Former MMA fighter Tanner Saraceno, who recently tried — and failed — to win WWE’s “Tough Enough” reality show competition, spoke about his time on the show, his MMA career and the “fake” pro wrestling controversy.

Below are some of the highlights from the interview.

On his MMA career: “I had a good streak going before I broke my ankle during a fight. The fight was stopped because my coaches realized my ankle was broken. I was stubborn so I kept fighting. They noticed my ankle was dangling in the air, and I wasn’t using it. They had the fight stopped. I had a surgery. They put six screws and a tightrope through it. I think they said I should be out for a year before I should fight again. Six months later I had a fight for a middleweight championship for the USSFC organization and ended up winning via TKO. Then I found out about Tough Enough.”

On the differences and similarities between pro wrestling and MMA. as well as the “f-word” (fake) controversy: “There was nothing they gave me I couldn’t do. So my MMA background fit in there. I could definitely see some crossover between the two worlds. That being said they are two different sports. These people in WWE, these superstars are freak athletes. Between what they do to their bodies, how they look and what they are doing day after day. It is definitely something to respect what they put their bodies through.

“I can assure you it’s not the f-word (fake). Having been in there and taking some bumps, we haven’t done nearly as much of what goes on in a full match. If you wake up sore, I can assure you it’s real. And we haven’t even done nearly what it takes to be at the superstar level yet. So I have a ton of respect for the superstars and their dedication to look the way they do and perform the way they do.”

Check out the complete interview at ChannelGuideMagBlog.com.

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