most of the minor league fighters are not in the best economic condition so you can see why they wouldn’t be able to make the tryout.

Also we are seeing more and more questionable talent on TUF. Perhaps top prospects think it is better to avoid the show (or they aren’t being picked bc they aren’t colorful enough) and try to break in later like Todd Duffee.

Another trend could be Strikeforce and Bellator’s recent signings could also be hurting recruitment

i see a lot of guys fighting locally around boston that impress me more than some of the people i see on TUF.

i just can’t see how with the sport getting more popular, and more and more gyms opening up, that the talent pool wouldn’t be increasing. i suspect that TUF alone is not a good enough indicator. it’s weird that they had low turnout for season 11 tryouts, but there must be other factors at play.

I know good east coast fighters who cant afford to fly to LA for a big group tryout.

A lot of the top talents are being sucked up by Japanese promotions and Strikeforce at this point, and Dana White seems a bit slow in believing that there is a hidden gem out there. I’m sure there is, but the success of Season 1 and Season 2 guys were that they didn’t have much competition to deal with. They all wanted a shot to be on TV, and now with the added competition of Strikeforce having a network deal and face time on the Challengers series plus regular cards… a lot of them could go to Strikeforce early in their careers when the UFC probably wants to see a bit more experience under their belt.

It isn’t all bad though. Most of those guys will become seasoned in those events, and likely entertain an offer from the UFC in the end anyways. It just sucks for TUF.

I was under the impression that most promising talent actually come up through the regional scene and get in that way instead of trying to get a TUF spot.

Does the UFC ever do stuff where they provide funding to a school for a program? I’m not sure how well it would be received, but for example, my brother went to a private video gaming college that was party funded by a major game maker. Most of the graduates went on to get jobs with said game maker. Perhaps that’s something the UFC could do, as a basic poaching ground for homegrown talent, considering a lot of the smaller promotions are now struggling and/or failing. I know most schools might balk at the thought of letting their kids punch each other in the face and submit each other, but perhaps done in conjunction with other private investors?

I think that the talent pool for MMA will always be a bit small. It’s extremely demanding on the body and requires knowledge of a wide variety of styles. It’s much easier to box or wrestling, or even play something other than a combat sport. It’s also still probably growing, regardless of TUF’s reporting, but I think it’ll always have a lower population than most others.

Also, maybe it’s time to give TUF a break? A year or two off the air might help.

If the economic times were good there would be more people willing to leave their job for a while to tryout. If they make it on the show they pretty much guarantee that they won’t have their old job back if they don’t win or get a runner-up contract.

I think if White really wants to build the sport to be running with the big 3 he needs to get Zuffa to invest in local promotion groups to build a solid “minor” league. Get UFC or Zuffa sponsored local events or supplement payouts for key local fight promotions.

It takes a certain type of person to be willing to get into a ring and actually fight for money whether its MMA, boxing, or any combat sport. I think their rate of growth is not sustainable with the rate of actual talent. Right now MMA seems to be grabbing every decorated wrestler they can convince to cross over the line from just grappling to actually fighting.

But I don’t think it should necessarily be, if you win you’re in. Too many times both fighters performed badly and just cause one guy won, he gets on the show. It should be based on performance, not the ‘W’. I know it sounds weird, but I think if two guys go out there and lay and pant all over each other for 2 rounds neither deserve to be in there. But if 2 guys go out there and fight and show some skill and desire why not bring both of them in? I think not guaranteeing guys an in just for winning would put a little fire under their nuts.

While UFC is the premiere MMA organizations, they don’t offer as many opportunities for a young prospects. Not to mention some of their stifling business practices that place the UFC brand above all else.

If I was a young fighter and I had a choice between fighting for the UFC or building a career and my own personal brand fighting for smaller organizations, possibly StrikeForce AND Dream on the international stage then I wouldn’t hesitate to try to make a name for myself outside of the UFC.

While the UFC has been aggressively expanding its roster…

Were there not several stories within this last year of how the UFC was cutting back its stable?

I know of several fighters within a few hour drive from me that could beat a lot of the guy’s on this season of TUF. The show is what it is: a vehicle for a few prospects to be showcased along with a lot of characters. Most seasons recently have had a few legit talents in the house and 12 or 13 guys on the show because of how the TV folks think they’ll be perceived on the show.

Unfortunately for many fighters, many who traveled thousands of miles and spent thousands of dollars, their hard work, time, and money were spent in vain. As they did with The Ultimate Fighter 10, the UFC will only be using one weight class for TUF 11, middleweights.

For the light heavyweight fighters that made it all the way to the final interview, their hopes and dreams were shot down. According to multiple LHW hopefuls, they were told that TUF 11 will feature only middleweights, but to keep trying.

from promma.info

Seriously