[Milkbone]

I like it, just cuz it gives me something weekly thats mma-related to watch. I am, however, more interested in the fight at the end, and what little training they show than how much the guys can drink. I wish it was all about training and fighting, cuz i don't care who gets along...

[treydolla]

True fans of the sport know that concentrating on only one discipline will make for unbalanced fighters. If a striker does not spend the needed training in grappling and submission fighting, it shows, the opposite is true as well. There has to be a mix of the two. The disadvantage against a quality, well rounded fighter will mean getting your butt handed to you. Personally, I enjoy the possiblilty of a fight going to the ground. I can barely watch boxing now after years of MMA.

[sandoz25]

A help and nothing but the Help.

[warrior041]

its a help, it brought me to enjoy the sport and now i'm totally hooked on the sport. i believe it's doing the same for many others. i watched ufc 1&2 when i was younger so i'm not totally new to the sport.

[DieAllRight!]

TUF has run it's course.

Of course, that doesn't mean I'll stop watching.

[mumf69]

Originally Posted by Commissar

When The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) aired on Spike TV, it was welcomed as a breathe of fresh air in all the reality TV nonsense that was consuming our air waves for the years previous. We were excited to watch MMA on TV, for free. We were excited about the potential mainstream exposure that it could receive. At this point, it never occurred to us what it all meant.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship is getting popular in North America. Now anyone you talk to has at least heard of it, and many others actually watch it regularly. The former bloodsport had succumed to the same Capitalist concepts as Microsoft had, or even professional boxing had. Now, in the UFC, the concept of having the best champion has disappeared. They want a marketable, entertaining champion instead. For a fanbase of wrestling fans and boxing fans, the art of jiu-jitsu or the style of Greco-Roman wrestling is unknown to them. They want knockouts. They want the bloodsport that began in 1993. They don't want 'pussy' submissions, and they sure as hell don't want '***goty' grappling in their pure sport.

One year ago, the Ultimate Fighting Championship had a competitive company. No expectations to live up to, nobody to please, except the hardcore fans that wanted the best champion, not the most marketable. They had a good lightweight division. Then TUF happened.

One year later, the UFC has gotten rid of several of their top fighters, due to losses or grappling-oriented fights. Ivan Salaverry lost a decision to Nathan Marquardt and was released. Frank Trigg was released after getting tooled and submitted by Georges St. Pierre. Matt Lindland has been released after defeating everyone the UFC has thrown in front of him, and dominated in a wrestling fashion.

The UFC is losing it's top fighters to the likes of Forrest Griffin, Stephan Bonnar, and Diego Sanchez. Entertaining fighters, yes. High-end, quality fighters, no. Not yet.

The UFC is losing it's hardcore fans to the likes of new ones. With each contract release, it becomes harder and harder to compare the UFC to PRIDE. Dream Stage Entertainment has PRIDE extremely popular in Japan without sacrificing their top fighters. Why can't Zuffa? Is it the audience?
If so, can MMA successfully thrive in the West?
If it has nothing to do with the audience, why is the UFC failing where PRIDE thrived?

The next few months will be important for the future of the UFC. By January, we should know where the Ultimate Fighting Championships; insterests truely lie.

Discuss.
______________

*This not bashing the UFC, or comparing it to PRIDE. This is an overview of facts. If you disagree, feel free to tell why*

Matt Lindland did what?? Matt lost twice in the same fight against Bustamonte, got KO'ed against David Terrell-a BJJ specialist & knocked himself out in another fight.He failed in every attempt to win a title in the UFC. Trigg talked a big game before going to the UFC, now he is known as MR.RNC because he keeps losing via rear naked choke & Salaverry lost after the Marquardt fight & was then released.Also, Pride crumbled & is owned by the owners of the UFC now.I think Salaverry was the only one of the 3 that should still be in the UFC.I do believe TUF should get quality fighters instead of picking a personality.Corey Hill with no pro fights should never get on TUF.The last couple seasons I have been struck by the lack of depth on the shows as far as quality fighters. Good fighters who are deserving of a big break are getting passed over for showmanship.

[polovitz14]

I think TUF is great for the sport and athletes. It gives people who cant afford to rent or go to events to enjoy the sport. It also lets us see that professional athletes are real people, and make sacrifices.

[axhand1e]

TUF rules...when kept in the correct perspective. It puts butts in seats and sells ppvs. Without it, the whole world of MMA would still be in the shadow of other combat sports like boxing. So, it was more important in the beginning than it is now. As for the "problem" mentioned about good fighters being let go in lieu of "TUF" fighters, I just haven't seen it. From what I've seen (I watched the first 8 UFCs and got too poor/bored to keep up with it until TUF came out, and for the last 2 yrs I've been a huge fan doing some serious catch-up) the TUF winners/fighters have been matched up against some of the "quality fighters", and with the exception of the Franklin vs. Quarry massacre, they have been the ones sending these so called "real" UFCers packing. I know I wasn't the only person who thought Tito got the "gifts" in decision victories over Forest Griffin and Rashad Evans. Quarry just wasn't ready for Franklin. Also just because Anderson Silva and Rampage came over from Japan to win titles does not qualify Pride as the company of higher caliber competition, I believe they (Silva and Rampage) are great fighters who could have won titles in Pride as well, maybe Franklin and Liddell were reading a little too much of the UFCs own press regarding America being the be all/end all of MMA. As far as TUF bringing the UFC beneath the level of Pride, I believe any of the title holders in the UFC could at any given time go over to Japan and take home some gold (Fedor may be unbeatable), just look at what Nick Diaz did to Gomi. Pride should be more like the UFC and have put that belt on the line. Does the UFC need TUF? Not any more, but people still enjoy it, and if kept in perspective, TUF gives more avenues into the UFC for unknown fighters. Look at boxing...they've used overrated/exciting fighters like Arturo Gatti for over a hundred years to draw in money, as long as they are the exception and not the rule, then it'll all be OK.

[Zeke's Chaingun]

Originally Posted by Zeke's Chaingun

Discuss? I think you're a loon, lets dicuss that. Seriously, how can I take you seriously when you say that Griffin and Sanchez aren't serious competetors? That's absolute BS. I think most of you people have been consumed with the "amatuer" label placed on these TUF guys. Griffin and Sanchez ARE top notch fighters. Maybe not TOP TEN, but they are very good fighters, better than a lot of fighters were when they first came to the UFC. I'd say Sanchez is further up the ladder at 170 than Patric Cote was when he first came to the UFC. I'd say Griffin is better than most of the other guys that are brought to the UFC as well. So what they aren't at the top of the ladder either? They never are when they first step in! This hating on TUF is getting sick because most of you people think you know what you are talking about and you don't.

So what that their first match was't against, say, Matt Hughes, or Trigg, or Couture, give me a break! These guys have faced talented guys for their first match, and the next confirmed match for Griffin is Freeman, who is very well respected as a legit HVY, now turned light heavy weight. Are they TOP TEN yet? No, but they could be, especially Koschek (though I hate to admit it).

I understand the fact that they (UFC) are dropping top fighters because they either lost a match or two, or because they aren't exciting enough to draw more ppv buys, which sucks but it's necessary. You call yourself a true fan but I don't think you are. Otherwise you would realize that this is necessary for MMA to grow. You are probably among the same crowd that complains about fighters salaries, about UFC not getting the best in the world like Pride, etc, but then when it comes to making a few sacrifices to make MMA more of a mainstream sport in the USA, you complain about the necessary adjustments. Once UFC is mainstream, and they have all the money the need to pay these fighters, and to recruit the best fighers, you will see them all. Otherwise, if we show every Matt Lindland out there, boring the general populace, then MMA will not get enough draw to be mainstream, UFC will always underpay fighters, and we will never get the best in the world. Quit bitching for five minutes and look at the bigger picture.

Posted: 08-26-2005, 01:54 PM

Goddamn I can be prophetic at times...

[Zeke's Chaingun]

Originally Posted by Commissar

I have a better idea. How about you take Dana White's testicles out of your mouth and look at it a little bit more critically? A little bit more realistically? I know the future that you see from the UFC, but it won't happen. They'll continue to reward entertaining fighters and punish the 'boring' top fighters. They'll continue to protect their key champions, like Rich Franklin. I simply don't see much positivity from TUF due to the losses of top fighters.

But hey. Just my opinion.

Well apparantly it did happen and I was right all along. I don't get people on here. Only a small percentage of the posters here ever can see beyond the immediate situation. No looking to the future. I say that all of the time on these forums and just take a look here. I said this back in 2005. I was telling people then that TUF was only going to make the UFC richer and with those funds they would eventually bring in the Top Fighters. It's just now FINALLY happening and I called it way back when. I am not trying to toot my own horn, I just want people to realize that there is more going on here beyond what you see on the MMAWeekly Rumors section. There will actually be more events in the future than what you see there. Start looking beyond the horizon based upon what you see happening today. Maybe then you wouldn't have so many people stuck eating their own words.