Chris Cope is used to people doubting him. In fact, for a time, he doubted himself. But after cleaning up his personal life and dedicating himself to MMA, he found no better motivator than his own belief in himself.
So as prepares for his nationally televised bout with fellow cast member Chuck O'Neil (8-3 MMA, 0-0 UFC) at The Ultimate Fighter Finale 13 this weekend, Cope (4-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) is simply enjoying the fruits of his labor and anxious to display his abilities.
Cope, of course, was a surprise semifinalist on the recently concluded 13th season of "TUF." After upsetting Team Dos Santos' first- and third-round picks, he ultimately suffered a loss to Ramsey Nijem in the semifinals. Cope now meets fellow semifinalist O'Neil on the Spike TV-televised portion of Saturday's finale, which airs at 9 p.m. ET/PT from The Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas.
Six years ago, few people around Cope gave him any reason to believe he'd be a legit fighter, let alone competing on national television for the world's biggest MMA promotion.
"I remember 2005 when I was at American Kickboxing Academy," he recently told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio). "I was basically a punching dummy for those guys. I remember (former Strikeforce champ) Josh Thomson coming up to me. He said, 'You know, you won't be able to turn pro until like 2010. You're basically not that good.'"
Cope wasn't deterred, and ultimately, he expanded his training at other camps.
"I was one of those guys who kept coming back," he said. "The funny thing was that I ended up fighting on the same Strikeforce card Josh did in 2010. I just wanted to go up to him and go, 'Hey Josh, so you thought I wouldn't turn pro until 2010? It's ironic because I'm fighting on the same card as you're on.' And then I ended up TKOing one of his guys."
Cope doesn't really hold the whole thing against Thomson. In fact, the AKA contingent at the event ("Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Werdum") , including both fighters and trainers, didn't even remember him from his short stint at the San Jose gym. But Thomson's comments stuck with him.
"He was honest, and he was blunt," Cope said. "But I never believe in those naysayers. I just use it as fuel.
"For me, it was a life-changing moment. For them, it was just a Thursday. But I'm really big on believing in yourself."
In fact, he largely credits that self-confidence and self-esteem for his surprising run on "TUF 13." While his teammates mistakenly (and perhaps unfairly) labeled him a spy for the other team, Cope just focused on his own training and less on the house drama.
"I went past a lot of people's expectations on 'The Ultimate Fighter,'" said Cope, who blogged about his time on the show for MMAjunkie.com. "But my main statement was just to show people that if you work hard and believe in yourself, you can make things happen. I showed that."
He hopes to continue proving wrong the doubters on Saturday. Few give him much of a chance against O'Neil, who made the most of his wild-card status on the show. But the two opponents also share another bond: They are some of the bigger fan favorites to come out of this season of "TUF." Neither one did much trash-talking, and those who did now are paying the price.
"I just feel that people's true colors basically came out (on the show)," Cope said. "They saw what people were really about. I did my best not to talk trash unless it was to their face. A lot of people, when they got in those confession booths, they let loose.
"I never felt right about that. ... I have a lot of integrity. I'll just talk to someone if I have a problem."
In fact, he said was one of many who spoke privately to finalist Tony Ferguson, who emerged as the season's pariah after a drunken rampage in which he taunted Charlie Rader over family issues and his inability to see his son. Ferguson has been a lighting rod for criticism since the May 25 episode aired.
"I'm a recovering alcoholic," Cope said." I don't drink anymore for a reason. After that fiasco, I met Tony up in the room. I talked to him about AA and being sober and getting clean and everything else. We had like this 20-minute conversation, and they didn't even put that in [the episode]. I just think they just wanted to leave the season as Tony being the bad guy."
Still, he's clearly pledging his allegiance to one finalist in Saturday's championship bout. And it's not Tony.
"Tony's not a role model in my book," he said. "I hope Ramsey beats him because Ramsey would be a better role model. I think Ramsey proved a lot more, and I just think Ramsey would have a better view."
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