brought back for the finale and lose or not make weight.  If he wins the show, I am going to go join Juanito Ibarra in obscurity (if he will have me) and retire.

I am not sure if you knew this or not, but at the pre-fight picks Junie throws a black belt on the ground and spits towards it.  After that happened, Anderson Silva had to leave the training center to compose himself.  He felt totally disrespected and according to Bader he was visibly upset and had he not been on TV that likely would of went down a different way.

That’s about it for me this week.  I am back in the gym and doing all I can to be 100% for this fight.  I want to thank all of my fans and the supporters I really appreciate it.  My management company has built a little social networking site for us fighters to interact with fans.  We will be releasing our upcoming fights and giving away fight used memorabilia to the fans.  It’s a cool site and I could use some comments on my page.  Visit www.lgfighter.com and look for the handsome guy with the infectious smile.

Matthew Riddle is a UFC fighter who will join MMAWeekly.com each week to give his recap of the latest episode of the "Ultimate Fighter" on Spike TV.  For more info about Matt check out LG Sports Marketing.