BOBBI SALCIDO | staff writer
What show has brutal brawls, engaging entertainment, compelling stories, big muscles and me glued to my television on Wednesday nights? The Ultimate Fighter.
The ninth season of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) premieres tonight at 10 p.m. on the Spike channel. With the return of last season’s champs, Ryan Bader and Efrain Escudero, to the octagon also, this day couldn’t come soon enough.
For those who aren’t avid fans of the show, here’s quick lesson in TUF 101.
The Ultimate Fighter is the brainchild of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and SpikeTV. As the foremost competition for aspiring mixed martial artists (MMA), TUF is like a fusion of American Idol and the Real World—except to win, you have to knock out, choke out or tap out all of your roommates.
For six weeks in Las Vegas, 16 amateur fighters from a specified weight class leave their families and friends, surrender all contact with the outside world, endure vicious training sessions from expert coaches and live to fight another day, all in hopes of earning the opportunity of a lifetime: to be in the UFC.
This season, UFC President Dana White has tried to shake things up with the theme: United States vs. United Kingdom.
In the show’s first country vs. country competition, 16 welterweights (156 to 170 pounds) head to Las Vegas to fight it out for the six-figure UFC contract at stake. Led by UFC veteran Dan Henderson, head coach of “team U.S.,” and season-three winner Michael Bisping, coach of “team U.K.,” the fighters all hope to hoist up the ice-sculpture-looking plaque presented to the season’s champion.
The Ultimate Fighter is not just like any other reality competition show. On TUF, one loss usually means a fighter is out of the competition, but definitely not kicked out of the house or off the show.
No matter how far along in the process a competitor may lose, he is expected to stay, support his teammates and continue to improve and learn from some of the best boxing, wrestling, and jiu-jitsu coaches in the world. More important than the talent the fighter starts with, are the skills and maturity he takes with him after the six-week period is over.
The Ultimate Fighter is neither the beginning nor end of a UFC career. Most of the time, it is just a stepping stone. Whether a winner, loser or coach, huge names from the UFC have been connected to the show.
TUF is like a fraternity, a strong brotherhood tested through conflict, challenges and change. Fighters from past seasons have gone on to become training partners and great friends.
While there is plenty of drama, petty quarrels and not so pretty quarrels, fans like myself are drawn in by the heart and determination demonstrated in every episode. These men leave their normal lives to fight for their dream; it just so happens their dream includes fighting.
I am fully aware that some view MMA as a barbaric and bloody sport with questionable hygienic standards (seriously, do they even clean the mats between fights?) that requires no skill other than resilient strength.
But through watching TUF and witnessing how these fighters push themselves to their limits, both physically and mentally, it is obvious to me that this sport takes poise, strategy and above all else, heart.
For example, season three’s team “Ortiz” light heavyweights Matt Hamill and Josh Haynes had completely different stories but a lot to fight for. Haynes source of inspiration was his cancer surviving young son he left at home, to whom he accredited his motto: “never quit.” Hamill, though born deaf, proved himself to be one of the frontrunners in the competition. Another incredible display of heart includes season seven’s Brandon Scene, who spent 28 months in Iraq with the United States Marine Corps as a scout sniper.
I have been anxiously anticipating this season’s premiere for weeks now. As excited as I am to see the fights and watch the drama, I am more looking forward to hearing about the stories of this season’s new crop of UFC hopefuls and the character they bring into the octagon. But don’t get me wrong, the fights will still probably be ridiculous, they have to be, “it’s U.S. against Them.”
