UFC Primetime: St. Pierre vs. Penn Live Blog

You may be asking why I am live blogging a television show. It's a reasonable query, but consider this:

White was in the final stages of helping put together the debut episode of UFC Primetime, a three-episode docudrama that premieres on Spike TV tonight at 10 p.m. ET. The series follows Georges St. Pierre and B.J. Penn through the final weeks of preparation for their champion vs. champion clash at UFC 94 on Jan. 31. White and company were in the process of editing the first episode a mere 24 hours before it was set to air, and they hadn't even begun the voiceover work yet.

"We got tapes in today," White said, with more than a hint of urgency in his voice. White's mood was all too familiar to those of us in the media: This was clearly a man under deadline pressure.

"I mean, we got tapes in today," he reiterated. "Stuff that was shot today, we got in today, downloaded into the machine and start editing. You gotta put it together, and it's ... dude, I'm telling you right now. You know what we've done over the last nine years in building this business? I've never been so stressed out as I am working on this show."

UFC Primetime is different not just in depth or breadth of coverage, but in the spirit of new media it pushes detailed information with a true premium placed on speed. In that respect, the show appears to be very much the first product of 21st century information dispersion. When you combine that reality with what appears to be a show with quite a bit to unpack, I felt it only right to start matters off with a live blog which will follow the twists and turns of the show in real time as the community offers their take simultaneously.

It took a fight like BJ vs. GSP to help bring a show like UFC Primetime to life and I think reverse is likely true as well.

Join me at 10 pm EST right here. I suspect this show will kick hype for this main event fight and for the series into high gear. And I can barely wait.

*****

10:02: The "to the death" intro off the break grabs your attention and sets the tone. And immediately a quick contrast is set to help build rivalry, something GSP has heretofore shrugged. I also get the sense right away (and have had the hunch) this is more Penn's vanity project and desire.

10:06: "When are you going to see another Michael Jordan?" indeed after seeing those leaps over the hurdles. WTF.

10:08: The footage of Penn telling GSP who the real fighter was and into the rap song overlay of Penn jogging was utterly masterful. It's clear right away this is a step up in production from previous UFC/Spike TV ventures.

10:09: Penn is making himself the villain right away and unabashedly so. He also gets to the heart of the best argument against GSP: "it ain't easy" but once you get through, you can make him quit. I'm not endorsing that opinion necessarily, but I don't deny its meaning for Penn.

10:13: "The will to win" + hardest work possible in training = BJ's reason to believe he can win this fight. That's his argument: "the will to win" to success.

10:15: First quarter of the program: serious strengths in setting the scene with fighter identity and their relationship to one another. It's also a plus to see Dana White's analysis more naturally. He does so much promoting you lose perspective that White can actually offer valuable insight into fighters and fights.

10:20: And we're back...to Montreal.  GSP pulls the blue collar card to help prove grit and perserverance.

10:22: Whoever is in charge of incorporating the music into scenes is excellent and knows how to incorporate theme, the fighters background and even tastes.

10:29: The conversation between White and Regan was probably not staged but certainly looked so. That was my least favorite part of the show thus far even if it was instructive.

My first take away was that it was too short. What they were developing takes more than three 30 minute installments. It deserves serious attention and that takes time. But I realize this series is just getting started. It will obviously evolve over time.

Optimistically, though, I will say this is the sort of show this sport deserves and needs. This is the antidote to "The Ultimate Fighter" reality show that has devolved into a game show version of "Lord of the Flies". The beauty of TUF originally was that it showed people who fighters really are. And now with UFC Primetime, we circle back to that original discovery. This is the sort of footage you show new fans, interested parties and MMA skeptics. It teaches succinctly everything we, the fan, already know about these fighters and this sport and does so artfully. I say kudos to the UFC for getting it right while preserving its entertainment integrity. The sport deserves this kind of series and its further evidence that any fan who cares about MMA must recognize it is the hitch of the UFC that we must tie our wagon if we want this and better. Not in full commitment or unconditionally, but in good faith. They are our best hope.