Posted by Dave Walsh on 9th September 2009
I don’t know about you, but watching this is actually not only entertaining, but exciting. It looks like UFC will actually deliver with this season of “The Ultimate Fighter.” The show has never been about the best fighters fighting for a spot in the UFC; most of the “best” fighters end up in the UFC without appearing on a reality television show. The early seasons did a great job of finding talent, but at this point, the pool has been drained. This time it around it looks like they know what sells; big fighters and big personalities. Perfect.
This clip shows just how this show is going to play out; Rashad and Rampage do not like each other, and Dana White will act like he is ticked off by it, but knows that those two butting heads throughout the season is nothing but great television.
Then there is Kimbo. Kimbo is not the best fighter on the show, and everybody knows it, but Kimbo is the guy that will make this show worth watching. The target is painted on him as soon as he is trotted out there and told to get into line. With fighters like Roy Nelson or Wes Sims who have a wealth of experience in the ring on this season mixed in with Kimbo and some giant former NFL players it should be extremely interesting.
Posted in TUF, UFC | 4 Comments »
Posted by Alan Conceicao on 23rd April 2009
You may have noticed a lack of Ultimate Fighter content. To be honest, I started work on a preview of this season and then gave up. You know why? Because this season is bad. Listen, I get that there is resistance to calling this a bad season of the show from a lot of people on the internet, but the truth is this season sucks. I’ve barely bothered to keep up with it and neither have any of the other contributers here. Two guys look like the dominant forces early on: Jeff Lawson and Jason Dent. If you know anything about MMA beyond the UFC, or hell, if all you know is the UFC, you know that Jason Dent isn’t an elite level guy. And that makes the fact that there’s about 14 guys worse than him on this show so amazing.
The ugly truth is that guys like Mushin Corbbrey and John Gunderson (who tried out) were turned down for this show for Ray Elbe and Waylon Rowe. The only reason that you would turn down a guy who’s fought on Showtime for guys that lost to guys that lost on Showtime is obvious: You’re intentionally looking for weak fighters. TUF 9 is not about building new American talent. It is completely about building new talent for the UK. Its about finding another Bisping to sell tickets over there when the live gates have been dropping with each show put on. You don’t just have to believe me that these fighters suck: Look at the TUF 9 Finale! There’s already 7 non TUF fights booked; more than any other Finale in history. Mix that with a tired setup of house and riled up young fighters and we’re all finding something else to do with out Wednesday nights. Since the ratings were down to a 1.1 in week 2 and…well, I can’t find a rating for week 3. But I’m gonna go on a limb and say it wasn’t record breaking in a good way. But it doesn’t look like we’re alone either.
Posted in Alan Conceicao, TUF | 4 Comments »
Posted by Dave Walsh on 13th December 2008
So, after a day long marathon of some uneasy moments, some sub-KOTC-level bitch-slapfests and things that make Ivan Trembow feel uncomfortable about watching Mixed Martial Arts, it is time for the finals o this season of The Ultimate Fighter. Hopefully you’ve been following Kendall’s breakdowns of each and every episode, or if you are like me, you are in the process of digesting the entire show on a slow Saturday afternoon, either way, we’ll be providing you with live analysis of The Ultimate Fighter Finale.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Dave Walsh, Liveblog, TUF, UFC | 5 Comments »
Posted by Alan Conceicao on 8th December 2008
After a weekend that saw the biggest night in heavyweight kickboxing (and argurably the sport in general) and the biggest night in boxing for 2008, its hard to believe it may be topped without a single PPV card on the bill. But with 5 boxing cards and 3 MMA events scheduled for national television, it’s hardly a ridiculous notion. In our first of two parts, we detail the 3 MMA cards promised for the next 6 days.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Adrenaline MMA, Alan Conceicao, TUF, UFC | No Comments »
Posted by Kendall Shields on 5th December 2008
Is it just me, friends, or did the week off really suck the life out of this thing? I understand that Thanksgiving is not the best time to air new episodes of anything, and so, sure, a week off. But as a Canadian, I had already enjoyed Thanksgiving long, long ago (we harvest in mid-June to avoid frost issues, basically), and so I simply felt abandoned. And now it all seems so distant. Wait, wait, there were some . . . dudes? In a . . . house? And they were supposed to train and compete but they mostly . . . jerked . . . off . . . into . . . sushi! That’s it! Yeah, OK cool, I’m back.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in TUF, UFC | No Comments »
Posted by Kendall Shields on 21st November 2008
Well friends, after what can only be described as an incomparably glorious nine-episode run at the estimable UGO.com, The Ultimate Fighter reviews return to Total MMA. To their spiritual home, you might say. Which is now also their literal home. There is at last . . . accord. There is also . . . Junie? Maybe? Let us watch some show. And see.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in TUF, UFC | 2 Comments »
Posted by Kendall Shields on 13th November 2008
This week with improved hygiene! By which I mean no one consumes urine. Enjoy.
Posted in TUF, UFC | 3 Comments »
Posted by Kendall Shields on 30th October 2008
Hell hath no fury like a Nogueira dissed. Read all about it.
Posted in TUF, UFC | No Comments »
Posted by Kendall Shields on 23rd October 2008
Can Junie Browning live up to his own hype? Find out.
Posted in TUF | No Comments »
Posted by Dave Walsh on 18th October 2008
Michael Bisping is an interesting fighter for a few reasons, partially as he is a home grown star, and more or less the anchor for UFC’s future in the UK. Bisping is, most likely admittedly, not the most experienced or accomplished fighter in the world. Granted, Bisping is on a skill level of being a UFC fighter and all that it stands for, when he first arrived all of the hype that they put on him seemed unwarranted.
Posted in Dave Walsh, Michael Bisping, TUF, UFC | No Comments »
