Improving the Ultimate Fighter From the Eyes of a Fight Fan

by Mike Fagan on Oct 11, 2008 3:17 PM EDT in News Comment 22 comments

I don't watch much television these days. I definitely don't have many shows that I watch on a weekly basis. If I didn't have a hard on for MMA, the Ultimate Fighter would not be on that short list.

Don't be fooled by the recent ratings jump. The show's ratings have steadily declined season-to-season. The show has problems. The talent pool dries up every year putting increasingly more inexperienced fighters in the limelight. The drama has run its course. There's only so many things that can happen in a house full of alcohol-fueled meatheads.

But this isn't an article describing the ailments of TUF. I want to see changes. I want to like watching this show. I think the show would be much improved with the following 5 changes:

1. Get rid of the house. Just let it go. Put them up in hotels. Put them up in apartments. Hell, continue putting them in a house. Just stop showing me what goes on there. I don't care to watch mentally unstable guys get drunk and lose their shit. I've had enough friends with the same problems. Plus you're putting the health of other fighters in danger.

2. Focus on the fighter's backgrounds. Without having to devote so much time to the house, you can focus on where these guys came from. You can talk about their families, their upbringing. Make me interested in Junie Browning. Why does he have so many emotional problems? Humanize these characters for me. Separate them from every guy at the bar wearing Affliction and Tapout gear.

3. Stop being a hypocrite. Dana, cut it out. First off, don't tell me EliteXC disgusts you and then turn around and let a guy who assaulted his housemate with a glass STAY ON THE SHOW. Second, don't tell these guys they let alcohol in the house because they're "men" and "should be able to handle it." If that's the case, why can't they handle a phone call to their families? Video games? Books? TV? If you're going to continue putting these guys in a house, just let them live semi-normal lives. Or take away the alcohol if you want to keep them in a mililtary style barracks. Honestly, professional fighters shouldn't be drinking during a training camp anyway.

4. Show us more technique. Season 1 had an interesting "move of the week" type bit. Bring it back in a more subtle way. Show Nogueira or Mir breaking down techniques to the fighters. Educate the casual fan.

5. Build up your main event. I can't stress this one enough. The blogosphere went on a tangent about the lack of buzz for Griffin/Jackson. While the show ended up with fine numbers, I think the UFC could have made much more money. I think a great idea would be to have 30-60 second spots coming in/out of commercial breaks where one of the coaches talks about their career. Why didn't Rampage talk about his fights with Wanderlei Silva? Why didn't he talk about the Chuck fight? Why didn't people find out who Quinton Jackson is? The same thing goes for Minotauro Nogueira in this season. To the average fan, Nogueira is just some guy from Brazil who is friends with Anderson Silva. You have 45 minutes a week. You can afford 3-5 minutes building up your New Year's Eve main event.

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#4 is the one for me

Nothing worse than having some asshole who’s been at a gym for six months tell you you’re ‘not a true fan’ because you fund, support and love the sport and can’t swing $150 a month for a gym membership. If I can tell one of those pricks ‘well, this is how Big Nog said it was done, so I’m gonna go with his opinion’, then yay.

by subo on Oct 11, 2008 4:50 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

On same page except for the house

Very good points you bring up there!

Except i’ll keep guys in a house and show them, but only when something happens about:
1) teams spirit and competition (Ex.: Nogueira coming to the house and building teamspirit with his team and coaches)
2) hype a possible fight between guys having some “arguments” (mocking, playing, arguing, etc.) between each other. And “arguments” exclude violence (verbally or physically) between 2 guys who are supposed to be martial artists wanna-be professional.
3) discussion between figthers about their respective background story

With that kind of show, i would not be embarassed to recommand the show to my uncasual mma friends.

Keep us updated on your eventual meeting with Dana about your excellent suggestions

Phil

by jesuissur on Oct 11, 2008 4:56 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Agreed

They should only show the goings-on of the house if it’s relevant to the competition or the fighters’ backstories. Things like:
1) Josh Haynes discussing his son.
2) The Sims/Thomas brawl (for explanation, not exploitation) and their subsequent dismissal.
3) Pointon and Bisping joking about their previous fight.
4) Why they chose fighting as a career.
etc, etc

Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett

by themachiavellian on Oct 11, 2008 5:19 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I like it..

Good post, I am sick of these guys and their childish behavior. I don’t care to see anything that isn’t related to their fight or training. Their is just too many people who want to see that drama.

I guess you really can’t blame the UFC and Spike for wanting to draw ratings although.

Rob Dib
http://www.break-your-face.com

by Rob Dib on Oct 11, 2008 4:56 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

These are excellent ideas...

from an entertainment point of view (my entertainment). I wonder how these would play out from a ratings point of view. My guess is that the ratings would plummet even faster. The current TUF stunts might make for some improved ratings. As sad as that is. I stopped watching the show seasons ago.

I told you I can't build your candy house! It will fall apart, the sun will melt the candy, it won't work!

by mma_dude on Oct 11, 2008 4:56 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

The childish behavior is what’s going to catch a viewer while channel surfing. Spike figures that most die hard mma fans will tune in no matter what.

by steveoc24 on Oct 11, 2008 5:00 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Agree but ....

Dana is NOT being two faced when it comes to TUF and his opinions on the EliteXC.

Why?

It’s a simple apple-oranges situation. You cannot apply the same standards to a fighting organization as a whole as you would a show that, for all intents and purposes, is entertainment. One is straight MMA while the other is an entertainment program with MMA elements.

Dana knows this and plays both VERY well.

Kicking Junie off so early in the show is ratings poison and has no moral implications to the savvy viewer of TUF. A TUF season with someone melting down so early, would a ratings slide like they have never seen. Compare that to the recent scandals in EliteXC and it is quickly shown that there is no comparison at all.

by HoustonRaven on Oct 11, 2008 5:01 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Agree somewhat.

It is reality TV, do you expect the show to be for the hardcore MMA fan?

Without the house drama, the casual newcomer will be bored out of their mind. People love drama.

by jimb0t on Oct 11, 2008 5:56 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I’d be interested to find out how many casual fans are watching for the mock drama. The show certainly doesn’t have any sort of deep mainstream penetration.

by Mike Fagan on Oct 11, 2008 8:27 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Many

That’s one of the points I can’t agree with. Certainly, it would make for a higher quality product. But I have many friends whose girls would never sit down for that hour unless the boys were knockin em back and throwing shit into the pool. At the end of the day, it is television and it is entertainment more than it should be considered the sport itself. I actually personally enjoy the distinction that many of these individuals are not, and may not ever be, ready for the big stage. That really is part of the experience. It’s an alternate look at why some guys never make it, in a way.

And please, let’s not blame anyone for drunken idiocy beyond the drunken idiots. Many fighters in that house have proven that such behaviour is not mandatory. And Dana is not the one responsible for those kids drinking; it’s the Spike producer, beyond a shadow of doubt. Again; it’s a reality television program first, sporting event second.

Good points though. It’s probably a reasonable, if not worldly, measure of how many hardcore fans would like to see the program handled. But we can’t pay the bills with our viewership without Bobby Affliction-shirt and his girlfriend tuning in.

by Blackout612 on Oct 11, 2008 10:49 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

PS; 2, 4 and 5-- agreed, wholeheartedly

by Blackout612 on Oct 11, 2008 10:51 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Same.

2, 4, and 5 are good points, but I disagree one 1 and 3.

Intentional Blog on Balls

by Richard Wade on Oct 12, 2008 4:56 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

It’s a bait and switch. The switch could be more effective with some of your suggestions, me thinks.

Hyping the organization as a whole is what’s up. To reel in and keep the not so educated, it would indeed be a good idea to show some more of game planning etc, so they can cope with a PPV where not every fight is a Griffin vs Bonnar style slobber knocker.

by ununkvadrium on Oct 11, 2008 6:02 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Well written

by Fight Genius on Oct 11, 2008 6:23 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Outstanding post. I could not agree more. I’m not sure if TUF will ever draw in a truly mainstream audience, simply because it’s on Spike. It’s not like potentially new fans from older demographics are gonna tune into Spike by chance and start working. However, it’s time the UFC and MMA in general starts reaching out to new demographics. The way TUF is produced will just continue to appeal to teens, 20- and 30-somethings. I especially like your suggestion #2. Drawing in older men and women will require story building, and it will better explain why these guys act the way they do. I find it much more socially responsible.

The IFL did this with their marquee athletes, and I liked it. Then again, look what happened to the IFL. Not sure what the answer is, but overall, I agree with your post.

by dmayeda on Oct 11, 2008 8:41 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Good Points

I agree with all of the points except for #1. As Blackout612 points out, if not for the “Real World” meets MMA aspect of the show , i would never get my girlfriend to watch with me. This show is NOT for the hardcore fan but it is a PR machine for up and coming fighters as well as their high profile coaches. You and I are going to watch the PPVs. The UFC is aiming for those who normally would not.

by nitro on Oct 11, 2008 11:21 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I especially agree with #3

I don’t think they should be allowed alcohol if they are training for a fight – and like you said they are so restricted in other ways, why are they so ok with that? I know it’s ratings, but I read someones comment on a different post about the fighters needing to be on top of their game so the UFC (and viewers) can see them at their best in what is already a high pressure situation. It’s true.

Anyone who has trained for a fight will know what a difference it makes, the right diet and cutting out alcohol is very important (in my humble opinion).

AND some girls watch MMA purely for the MMA btw :P

by Brynja on Oct 12, 2008 6:18 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Don't you love the first 2 episodes...

…when they show basically nothing but fights? Minimal background stories and no house drama, just brief intros, weigh-ins, and the fights. I love that.

It’s good to see them learning from the coaches, and the process of adapting their games over the course of the season, but I just want to see more fights.

Couldn’t they create one season of TUF with 4 to 5 fights per episode until they reach the quarter finals? They could start with around 100 amateur fighters, skip the house nonsense, and just give us 2 months of non-stop fighting.

I watch the show now, but I would like to see more fights per episode.

by nandez44 on Oct 12, 2008 7:44 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Not really..

..the fights in the first two episodes were fucking atrocious, for the most part. Same thing last season. Most of these guys come in too raw now that the talent has worn arguably thinner than in previous years. It’s usually toward the middle of the season that you start to see marked improvement and the best fighters float to the top.

by Blackout612 on Oct 12, 2008 11:57 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I just prefer actual fights to practical jokes and sloppy drunks.

I think if they did a good job recruiting some top amateurs, the fights could be pretty solid after the first round of eliminations. As the season went on, they could cut down to 2 fights per show and show us more of the training as well as background.

by nandez44 on Oct 12, 2008 9:49 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Would kind of defeat the purpose of the show, I think.

If they just showed fights, might as well just have some fights. The show is intended (ratings aside) to introduce us to the “next stars”, so that the best fighters come off the show and enter the UFC with either fans or haters already. That’s why they show more of the personality than just “this guy hits hard” and “that guy has wicked subs”.

by mythbuster on Oct 12, 2008 10:07 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Honestly, I think a simple tweak could fix most of the issues. Simply put less focus on the house antics. They need to show some, for drama and letting us get to know the individuals somewhat.

Let’s say they now put 1/2 of the show as house drama and 1/2 as the fight and training. I would suggest 1/4 of the show be the house and 3/4 be the training and the fight. I would like to see more of the coaching, the actual day to day training and maybe even a little more on the fighter (background, camp, etc). i think doing this would have a ripple effect and fix most of the problems listed above. Honestly, do any of not know Junie is an idiot? They really don’t have to keep pushing that, we get it.

We have a guy that is apparently a great coach (Nog) and yet we have seen basically none of his coaching. Swing and a miss, imo.

http://eliotmarshall.com/

by BJJDenver on Oct 12, 2008 2:39 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs