The Ultimate Fighter

From OTMWiki

Jump to: navigation, search

Template:Infobox television The Ultimate Fighter is a reality television series and mixed martial arts competition, originating from the United States, and produced by Spike TV and the Ultimate Fighting Championship. In a format similar to the TV series Survivor and Big Brother, professional MMA fighters that have yet to be featured by major MMA promotions are situated in a house outside of Las Vegas, Nevada and compete against each other for the title of Ultimate Fighter, winning a six-figure, multi-fight contract with the UFC.

For each season, prospect UFC fighters are selected in two weight classes. They are divided into two teams, each team coached by a current UFC headliner. The teams would then compete (in a manner which varies by season) to determine which team would have the right to pair one of their own fighters against an opponent of their choice in the same weight class to an MMA match, the loser eliminated from the house. At the end of a series, the four remaining fighters of each weight class are placed in a single-elimination tournament, where the title of Ultimate Fighter is awarded to the winner.

The show features the daily preparations each fighter makes to train for competition and the interactions they have with each other living under the same roof. Day-to-day events on the show are overseen by UFC president Dana White.

Contents

[edit]

Seasons

[edit]

The Ultimate Fighter (2005: January 18 to April 9)

The show premiered on January 18, 2005. Sixteen mixed martial arts fighters (eight Light Heavyweights weighing from 186 to 205 lbs and eight Middleweights weighing from 171 to 185 lbs) were invited to participate in the show where they would reside together and train in two separate teams coached by UFC Light Heavyweight fighters Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture. The teams would compete in physical challenges, segments hosted by singer Willa Ford, to determine which team would have the right to pair one of their own fighters against an opponent of their choice in the same weight class, with the loser being eliminated. The finale was broadcast live on April 9, 2005, in which the two finalists in each weight class faced off for a contract with the UFC - although previously eliminated fighters, such as Chris Leben, have gone on to have successful UFC careers.. The series was broadcast in the UK in the spring of 2005 on Bravo. A 5-disc DVD set of "The Ultimate Fighter" was released on November 1, 2005.

Template:Spoiler

[edit]

Results

Episode 1

Episode 2

  • Team Liddell wins the first Light Heavyweight Challenge.
  • Jason Thacker is sent home by Randy Couture.
  • Team Liddell wins the first Middleweight Challenge.
  • Chris Sanford is sent home by Randy Couture.

Episode 3

  • Alex Schoenauer wins the Light Heavyweight challenge. Bobby Southworth comes in last and will be forced to fight in the elimination bout.
  • Bobby Southworth defeats Lodune Sincaid by knockout in the second round.

Episode 4

  • Alex Schoenauer is traded to Team Couture as part of a team re-balance.
  • Team Liddell wins the Middleweight challenge and the opportunity to schedule the next fight.
  • Diego Sanchez defeats Alex Karalexis with a rear naked choke submission in the first round.

Episode 5

  • There was no challenge or fight in this episode. The show featured Nate Quarry’s injury and the fight and pranks between Bobby Southworth, Josh Koscheck and Chris Leben.

Episode 6

  • As fallout from the previous episode, there is no challenge and Dana White schedules the Middleweight fight between Chris Leben and Josh Koscheck.
  • Josh Koscheck defeats Chris Leben by unanimous decision after two rounds.

Episode 7

  • Josh Rafferty is traded to Team Couture in another team reshuffle.
  • Team Couture wins the Light Heavyweight challenge.
  • Stephan Bonnar defeats Bobby Southworth in a split decision after 2 rounds.

Episode 8

  • Nate Quarry is eliminated from the show due to his ankle injury. Dana White asks Quarry to stay on as an assistant coach, and he agrees.
  • Quarry gets to chose what fighter from the loser’s lounge gets to come back and he chooses Chris Leben.
  • Team Couture wins the middleweight challenge.
  • Diego Sanchez defeats Josh Rafferty in the first round.

Episode 9

  • Forrest Griffin defeats Alex Schoenauer by tap out due to strikes on the ground in the first round.

Episode 10

  • In the first middleweight semifinal match, Kenny Florian defeats Chris Leben after doctor stoppage due to opening up a cut above Chris’ eye.

Episode 11

  • In the second middleweight semifinal match, Diego Sanchez wins a split decision over Josh Koscheck after three rounds.

Episode 12

Finale

  • Undercard
    • Alex Karalexis defeats Josh Raffety by TKO.
    • Mike Swick defeats Alex Schoenauer by KO.
    • Nathan Quarry defeats Lodune Sincaid by TKO.
    • Josh Koscheck defeats Chris Sanford by KO.
    • Chris Leben defeats Jason Thacker by TKO.
    • Sam Hoger defeats Bobby Southworth by unanimous decision.
  • Main card
    • Middleweight Final - Diego Sanchez defeats Kenny Florian by TKO at 2:49 of the first round, winning the TUF championship in the Middleweight division.
    • Light Heavyweight Final - Forrest Griffin defeats Stephan Bonnar by a very close but unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28), in what is described as one of the best fights in the history of the UFC. He wins the TUF championship in the Light Heavyweight division, but Dana White grants Bonnar a UFC contract as well after his performance (Main article: Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar).
    • Main Event - Rich Franklin defeats Ken Shamrock by TKO at 2:42 of the first round. After the fight, Franklin stated his intentions to move to the Middleweight division; he went on to win the Middleweight championship at UFC 53.

Template:Endspoiler

[edit]

The Ultimate Fighter 2 (2005: August 22 to November 5)

The Ultimate Fighter 2 featured a heavyweight (205-260 lb) and a welterweight (156-170 lb) division, with 9 fighters initially in each division. The UFC coaches for this season were Matt Hughes (welterweight champ) and Rich Franklin (newly crowned middleweight champ). Randy Couture hosted and designed the team challenge segments, which if won would allow the winning team to pair a fighter from their team against another in elimination matches. The season premiered on August 22, 2005. Template:Spoiler

[edit]

Results

Episode 1

  • Matt Hughes and Rich Franklin are introduced as the new coaches.
  • Heavyweight Kerry Schall is eliminated due to a knee injury.
  • Eli Joslin chooses to leave the show, citing his reasons as not being able to handle the camera enviornment at the house.
  • Kenny Stevens is chosen as the weakest welterweight and calls out Sammy Morgan to fight.
  • Stevens is forced to forfeit his match after not being able to make weight for the fight.

Episode 2

  • Matt Hughes and Rich Franklin choose their teams.
  • Team Hughes wins the welterweight challenge.
  • Josh Burkman defeats Melvin Guillard by unanimous decision after three rounds.

Episode 3

  • Josh Burkman is forced to leave the competition after breaking his arm in the match with Melvin Guillard.
  • Jason Von Flue joins the show to replace Burkman.
  • Team Hughes wins the heavyweight challenge.
  • Brad Imes defeats Rob MacDonald with a submission by triangle choke in the first round.

Episode 4

  • Team Franklin wins the welterweight challenge.
  • Joe Stevenson defeats Marcus Davis when Marcus taps out in the first round.

Episode 5

  • Team Hughes wins the heavyweight challenge.
  • Rashad Evans defeats Tom Murphy by unanimous decision after three rounds; Rashad causes controversy by "showboating" (dancing around in the octagon) at various stages of the fight, most notably in the final seconds of the first round and virtually throughout the third.

Episode 6

  • Team Hughes wins the welterweight scarecrow challenge after Team Franklin forfeits to save their fighters.
  • Jason Von Flue defeats Jorge Gurgel by unanimous decision after three rounds.

Episode 7

  • Team Franklin wins the heavyweight mud wrestling challenge.
  • Hughes sends Von Flue over to team Franklin for rebalancing.
  • Seth Petruzelli wins a unanimous decision over Dan Christison.

Episode 8

  • Team Hughes wins the welterweight "Randy Says" challenge after Von Flue and Anthony Torres fail to obey Randy Couture's directions.
  • Franklin sends Imes to team Hughes for reblancing.
  • Luke Cummo wins a unanimous decision over Anthony Torres.

Episode 9

  • Team Hughes wins the heavyweight challenge resoundingly.
  • Brad Imes is passed over for a fight due to a cut over his eye received in training; Mike Whitehead is chosen to fight instead.
  • Rashad Evans defeats Mike Whitehead by unanimous decision after three rounds.

Episode 10

  • Jason Von Flue sustains a cut between the eyes in practice; Marcus Davis is brought back as an alternate in the case of Jason being unable to fight.
  • The rest of the matches are set up by Dana White, Rich Franklin, and Matt Hughes with input from fighters; the matches are: Luke Cummo v. Sammy Morgan, Joe Stevenson v. Jason Von Flue, Seth Petruzelli v. Brad Imes, and Rashad Evans v. Keith Jardine.
  • Luke Cummo defeats Sammy Morgan in the second round by knockout with a knee.

Episode 11

  • Rashad Evans defeats Keith Jardine by unanimous decision after three rounds.

Episode 12

  • Jason Von Flue is cleared by the doctors to fight.
  • Joe Stevenson defeats Jason Von Flue in Round 1 with an armbar submission. Luke Cummo and Joe Stevenson will face each other in the final for the UFC contract.
  • In the second heavyweight semi-final, Brad Imes defeats Seth Petruzelli by split decision after three rounds; Petruzelli suffers extensive damage to his right ear.

Finale

  • Undercard
    • Keith Jardine defeats Kerry Schall by TKO (leg kicks).
    • Melvin Guillard defeats Marcus Davis by TKO (cut).
    • Josh Burkman defeats Sammy Morgan by KO (slam).
  • Main card
    • Kenny Florian defeats world-renowned Muay Thai fighter, Kit Cope, by submission (rear naked choke) at 0:37 of the second round.
    • Welterweight Final - Joe Stevenson defeats Luke Cummo by unanimous decision, winning the TUF championship in the Welterweight division.
    • Heavyweight Final - Rashad Evans defeats Brad Imes by a split decision and wins a six figure contract, winning the TUF championship in the Heavyweight division.
    • Main Event - Diego Sanchez defeats Nick Diaz by unanimous decision.

Template:Endspoiler

[edit]

The Ultimate Fighter 3 (2006: April 6 - June 24)

The third Ultimate Fighter series features sixteen fighters (eight light heavyweights and eight middleweights) with still-feuding former champions Ken Shamrock and Tito Ortiz as coaches. It premiered on April 6 2006, immediately after the conclusion of Ultimate Fight Night 4.

There are several rule changes from the previous Ultimate Fighter seasons. There will be no team challenges. All fighters must win a preliminary match before advancing to the semi-finals — which in practice starts the single-elimination tournament at the beginning of the series instead of near the end. The first preliminary match was set by the team who won a coin toss. All subsequent first-round match-ups are set by the team that won the previous match. Each fight is now two rounds instead of the normal three. If there is a draw after two rounds, the match will go to a final, five-minute tiebreaker round. In such a case, the judges' final decision on the match will be based solely on the third round (unless the fight is stopped by the referee before the end of the round).

This series of The Ultimate Fighter is also the first in which fighters who reside outside of North America have participated (Michael Bisping, Liverpool, England; Ross Pointon, Stoke-on-Trent, England).

Shamrock and Ortiz are scheduled to have a rematch of their UFC 40 fight at UFC 61. Template:Spoiler

[edit]

Results

Episode 1: Fresh Meat

Epsiode 2: The Basketball

Episode 3: Team Dagger

Episode 4: Introduction: Hitting it Hard

Episode 5: The Truce Is Over

  • Rory Singer of Team Ortiz defeats Solomon Hutcherson in Round 2 by TKO (referee stoppage).
  • Team Ortiz retains control of the match-ups.

Episode 6: The Letter

  • There is no fight in the episode, although Team Ortiz selects Josh Haynes to fight Tait Fletcher.
  • Noah Inhofer decides to quit the show and return to Yankton, South Dakota after receiving a letter informing him that his girlfriend back home believes he has cheated on her.
  • A previously eliminated fighter returns to take Inhofer's place, but it is not disclosed during the episode who this fighter is.

Episode 7: Mohawk

  • Jesse Forbes returns to Team Shamrock and takes Noah Inhofer's spot in the semi-finals.
  • Josh Haynes of Team Ortiz defeats Tait Fletcher by split decision after 2 rounds.
  • Officially, Team Ortiz retains control of the match-ups. However, as only two middleweights who have not yet fought remain, the next match will be Danny Abaddi (Team Ortiz) vs. Ed Herman (Team Shamrock).

Epsiode 8: The Fuse Is Lit

  • Ed Herman of Team Shamrock defeats Danny Abaddi in Round 1 by Armbar Submission.
  • Officially, Team Shamrock gains control of the match-ups. However, as only two heavyweights who have not yet fought remain, the final first-round match will be Matt Hamill (Team Ortiz) vs. Mike Nickels (Team Shamrock).

Episode 9 :The Golden Boy

  • Matt Hamill of Team Ortiz defeats Mike Nickels by unanimous decision after 2 rounds.
  • Matt Hamill is sent to the hospital after his victory.
  • Semi-final matches begin next episode.
  • The way match-ups are determined appears to be changing, although it is not revealed exactly how.

Episode 10: Full House

  • Most of the first-round losers are brought back to live in the house and help train the semi-finalists.
  • Dana White proposes coaches Tito Ortiz and Ken Shamrock play eight ball billiards (best 2 out of 3 games) for a US$10,000 prize. Shamrock wins 2 games to 0.
  • Despite winning the last match, Matt Hamill is declared out of the competition due to injury. Due to a broken nose sustained in the same fight, Mike Nickels is not an option to replace Hamill.
  • To the surprise of Dana White and both coaches, both Tait Fletcher and Kristian Rothaermel turn down offers to replace Hamill in the semi-finals.
  • Ross Pointon agrees to replace Hamill and fight in the higher 205-pound light heavyweight class despite originally entering the competition as a middleweight.
  • The semi-final match-ups are decided by Dana White and the two coaches. Fighters on the same team are now eligible to face one another.
  • The middleweight semi-final match-ups are Kendall Grove vs. Kalib Starnes and Ed Herman vs. Rory Singer.
  • The light heavyweight semi-final match-ups are Jesse Forbes vs. Josh Haynes and Michael Bisping vs. Ross Pointon.
  • All semi-final matches will be three 5-minute rounds.
  • Kendall Grove defeats Kalib Starnes in Round 3 by Verbal Submission (rib injury). Grove advances to the Middleweight Finals.
  • The next semi-final match will be Ed Herman vs. Rory Singer.

Episode 11: The Jungle

  • Kalib Starnes returns from the hospital and reveals his ribs were dislocated during the previous fight.
  • Rory Singer finds his property defaced and blames Ed Herman and Jesse Forbes. Singer defaces their boxing gloves and lockers and rubs Herman's gloves against his naked buttocks. In retaliation, Herman hides Singer's boxing gloves and leg guards around the gym and urinates on his headgear. Singer finds his gear missing and goes outside to confront Herman. They get into an argument and Herman and Forbes reveal that it was Kendall Grove who had been defacing Singer's gear.
  • Matt Hamill returns and is surprised to find out that he is out of the competition due to medical suspension.
  • Ed Herman defeats Rory Singer in Round 2 by Rear Naked Choke. Herman advances to the Middleweight Finals.

Episode 12: Bangin

  • Josh Haynes defeats Jesse Forbes in Round 2 by Guillotine Choke. Haynes advances to the Light Heavyweight Finals.
  • The fighters (excluding Bisping and Pointon) party wildly before the last semi-final fight and the UFC house is trashed.
  • Michael Bisping defeats Ross Pointon in Round 1 by Striking Submission. Bisping advances to the Light Heavyweight Finals.

Finale

Template:Endspoiler

[edit]

The Ultimate Fighter: The Comeback (August 17-Fall 2006)

Template:Future television The fourth Ultimate Fighter series will be a change from the usual format in that the cast would be composed of talent that has fought in the UFC but did not win a UFC title. The fighters, in middleweight and welterweight, will earn a UFC title shot in their division and a six-figure purse if they win their tournaments. Instead of coaches, prominent trainers and UFC fighters will act as advisors. Randy Couture, Georges St. Pierre, and Mark Dellagrotte, Kenny Florian's kickboxing trainer, will be among the advisors. The cast will still live in seclusion at the Las Vegas house.[1]

Principal filming began on May 21 2006. The series is set to debut on August 17 2006.

[edit]

Future plans

On March 23 2006, UFC and Spike TV announced they have agreed to an extension of their working agreement and there will be four more seasons of The Ultimate Fighter after TUF3. TUF 4 will air late 2006, TUF 5 & 6 will air in 2007, and TUF 7 will air in 2008.[2]

Jens Pulver, former UFC Lightweight Champion, is likely to become a coach for an upcoming season after TUF 4.[3]

[edit]

See also

[edit]

External links

Template:The Ultimate Fighter 1 Template:The Ultimate Fighter 2 Template:The Ultimate Fighter 3

Retrieved from "http://onthemat.com/wiki/index.php/The_Ultimate_Fighter"
Personal tools