After his high school graduation, Richman decided to forgo college to enlist in the United States Marine Corps. He served four years of active duty, based out of Camp Pendleton in California. During his enlistment, Richman was deployed to Iraq 3 times. Richman received an honorable discharge from the Marine Corps in January 2008, achieving the rank of Sergeant. Richman was primarily a grappler his first year in the sport, but developed a very good stand-up game during his time training under Sergio Cunha. Now trains at the famed Academy in Brooklyn Center. Appeared on season twelve of The Ultimate Fighter reality show.