*Warning: This page is deceiving. It is an autobiography. I couldn't find someone to write my life's story for me.*

I was born Tamdan Wade McCrory on November 5th, 1986. I shared a womb with my twin sister Tegan for 9 months prior to that, in which I hogged all the nourishment to come out at 6 lbs 4 oz, where she was only 4 lbs 6 oz. We came from a lower middle class family, but our parents found a way to make due. I was considered a wierdo in elementary school, and found it hard to fit in. I had a real problem as a child, dealing with stress and feeling depressed. I found myself questioning the meaning and intricacy's of life at a very young age. I thought a lot about things that you wouldn't guess a child would question. I went to therapy for a few things but it didn't seem to work; I struggle with a lot of the same problems today.

My parents did the best they could, but after sometime, their marriage fell apart. I ended up living with my mom and her boyfriend mostly throughout my middle/high school days. These were the roughest times of my life, or it seemed so at the time. It wasn't quite the environment I could call "home". I had a house I lived in with my mother, but never really a "home". My mom's boyfriend at the time was a real peice of work. I developed my lack of confidence and insecurity during these years. It didn't help that I found no solace at school or through sports teams. I never really fit in anywhere. A lot of crazy things happened in my life that are quite personal which I wish not to disclose. It was an unfortunate time in my life, but things happen the way they do and it molded me into the madness that was to come...

I played a ton of sports growing up. I pretty much played everything at some point. I always dreamed of being a professional athlete. I wanted to be like Deion Sanders and Michael Jordan; an athlete that played two different sports professionally. I really loved football growing up, it was my main sport. I was a few months too young to play football one year, and I tried to talk my dad into lying about my age so I could play. Unfortunately, he wasn't sold on the idea. I needed a winter sport in middle school, so I tried out for basketball. I was one of the tallest kids in school, and I was pretty good. I got cut, and that was it. I went out for wrestling the next year. After sophomore year, I stopped playing football and started wrestling year round.

I went through a lot of body changes between freshman and sophomore year. Going into highschool I was 5'8" and 190 lbs. I was quite a chub rock. I started developing a bad self image. I wasn't physically what I needed to be in sports, and I didn't like the way I looked. I developed some bad eating habits and became obsessed with being thin. The following year I was 6'2" and 140 lbs. Ever since then, I've always been tall, scrawny, and unable to pack on muscle. I've filled out more since then, but I'm still way too small for my frame. I've never been satisfied with my appearance or my body growing up.

I went to college hoping that life would change and be grand. My poorly developed social skills transcended into my college years, where I am still a misfit to this day. A few years of drinking and being an idiot in college led to me getting in trouble and realizing I really had no one I could truly call a friend. I spent my time in the gym lifting as much as I could trying to get bigger and more physically appealing, but it was all for nothing. I did some jiu jitsu at a club at our school where I learned a few things. That, and I tested out all the crap I learned on the internet there. Luckily good things were to come, and my life was actually going to change for the better.

I ended up meeting my coaches, Ryan Ciotoli and Erik Charles through myspace and also a fluke meeting in person in April of 2006. I saw "The Ultimate Fighter" on T.V. and thought I could do it. I wanted to beat the shit out of people. I wanted a license to kill. I had so much rage in my life and I wanted to unleash it. I talked to them about training and they had me come in and tested me out. Erik ditched me for a ride, but I showed up anyway. He couldn't get rid of me that eastly. I was garbage when I first started, and no one thought I'd ever be able to win a fight. I trained with Erik and Ryan as much as I could. I was like a sponge, trying to soak in all the knowledge I could. After a while,I started getting better, and my coaches started to realize my potential. I convinced them to get me a fight and luckily they said yes. I went out there and clobbered my opponent. It was an awesome feeling, but I craved more. I fought two weeks later and beat a seasoned veteran in Massachusetts, which was a major upset.

From there everything took off. I continued to fight and win all my fights without ever going the distance. I became one of the youngest NABC Champions at the age of 19. In May of 2007, I got a contract with the UFC. So that's where I'm at now. I've matured a lot as a person and as a fighter. I've conquered some of the demon's of my younger years, but I'm also still fighting a lot of them off. As a fighter, I went from wanting to kill everyone, to wanting to make money, and eventually after all my success, I decided I want to be the best I can be at this sport. I'm not taking my sweet time getting to the top. I'm heading straight up the ladder on a steam roller looking to crush everyone in my way.

Everyone asks me how I got the name "The Barn Cat". A friend of my coaches once told all of us that "barn cat's are pound for pound the most ferocious animals alive. Like, if you had a 1000 lb barn cat vs. a 1000 lb bear, the barn cat would kill it. I mean, a barn cat could kill a shark if the fight was in the ocean". I tend to have an ultra aggressive style, and I was deemed "The Barn Cat". I was apprehensive about the nickname at first. I didn't feel that it struck enough fear into the hearts of those that oppose me. Now, all one has to do is see me in a fight, and they'll know what it's like to mess with a barn cat...

So that's my story. Hope it wasn't too lengthy but there you go.