TUF Reinvented, or, What Bellator does right.

by p0wn on Jul 8, 2010 12:07 AM EDT

The Ultimate Fighter on Spike is a wonderful creation. It is what brought the UFC into the spotlight. The concept of bringing emotionally charged athletes fighting for a future with the organization is very intriguing indeed. Intriguing for a few seasons that is.

TUF needs a rejuvenation, it needs a new life. I'm not talking about adding a wild card match into the season, or some inexpensive gimmick. No, I'm talking about bringing a whole new concept to the table.

Bellator, on the other hand, is a seemlingly fresh concept and promotion. Coming from shown on a spanish speaking channel only, to being a youtube hit, to being on national television is an amazing feat. The thing they do better than other mid level promotion(s) like Strikeforce is build new stars. I'd never heard of Toby Imada before seeing his inverted triangle on Jorge Masvidal the previous season. He proved it no fluke as some would say he is this season's champ (though, the judges disagree). Which brings us to Pat Curran. The point is they have brought in a couple big names to bolster their roster, but also showcased quality talent that may not have been discovered for years.

Bellator's format is similar to TUF's, and in some ways similar to the original UFC 1's. A tournament, each fighter is paid a set amount to fight plus a win bonus and it's live. Live, that is one of the key differences from The Ultimate Fighter. I usually skip the actual episodes and just read the synopsis the next day. There's a mystery about live events, it's not canned, it hasn't already happened, you can't predict the future.

I believe TUF could benefit from stealing this structure. Pulling a Microsoft, if you will. TUF is stale, and few people enjoy a bunch of rowdy guys getting drunk and the next day gassing out midway through the 2nd round. Originally it was great to meet these new fighters, now it seems to be the same season over and over. People want to see great fights. Great fights come from guys with 8 week focused training camps.

Please, UFC, make TUF more than a long commercial for your next blockbuster fight. There's just so much more potential now that you have a huge captive audience.

The FanPosts are solely the subjective opinions of Bloody Elbow readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Bloody Elbow editors or staff.

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Imada's

been around for a while.

Facts don't come with points of view.

by Robert Livingston on Jul 8, 2010 4:47 AM EDT reply actions

He is only saying imada's never had the spotlight he had before bellator,hense why he is more well known now

Comic Book Guy: The Internet King? I wonder if he could provide faster nudity…
Homer: Oh, so they have Internet on computers now!

by RealIrish on Jul 8, 2010 7:52 AM EDT up reply actions

ditto that for tuf

i think tuf has really gone spiralling down since the 5th season. i can’t even remember the fighters that won it after that.. that said, i thought the most recent season was a lot better, it had more fights, less drama, and overall more skills.

ps. havent u noticed that the most recent tuf had much fewer scenes in the house? the focus was much more on training and on the fights in the cage.

by 4evayoung! on Jul 8, 2010 12:34 PM EDT reply actions

I’ve noticed they are definitely playing up the fights more, I just think that live fights are more exciting than pre-recorded fights. There’s a lot more incentive to watch something unfold live.

Also, yes, I know Toby Imada has been around, but he has gotten a lot more deserved attention since Bellator. Before that he was unknown to me, now I see him as an up and comer.

by p0wn on Jul 8, 2010 1:07 PM EDT reply actions

the only things about tuf that i dont liek is how close the fights are to one another. Most guys usually take a week off at least especially if it was a tough fight and on the show they are fighting within the next week sometimes while still training.

I wouldnt mind seeing another “comeback” season with some veterans or maybe a veterans vs prospects season.

by omegared07 on Jul 8, 2010 2:34 PM EDT reply actions

I’d watch it if it was more about the training and technique and less about the petty squabbles that seem to fill every reality show.

by Atgreat on Jul 8, 2010 3:02 PM EDT reply actions

Here's my ideal format

Ditch the ‘house’..

Show 1 :
Take 16 guys in the same weight class, two coaches pick their teams of 8.
First show is straight up win to get in. Reduced to 8 people. You could do this before of after the coaches pick, really.

You show 8 fights on free TV, they can be a little abridged if necessary. If there is time left we learn a bit about the fighters left over.

Shows 2-5:
The coaches train their teams of 4 knowing who they will face on the other team. They are training for a single fight.

Show 6:
4 fights, shown in full. If there is time afterward show analysis involving the fighters..

down to 4 fighters now.

Shows 7-11

They are now training for a 4-man mini tournament. So they need to prepare to fight 3 different guys.

Show 12

a 4 man, 3 fight tournament shown in full.

I would love this and that’s why it will never happen

by Atgreat on Jul 8, 2010 3:13 PM EDT up reply actions

shows 2-5 and 7-11 sound very missable.

by frosnt1 on Jul 8, 2010 3:44 PM EDT up reply actions

I was thinking that too.

Forget it Donny, you're out of your element.

by Geno Mrosko on Jul 8, 2010 3:58 PM EDT up reply actions

yeah while i agree that i like the new found focus on fighter training i dont believe TUF will succeed if thats all the show is about. Most people know relatively little about the fighters on the show and this allows for the audience to create a bond with their fighter from the show. Your format is basically a couple of ufc primetimes followed by some average(at best) fights

by omegared07 on Jul 8, 2010 4:40 PM EDT reply actions