Tim Gorman's Injury Pre-Existing; Dana White and TUF Producers Pay Medical Bills

Tim Gorman's dream of winning The Ultimate Fighter crashed during last night's episode when it was revealed he suffered a torn hamstring and would be unable to continue in the competition.

Gorman was an early favorite to go far in the bantamweight side of the bracket, but the leg injury prevented him from going further than the elimination round.

As more information was made available about Gorman's condition, it turns out he actually suffered the injury prior to making it to the reality show, but he refused to give up his shot and fought on the torn hamstring in the opening round.

According to Gorman's manager, Ryan Hass of EVO Agents, in a statement received by Bleacher Report on Thursday, the fighter was definitely not 100 percent going into his first fight but had no intention of giving up his spot.

Now the bad part about going into The Ultimate Fighter with a pre-existing injury is the fact that the UFC's medical insurance for the fighters wouldn't pay to fix his damaged leg. Gorman didn't actually hurt the leg during the competition, so the insurance couldn't cover his torn hamstring.

Hass says UFC president Dana White along with the producers behind The Ultimate Fighter were so supportive of Gorman during this process that they actually paid his entire medical bill out of their own pockets because insurance wouldn't cover it.

The bantamweight prospect underwent therapy for the torn hamstring, and his manager says Gorman is already healed up and hopes to fight as early as January.

As disappointed as Gorman was about missing out on his chance to win The Ultimate Fighter, he can be happy in the fact that his next fight will take place in the UFC.

White confirmed on Thursday during a Google Hangout session on Fox Sports that Gorman will get a shot in the UFC regardless of how he exited The Ultimate Fighter.

"The kid's a nutball, he's a lunatic. I like that, that's not a bad thing. He wanted to continue to fight, I respect that," White said. "He'll get another shot in the UFC, we'll give him a shot."

Gorman can now fully focus on his rehab and training as he awaits the call for his first fight in the UFC presumably either late this year or early 2014.

Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report