The Ultimate Fighter: The End of the Spike Era

Saturday night, the current season of UFC’s “The Ultimate Fighter” reality/ competition show for up and coming MMA fighters will come to a close. Not just for the season but on the Spike network and the way it is produced and broadcast to the masses for the last fourteen seasons. Walking away from this relationship, questions loom for the futures of the parties involved; will Spike be able to maintain strong viewers to the network after their main showcase leaves? Will the UFC/ FOX relationship and new programming style planned for TUF hurt the competition? One thing is certain; both of the parties grew with the help of each other and have enjoyed the ride up to this point, now we will see who can make it on their own.

UFC is synonymous with MMA, to the point where people have been heard to say, ‘I train UFC’ – the sport has become a leviathan and this is greatly due to the growth of the UFC. Gambling on a chance for a reality based show, where fighters in different weight classes enter into a house for six weeks, cut off from the outside world and compete each other for a shot at the six figure contract. In one night, the UFC had gone from a cult following, to a growing sport and industry, thanks largely in part to the fight between Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar. Both men giving everything they had from the first second to the final horn. Heart, skill and dedication was showcased and paved the way for the next big thing, mixed martial arts.

In the years to come, the cast and coaches have all seen the evolution of MMA. The earlier participants were friends of already professional fighters, a lot of them working real jobs and fighting on the side; this current season of lighter weight classes is the growth on its own. The featherweight and bantamweight divisions are filled with talent and will be blossoming in years to come. Gone are the times when a fighter had to sacrifice everything for a sport they had to explain to onlookers and curious family members, now is the time where many of the participants have either come from smaller promotions or have built up pro records and are waiting for their chance at the big leagues. More men and women are choosing to become professional fighters as their job and have dedicated their lives to do so.

As the show has gone to produce known fighters like: Chris Leben, Michael Bisping, Joe Lauzon, Diego Sanchez and so many other talented men, it has also produced UFC champions: Rashad Evans (light heavyweight – former) and Matt Serra (welterweight – former). First criticized as barbaric and human cockfighting from US politicians, the competition has become a presence in MMA and almost every fighter showcased has enjoyed the fame and notoriety brought from the exposure.

Spike was the other half in this marriage and took just a big gamble with the TUF concept as did Zuffa. Putting a new sport on a primetime slot, on a channel already trying to fight for its own presence, a lot was riding on the success and their was plenty to be lost in the failure. End result, the channel is broadcasting TUF, UFC Unleashed, UFC prelims and other UFC main cards on their channel for free and has made their presence and demographic known for combat sports. So much that they have already inked deals with the smaller (but popular) MMA promotion, Bellator to begin broadcasting their events in 2013. Rumors have swirled about a potential Bellator themed reality show and that would be the perfect scenario. They have the formula for success and do not need to mimic production ideas from the UFC product. Place up-coming fighters in an environment where they can compete for a contract. It is not competing brands like pro wrestling was in the mid-late 90’s but another outlet for true fans of MMA to watch talented fighters on the rise. If they are going to be in the UFC octagon one day, they all start somewhere.

At the end of the day, both parties need to wish each other success for their mutual futures. No hard feelings are needed in a business situation and they have reaped the benefits from the relationship as much as they could to this point. FX will be ready to pick up the mantle of TUF season 15 next year, regardless of the format – we may never see great moments from the house and training gym like these shown below.