Christian Strong fought through ankle injuries on TUF 34

Christian Strong battled through bilateral ankle injuries to stay on The Ultimate Fighter 34, telling producers he would hobble into the cage with one leg if necessary.

The bantamweight revealed to MMA Fighting that he hurt both ankles early in the season, a detail that never made the broadcast. Producers eventually pulled him aside to ask whether he could compete, and Strong gave them an unambiguous answer. "I told them, 'If I have to, I'll hobble in there with one f*cking leg,'" he said. "So I was going to make it happen regardless."

Strong earned final roster spot before beating Jones

The injuries complicated Strong's weight cut going into the show, making him one of the heavier bantamweights in the house. He also had to sweat out the coaches' selection process after learning the morning of tryouts that only 16 of 20 invited fighters would make the cast. Strong ended up as the last pick, landing on Team Daniel Cormier.

Cormier's coaches pushed Strong to lean on his wrestling background in his quarterfinal against striker Marlon Jones, telling him to reset and shoot takedowns in volume rather than hunt finishes on the mat. Strong won by decision at the Apex, but UFC CEO Dana White was cageside and had this critique afterwards, per MMA Fighting: "The problem is wrestling without a finish does not make for exciting fights."

Strong said he knew his grinding style might not impress White right away, but his coaches told him to follow the game plan and save his most aggressive work for the semifinals. He previously held a bantamweight title with Canada's Battlefield Fight League and has also fought for Fury FC. Strong faces his semifinal bout Tuesday on episode three.

Original reporting:

• mmafighting.com — Christian Strong told The Ultimate Fighter 34 producers he’d fight ‘with one f*cking leg’ to stay on show | MMA Fighting