Jeremy May was a contestant on season seven of The Ultimate Fighter in 2008. He submitted David Roberts in the opening episode to make his way into the house, then infuriated fellow cast mate Matt Brown by spiking his tobacco with lime juice. The two were selected to square off and Brown avenged the honor of his tainted chaw with a brutal knockout.
May didn’t get the chance to ply his trade in the Octagon after the show but has competed seven times since, winning four, one of which was over another TUF alum in Frankie Lester. His last outing was a losing effort against former UFC middleweight Dave Branch at Shark Fights 15.
Beyond the cage, Jeremy May is embroiled in a different kind of combat. The Miami Herald reports that May has joined his father, a preacher in Georgia, in supporting The Promise Land Children’s Home in Pereira, Colombia. The Promise Land is a nonprofit organization that houses seventy-eight Colombian orphans ranging from age one to nineteen who are in need of the basics in life that we often take for granted, such as food on the table and a roof overhead.
Unfortunately, the group is toiling furiously just to provide those simple amenities. The Promise Land facility can barely muster enough food for the children and the roof of their kitchen is leaking. In addition, the organization is further challenged with meeting an employee minimum for government requirements.
To supplement his father’s six years of effort, not only does May donate 50% of each fight purse and 100% of his sponsor money, but the American Top Team fighter has pledged to raise $25,000 for the cause. Step one for May is hosting a mixed martial arts seminar this Sunday at the Monsters Training Center in Miami, Florida, where all proceeds will go to The Promise Land charity.
When visiting the orphanage in Colombia, May inspires the children by gathering them up on a nearby soccer field to teach them about MMA. Thus far, with the efforts of the May family, The Promised Land has accrued a greenhouse to grow vegetables and sixteen cows to provide for the children.
“I feel like I am father to them,” Jeremy May told Rodolfo Roman of the Miami Herald. “They call me a champion. Once you spend time with them it’s hard to come back to the states.”
For seminar information, call the Monsters Training Center at (305) 515-4273
To make a donation to The Promise Land Orphanage, go to www.MeetMeInTheCage.com
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