Like MMA Fighters Themselves, “The Ultimate Fighter” Needs to Adapt

In a sport that requires adaptation and flexibility from its fighters as a prerequisite for success, mixed martial arts offers a special kind of challenge for all athletes.  At the same time, many things within the sport have resisted any kind of change, including the UFC’s flagship reality TV show, “The Ultimate Fighter”.

The show, which is entering its tenth season next fall, has chugged on basically non-stop since we first caught a glimpse of Forrest, Diego, and the rest in season one, but it has lost some of its momentum.  While the show is in no danger of being removed from Spike TV’s lineup, there are less viewers now than in those first few seasons, and even the hardcore MMA fans who tune in every week have started to feel that they are doing so more out of obligation or habit than pure interest.

How did it get this way?  When did TUF become a show that a fighter with almost no professional record (no disrespect to Amir Sadollah, but it’s true) can win the contract?  When did the show become so run-of-the-mill that only household fights and pranks involving urine can liven things up?  Here are a few suggestions that could help TUF become a more relevant, interesting show that can last for years to come:

Stop Having Two Seasons Per Year

As mentioned earlier, the only real reason that the show still grabs the ratings that it does is because MMA fans tune in out of loyalty to the show and the sport.  I know that’s why I watch.  At this point, what other reason is there?  We’ve already seen about the craziest in-house antics that we’re bound to ever see, and each season, it’s getting more and more difficult to recognize the names of any of the fighters involved.  One simple solution that will help to extend the life of the show in the end is to simply have one season per year.  Right now, there isn’t even enough time between seasons to miss the show before another one is rolling out right after it.

Plus, this will make it far less grating when titles are held up for six months due to the champion coaching on the show.  In the end, resisting the urge to pimp the show out to the maximum degree could help turn the show back to “Must-See TV” instead of “Meh TV”.

Offer More Money to the Winners

When TUF first premiered, really good fighters were applying to get on the show.  Fighters like Forrest Griffin, Diego Sanchez, Joe Stevenson and others were mixed martial arts veterans who had fought in big shows around the world and were already known to big fans of the sport.  Hardcore fans already knew a lot of the fighters who showed up on television, and it was clear that the winners could actually compete in the UFC successfully once the show was over.

Now, a quick glance at the records and resumes of fighters from recent seasons paints a stark contrast.  Fighters compete with just a few professional fights, or records barely over .500.  Meanwhile, smart fighters opt to debut in the UFC without the benefit of the television show, maybe to avoid the not-so-great contract that goes to the winner.

“Six figure contract”?  Sure, spread out over a few years, though.  If you’re a great fighter who knows that you can make it into the UFC on your own steam, you’re often better off coming in on your own, winning a few fights and getting a better contract than you would have for winning the show outright.  That’s why we’ll never see the likes of Bobby Lashley in TUF, and that’s why Kimbo Slice scoffed at the invitation from Dana White to “earn his way” into the UFC via the show.  Why would a guy go from making 200k per fight to living with a bunch of dudes and fighting to make less than that over a few years of fights?

Change the Format

Over nine seasons of action, the tried-and-true formula of picking teams, having UFC coaches pick fights each week, and watching the guys be bored out of their minds in the house simply have gotten a bit stale.  What’s the answer to this problem?  It’s hard to say, but at the pace we’re going now, it’s unlikely that viewers are going to still be excited to see this same, unimaginative format play out for another nine seasons.

The changes could be simple: how about we let the guys out of the house?  I’d rather see the guys getting out and exploring Las Vegas a bit than being stuck in the house having wrestling matches and vandalizing the place out of sheer boredom.  By now, we’ve seen about every entertaining thing that can happen when you put 16 fighters in a house together.  Turn them loose and see how they handle the temptations of the city!

I understand that the format of the show is not only about a lack of creativity, but also about logistics.  It is much easier to have cameras on everybody within the limits of a house and a yard than when all of them are spread out, doing different things, and going to public places.  I also understand that the format (along with the readily-available alcohol) is intended to get even the most reclusive fighters to interact and provide some entertainment.  Imagine if phone calls to friends and family were allowed- how fun would that be to watch?  Same with watching television- if it were allowed, it would be too tempting for guys to just veg out.  But there has to be some way to inject a little originality and freshness into the series, without resorting to pitting countries against one another for cheap drama.

In the end, it will be the job of the highly-paid executives to make the show something that we will be excited to watch for years to come.  One thing is for sure, though: you don’t want the show to become something that only hardcore fans watch.  If “The Ultimate Fighter” wants to remain champ for long, the show will have to be open to change.

 by Jon Hartley for Fightmania.com

Tags: Amir Sadollah, Dana White, Diego Sanchez, Forrest Griffin, Joe Stevenson, UFC