James Krause Explains Why He Wanted To Do TUF 25: Redemption

James Krause is already a member of the UFC roster and has two wins on his record. However, he decided he wanted to be included the next season of The Ultimate Fighter, which is based on the premise of former competitors getting another shot to compete in the UFC. In an interview with MMA Fighting, he explained that a poor experience during his time on The Ultimate Fighter Live is why he wants to do TUF 25: Redemption. He lost by knockout to Justin Lawrence in the elimination round and never made it to the TUF 15 Finale show in 2012. Here are highlights:

On why he’s doing another season of TUF: “I don’t think I have the answer that everybody is looking for. I just wanted to do it. I felt kind of slighted in my first go-around. It was just something I wanted to do. I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it and I wanted to prove to myself that I would win.”

On how it’s different than a normal UFC career :“It’s basically the opposite of what we’re used to. We’re using to doing our training camp at home, not being next to anybody that you’re fighting, creating game plans. And then we go to this huge venue where there are thousands of people watching. Now, this is the opposite of that. I sleep [in the same room as] guys that I can potentially fight. When you do fight, there’s nobody in here. It’s really different. It’s a different experience.”

On how this season is different: “I will say this, for the fans that say that the show is no longer relevant, I highly encourage you to watch this season, because there is a lot going on and it is definitely going to be entertaining from multiple standpoints,” Krause said. “I definitely think it’s lost some of its steam, but I think with the cast that we have, there’s a lot of loyal following with the people that are here. And even with the casual fan that doesn’t necessarily follow any of us, there’s lot going on this season. There’s a lot of controversy. It’s been an interesting stay. There’s never a dull day here. I’m a huge MMA fan and I’m excited to watch the show from a fan perspective as well.”