If the fighters didn't take TUF 10 seriously, why should fans?

[Clark Kent]

10-29-2009 01:00 PM:

It's been a bizarre first seven weeks on The Ultimate Fighter 10. Cagewriter trumpeted often back in June that this season was going to be the best ever. The mix of two coaches who hate each other, Kimbo Slice, veteran Roy Nelson and a bunch of heavyweight prospects would be explosive. Much of that has been delivered but the show has encountered one huge problem along the way - did any of these fighters come ready to fight and in tip-top shape?

By the looks of it, either most of the group doesn't train year-round or they were told about the assignment a week before the show.

How much damage does a fight like Matt Mitrione versus Scott Junk do with a casual fan who's giving the sport a try for the first time? They beat the snot out of each other and took massive shots, but they were exhausted three minutes into the fight. Maybe that's why the Kimbo fight was on Episode three, this way Spike/UFC could avoid a massive audience of new fans seeing the embarrassing lack of conditioning on display.

The poor stamina from Mitrione, a former college and pro football player making the transition to MMA, can be excused slightly. Plus he's a meathead. In his Fight! Magazine blog, he explained that he lost his head when he should've been going in for the kill against Junk:

"I was so pissed at Junk for throwing me under the bus that all I wanted to do was punch him in the face. Get back up, get back up so I can punch you in the face again. I knocked him out the first time I caught his kick. He was knocked out. His head hit the ground and the ground woke him back up. Then I started to gas. I didn’t know that that level of tired existed. You see people get that way but I’ve never been there on my own. It was a real big learning experience for me."

​

Acceptable, right? But Junk? The guy has fought in the UFC. He's a veteran of nine fights. How he does he show up in that kind of shape? He was getting destroyed and that can certainly be fatiguing but he gassed three minutes into the fight. I never thought I'd see anything worse than the conditioning of Wes Shivers and James McSweeney from Episode one, but this topped it.

There are some fighters with lots of potential on TUF 10 but it's being masked by a massive lack of professionalism.



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Cagewriter is an MMA blog edited by Steve Cofield.

 

[Brian S]

Agree. These guys could stand to lose about 50-60lbs. That would put them at the 205lb mark. Do these guys expect to be able to compete with Mir and Lesnar, really? These guys look like they just jumped off their bar stool, pitiful!

Roy 'big fatty' Nelson and his 22yr old opponent were gassed out before the first round ended last night. It's like watching toughman contests, not "pro" fighters.

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

There has been a very, very low level of skill and conditioning on this episode. It really makes me just want to turn it off!

 

[terryl965]

It has`been a very disappointing season, I know I don't care about it.

 

[Steve]

I've been a longtime holdout for TUF, even in the bad seasons. But this season, I've officially lost interest. I watched the first episode, to check it out. It was clear that Rampage is no kind of coach at all, even by his own admission. The athletes were largely untrained and out of shape, and the fights were lackluster from the beginning.

I watched the second fight on TiVo and that's it for this season. I've even deleted the season pass on my TiVo. I don't even tape them anymore. The show jumped the shark during the comeback season, only saved by Shoney's quirkiness and Serra's mouth. Since then, the seasons get more pitiful, the quality of the fighters less impressive, and the decisions by Dana White more questionable. I mean, it's so bad now that they almost as a matter of course put someone with mental health issues in the house just to drum up ratings.

 

[Omar B]

I actually did see the Junk/Mitrione fight a couple weeks ago. It seems funny to me that every time I watch that show it's dreadful, I thought I was unlucky, turns out they all suck. Who are these fighters who can't fight? These "athletes" that are not athletic?

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

Other than Roy Nelson kind've talking down to Dana during this season and of course Marcus's fight last week it is just not a season filled with quality fighter's.

Take for instance the Strikeforce/M1 event the weekend before that was on CBS. Now that was really worth watching!

I want quality training and fights not mindless juvenile antics.

 

[Omar B]

I keep saying it Brian, focus on the gym not the house. I'm sure they would retain their viewers if it was an hourlong show set in teh gym watchign the training then the fights. Just reverse the balance of the show as it is, instead of 4 minutes in teh gym and the rest of the hour in the house, have it the other way around.

I'm sure it would do just as well, or even gain more viewers. Most people who watch the show are guys and I think we would all be interested no matter how superficially about how they train, their methods, and so on. Besides, it might actually raise the level of training knowing that there's gonna be a camera in the gym the whole time.

 

[Nolerama]

Most people who watch the show are guys and I think we would all be interested no matter how superficially about how they train, their methods, and so on. Besides, it might actually raise the level of training knowing that there's gonna be a camera in the gym the whole time.

Most definitely!

 

[d1jinx]

i must co-sign the majority here.....

THIS SEASON SUCKS

but at least rashad and rampage have been entertaining.... too bad we know the outcome of that fight...NOT. it takes aways from all the close smak talking to know that nothing comes out of it.

 

[Rich Parsons]

There has been a very, very low level of skill and conditioning on this episode. It really makes me just want to turn it off!

I stopped watching and I also stopped recording it.

I just could not get behind it. It has been harder and harder with the Reality Types coming in for "Ratings". Well if those are the viewers Dana wants he can have them.

I have not been watching them and I have not been following them at all.

 

[bluekey88]

If it were me...here's how I'd re-structure the show.

Focus more on the gym and the training/fight prep.

Make the "contestants" fight to get in the house (like they did for a couple of seasons...it'll weed out the wannabe's).

Stop using celebrity coaches. Good fighters don't necessarily make good coaches. Maybe get legitimate name coaches...Pat Miletich for example. guys who have a system, or a successful gym tyhat cranks out good fighters. Have them do the training. Maybe set it up one gym against another with the coaches working witgh guys who aren't from there system (as a test of their skills to get a guy ready to go in a short amount of time).

Maybe bring in the celebrity fighters as guest spots here and there.

Peace,
Erik

 

[theletch1]

I haven't watched TUF at all after season one. Since then it's been "Big Brother" with MMA mixed in. I don't care for what the media calls reality tv because it tends to show folks at their worst... TUF is no different. I think Dana is counting on the folks that like "Survivor", "Big Brother" and so on to carry the series. I figure he'll keep it up with shifting the balance from quality fighters to jackasses in the house for ratings and the UFC will eventually suffer. At that point M1 or some other outfit that truly concentrates on the MMA side of things can begin to take the fore in the industry.

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

I haven't watched TUF at all after season one. Since then it's been "Big Brother" with MMA mixed in. I don't care for what the media calls reality tv because it tends to show folks at their worst... TUF is no different. I think Dana is counting on the folks that like "Survivor", "Big Brother" and so on to carry the series. I figure he'll keep it up with shifting the balance from quality fighters to jackasses in the house for ratings and the UFC will eventually suffer. At that point M1 or some other outfit that truly concentrates on the MMA side of things can begin to take the fore in the industry.

I think it is already starting to slowly happen though of course it will take time as the UFC definitely has the brand name and is the face of MMA!

 

[Journeyman]

Yeah, pretty bad season so far, but it should be decent from here on out.