Dana White Blames The Ultimate Fighter 13's Poor Quality on Lack of Elimination Round

Year after year I find myself slightly less interested than the previous year.

Get away from the focus on prospects because in the context of a developed sport I don’t think a reality show is a viable way to scout and develop talent.

Instead do it more like the comeback season, but every season. Well travelled veterans and UFC castoffs fighting for a chance to get back in the show. It could inject some more well known names back into it and I think the fights would be better just because I think veteran fighters would realise this might be their last crack at the big time.

I don’t think the show has produced a viable contender in a long time. Bader maybe? I don’t know. Sure, turning to the lighter weights should help get blood from a stone, but ultimately, this is just not fun anymore.

This is the first season I have not followed

I think it’s a good idea to keep it, because its a nice introduction to the show, but its worth remembering that the best seasons of TUF didn’t have an elimination round to get into the house.

For all the reasons mentioned here, TUF needs more than minor tweaks at this point in order to recapture our imaginations. I still think there’s value in an MMA-themed reality show, but they need to make big changes to address 1) the lack of available talent for this kind of program and 2) the general staleness of the format.

I’m sick of the “hey it’s free fights” argument when the fights are bad and the fighters are Shark Fights caliber.

Season 5 the show hit its peak and it’s gotten worse each year. Seasons 8 and 9 were quite bad in terms of talent (Bader and Pearson excluded) but this, THIS, is a tragic state of TUF.

And initially have fighters tested in separate areas for house/show entry? So maybe a striking round, a submission round and then an all-inclusive round? Could have the potential to flush out that are all-frill, no-skill..

Maybe not, just throwin an idea out there.

the elimination round means nothing really..i think you nailed it with the lack of top level talent in this season’s cast. none seem like they are at a ufc type level yet, so therefore there is no depth to the cast like earlier seasons have had. the fights have all been lackluster and there isnt that one potential star/ringer to capture people’s attention (like a bisping in his season).

i would love a different format showcasing rising stars but we know it isnt going to happen at this point. at least 135 and 145 are somewhat deep outside the ufc’s roster already and usually make for exciting fights.

Maybe if they didn’t cut some of the real talent like Karl Amoussou and Andre Galvao from the tryouts the fights coulda been better. Instead they brought in a bunch of guys who tap before the choke is even locked in and guys who just hold their opponent against the cage.

1. Make the contract they are competing for actually worth competing for. If you made it say a 3 fight $50k a fight contract then you are going to get some guys that actually have UFC level talent interested and perhaps can even draw some veterans in.

2. Stop picking fighters who obviously shouldn’t be there. I mean seriously where do they find some of these guys. A lot of them aren’t even prospect level and the fights just suck.

3. The no contact and free alcohol aspect of the show is played out. Your in Vegas for goodness sake I’m sure you can come up with some group activities to appeal to reality show viewers. Tough Enough is pretty sucky too but it’s doing 2-3 million viewers a week, they actually get the contestants out and do things with them.

Fighting every few days with little to no preparation, without a proper training schedule (ie scheduling your regiment to peak at the right time) and little to no knowledge of your opponent strengths a weaknesses results in the lack luster fights we have been seeing since really the 4th season. Also the lack of fight production and commentary does not help to make the fights any more interesting.

The format is just not set up to get the most out of fighters, it was good at first but has not gotten stale and boring. It’s time to rethink the format, maybe do something similar to the old tapout show where they follow up and coming prospects the week before their first UFC fight and the show would culminate with their fight (presumably an un-televised undercard fight on a UFC card).

is not just that these guys aren’t good, which is a factor, but that they can’t prep for fights properly. They don’t have a six or eight week camp to prepare for a fight the way most professional MMA fighters do.

I stopped watching a couple of seasons ago and won’t return until they put together a better show. Hopefully the next season will have the feather and bantam weight fighters. They won’t have the same proclivity to gas out as the heavier fighters and there should be a deeper pool of untapped talent at the lower weight classes.

Drop Anderson, Machida and Cro Cop in the house real late at night, and see if they can eliminate them all before they film another episode.

Then I’d watch.

With the rest of the cast being welterweights? hell yeah I’d watch that!

I watch it just because every episode I fall more in love with JDS.

The format is shot. They should have 8 to 12 mini tournaments in various countries around the world, and bring all the winners in or something. Would cost alot, but I want to see a Super Six/Contender style show at this point. The show should be about fighting! And less about standing around trying to manufacture drama. I mean, a guy risking his life in combat should shape the narrative. Switching up the cameras and working some more cinematic techniques, as opposed to paying to re-drywall a Vegas mansion every year should be Zuffa’s priority.

with 99% of the footage of girls doing homoerotic activities and running around in their underwear. It would be a good way to introduce Women’s MMA…

… aaaaand that right there is a reason why Women’s MMA will never be taken seriously.

that episode is always a blast

This is what I want from a new TUF:

1. On top of having competent skilled fighters, you need unique entertaining fighters as well.

2. Keep on bringing in some interesting, famous, legendary combat sports or celebrity athletes to visit and teach the fighters.

3. Go to Asia and actually film TUF there, or go to a unique entertaining training location, gym, school, dojo etc. and actually soak up that area and let the show expound on that.

4. Have Sakuraba as a head coach, film in Japan maybe, translate all that he says, have another opposing coach be, I dunno, maybe a Gracie or anyone that is interesting. Or have legendary status coaches, just maybe forget about having active fighter coaches fighting at the conclusion, you don’t always have to have the coaches be current fighters with an upcoming fight. Same with their assistant coaches, have legendary status guys we care about maybe. And then when you have a more interesting coach bring in assistant coaches that are part of their story and background and tell more about the head coaches background and have that as part of the show to teach and train the fighters.

5. Maybe get out of the UFC training center. Train somewhere else. Show us some unique revolutionary varied training philosphies. MMA is evolving everyday. Why can’t TUF show us that as well.

6. When you have interesting fighters you can actually show me more about their story or background instead of just talking about it.

7. Maybe Zuffa should hire WWE to help them in some production aspects (of all shows not just TUF) since WWE is branching out into that now.

What I am describing is possibly not enconomically, logistically feasible at this time, but it may happen one day. Just compare the shows WWE put on in the 80s on Television (not PPVs) versus what’s on today, it’s night and day in terms of content for the most part.