Born and raised in New Jersey, Attonito was a 2001 graduate of Hofstra University in Long Island. Attonito wrestled several different weight classes as a member of the Pride wrestling team including the 167 lbs. and 197 lbs. divisions, picking up the team's award for "Most Improved Wrestler" in 2000.
Attonito's interest in mixed martial arts was piqued when he saw his teammate from college, Phil Baroni, take the UFC by storm. However, he did not jump headlong into the sport until 2004, when, while working as a personal trainer in New Jersey, one of his coworkers and former heavyweight boxing title-contender Leo Loiacono, challenged him to make the most of his athletic abilities by competing in MMA. Attonito began training in boxing and jiu jitsu and soon took his first fight six months later. After his fifth fight, in 2006, members of the esteemed American Top Team camp approached Attonito to see if he would be interested in training with them down in Florida.
The Ultimate Fighter
In March 2010, Attonito was announced as part of the eleventh season of The Ultimate Fighter. In his first fight, to gain entry into the TUF house, Attonito defeated Lyle Steffens via unanimous decision. Chuck Liddell selected Attonito as his second pick, making him the 4th overall pick out of 14 competitors. Rich's second fight came was against Kyacey Uscola. The fight ended due to Uscola throwing two illegal knees in round one, giving Rich the DQ win. After an MRI, it was revealed that Rich had broken his hand during the fight and will be unable to continue in the tournament. Rich's spot in the quarter-finals of the competition was taken by Court McGee, after perceived controversy over his loss to Nick Ring.
Rich made his UFC debut at against Team Ortiz fighter, Jamie Yager. He won the fight via TKO in the second round. At, Attonito faced debuting Brazilian Rafael Natal. Attonito won the fight via unanimous decision. During the first round of the fight, Attonito dropped Natal with a right hook which almost prompted the referee to stop the fight. The rest of the fight was close, however the knockdown was enough for Attonito to take the decision. Attonito fought David Branch on December 4, 2010 at. He lost the fight via unanimous decision, getting dominated for all three rounds by Branch's superior ground skills. Attonito was expected to drop to welterweight and face Matt Brown on June 26, 2011 at UFC on Versus 4. However, Martin Kampmann was forced out of his bout with John Howard with an injury and Brown was chosen as his replacement, while Attonito faced Daniel Roberts. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Attonito faced promotional newcomer Jake Hecht on December 10, 2011 at UFC 140. He lost the fight via TKO in the second round. Attonito was expected to face Rick Story on June 22, 2012 at UFC on FX 4. However, Attonito was forced out of the bout with an injury and replaced by Papy Abedi. Attonito was briefly linked to a bout against promotional newcomer Gunnar Nelson in a catchweight bout, contested at 175 lb. on September 29, 2012 at UFC on Fuel TV 5, replacing an injured Pascal Krauss. However, Attonito had reservations about taking the short notice bout due to the weight cut requirements and DaMarques Johnson took on Nelson instead. After turning down the fight with Nelson at both 170 lbs. and at 175 lb. catchweight, Attonito was released from the UFC.
