"My mom had a really bad mental disorder, but it was my dad that was abusive.  He hit me in the head a bunch of times; with a hammer one time.  It was my whole life that that would happen.  It was getting to the point where it was just escalating.

"I thought he was going to go too far and kill me.  And then there was a time when I picked up something to kill him while he was passed out drunk.  I stood over while he was drunk and passed out.  Obviously, I was at a crossroads in my life.  Decided that's not what I wanted."  - Abe Wagner

The situation above happened when Abe Wagner was in his childhood, weighing approximately 165 pounds.  His father, however, stood 6'6" and weighed 350 pounds.  Wagner's father currently lives in Northern Wisc., after being released from prison a few years ago.  He had been incarcerated for prior felony violations and for what happened with his son.  The two have spoken once in the past 10 years.

At 15, Wagner left his father's home, and lived in a foster home for a year.  He was then emancipated and moved onto a dairy farm, where he played sports, which helped him pay for college.

Wagner is a contestant on the upcoming season on The Ultimate Fighter, which premieres Wednesday, Sept. 16 on Spike TV.