Any viewers of the Contender here? I really looked forward to this show before it debuted awhile back. But I'm really p%%ed by two things...
1. They brought back two fighters who had lost but returned because another two guys dropped out for various reasons. Now one of the returnees, Peter Manfredo, is in the final match even though he had been eliminated earlier. And the guy who beat him is now out because he lost one fight. But he and the others who lost one fight never got a second chance like Manfredo did. TOTALLY UNFAIR. They should be out when they lose one fight - period. If they need another guy they should bring an alternate outside fighter in, and he would need to fight the extra matches to be even in number of fights with the original guys still in it.
2. They only show about 30 seconds of each round of the fights. BOGUS. They have an hour long show so they have plenty of time to show the 15-20 minutes of the entire match. Instead they waste time showing Stallone and Leonard and the families of the boxers. And they slow motion a lot of what they DO show in the fights. It gives you no idea of the full match whatsoever.
Anyone else teed off by a show that COULD be really good if they made these changes??
The Contender Loses By TKO
The Contender Loses By TKO
Don`t know this one particularly but sounds a bit of a typical rip-off from what you describe. Your first point reminds me of the European soccer competitions, where teams knocked out (ie not good enough!) for the Championship are allowed to compete in another trophy (and possibly win it) but teams good enough to stay in only get the chance to win one trophy!
The Contender Loses By TKO
turbonium:
I tried to watch it but it was way slow. Coming from a martial arts background I gravitated to the "The Ultimate Fighter," and really enjoyed it. They had their ups and downs (injuries etc...) but in the fighting business that is to be expected.
Here is a nice review on the show. I highly recomend to anyone that likes full contact sports.
UFC gets ratings knockout with reality TV show
2.6 million fans watch finals at Cox Pavilion
By KEVIN IOLE
REVIEW-JOURNAL
The Ultimate Fighting Championships still have a long way to reach the brand recognition of iconic sports franchises such as the New York Yankees, the Dallas Cowboys and the Los Angeles Lakers.
But UFC president Dana White is convinced his company has made the first step on that long road to widespread public acceptance.
"We're not a sport that needs to hide from the spotlight and fight in back alleys and away from the bright lights and big stars," White said.
The vehicle was a reality show on Spike TV called "The Ultimate Fighter," which concluded Saturday with unexpectedly high ratings. The series chronicled the lives of 16 fighters split into two weight classes who were living in the same house while competing for a six-figure contract to join the UFC.
The finals were shown live nationally on Spike on Saturday. The light heavyweight match between Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar was a spectacular slugfest that had the sellout crowd at Cox Pavilion on its feet roaring.
It turned out to be the most-watched show Saturday for men in the coveted 18-to-34-year-old demographic, including the broadcast networks, with a 3.3 rating. It was the second most-watched original show in network history, and Spike finished second among men 18-to-34 and 18-to-49 in "total day" ratings.
White said he thinks the success of the TV show will have a long-term impact on the company, but hopes it will help the sales of Saturday's pay-per-view card at the MGM Grand Garden featuring a light heavyweight title bout between Randy Couture and Chuck Liddell. Couture and Liddell served as coaches on "The Ultimate Fighter."
"We need to let TV help us build our brand, which is why we decided to go with a reality show," White said. "I was a big boxing fan in my younger days, and I remember when I could watch `Wide World of Sports' on free TV and see the biggest fights there were. Then, after that, USA's `Tuesday Night Fights' had Roy Jones Jr., Riddick Bowe, all the big stars of that time.
"But when that went away, all the big stars went to sign with HBO, and HBO doesn't have the broad reach network TV does. We're a pay-per-view company -- that's our business, our bread and butter -- but we have to use free TV to help us."
Kevin Kay, Spike's executive vice president of programming, said the show far exceeded expectations. Advertisers, he said, were reluctant to sign on at first, but quickly changed their minds after seeing the ratings. Among the advertisers were Miller Beer, Nintendo and the U.S. Army.
The finals drew 2.6 million viewers, making it the most-watched bout in UFC history.
"There was a little reluctance (from advertisers) in the beginning because a lot of them didn't know what it was, there was some concern about violence and, quite honestly, the UFC had some baggage from its previous ownership," Kay said. "But once they saw the show, they wanted to be a part of it."
The UFC refuses to release its pay-per-view sales, though they are believed to fall well short of numbers posted by boxing matches. But it is clearly becoming a force at the box office in Nevada. Saturday's card is approaching a sellout of 13,600 after seats were added.
The live gate ticket sales will approach $3 million, which will make it nearly double the largest gate in company history. Marc Ratner, the executive director of the Nevada Athletic Commission, said the previous high was $1.54 million for the Nov. 22, 2002, fight at the MGM between Ken Shamrock and Tito Ortiz.
Couture said he is already seeing the impact of the show.
"A lot of people who said they had never seen or heard of the UFC or mixed martial arts saw the show and are coming up to me and talking about it," he said. "The response has been incredible."
UFC signs deal with Spike TV
Spike TV and The Ultimate Fighting Championship® organization have agreed to a two-year strategic partnership, it was announced jointly today by Doug Herzog, President, Spike TV and Dana White, President, Zuffa, LLC d/b/a Ultimate Fighting Championship®. The main components of the deal are new seasons of the highly-rated reality series, The Ultimate Fighter➢, which will premiere Monday, August 22 at 11:00pm ET/PT. In addition the deal includes six LIVE fight cards - two this year and four in '06. The announcement comes on the heels of the finale of The Ultimate Fighter which drew 2.6 million viewers and more Men 18-34 than CBS's Masters golf tournament coverage on Saturday, April 9.
"The UFC® brand is a sports entity on the rise and we are thrilled to continue our already successful relationship with them," said Herzog. "The passion and dedication that Dana White brings to the sport of mixed martial arts and the brand is the driving force behind its success."
"We always knew that Spike TV would be an incredible partner to work with and one of the best places for our product to be viewed. We were right on both counts," noted White.
“The Ultimate Fighter is a show like none other and it found its audience like a heat seeking missile from the beginning. It continues to beat down the competition and we can’t wait to produce the next two seasons,†said Craig Piligian, the executive producer for the show.
The Spike TV deal includes the following:
• A second and third season of the highly successful reality series, The Ultimate Fighter. Production for Season 2 will begin in early June and consist of eight heavyweights and eight welterweights. Celebrity coaches and a host are to be announced. The show will once again be taped in Las Vegas where the company maintains its UFC® Training Center.
• Six LIVE fight cards featuring some of the well-known names from UFC sporting events. Two will be in '05 and four in '06.
• 26 one-hour episodes of an untitled series of great moments from the UFC® vast library of fight footage.
I tried to watch it but it was way slow. Coming from a martial arts background I gravitated to the "The Ultimate Fighter," and really enjoyed it. They had their ups and downs (injuries etc...) but in the fighting business that is to be expected.
Here is a nice review on the show. I highly recomend to anyone that likes full contact sports.
UFC gets ratings knockout with reality TV show
2.6 million fans watch finals at Cox Pavilion
By KEVIN IOLE
REVIEW-JOURNAL
The Ultimate Fighting Championships still have a long way to reach the brand recognition of iconic sports franchises such as the New York Yankees, the Dallas Cowboys and the Los Angeles Lakers.
But UFC president Dana White is convinced his company has made the first step on that long road to widespread public acceptance.
"We're not a sport that needs to hide from the spotlight and fight in back alleys and away from the bright lights and big stars," White said.
The vehicle was a reality show on Spike TV called "The Ultimate Fighter," which concluded Saturday with unexpectedly high ratings. The series chronicled the lives of 16 fighters split into two weight classes who were living in the same house while competing for a six-figure contract to join the UFC.
The finals were shown live nationally on Spike on Saturday. The light heavyweight match between Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar was a spectacular slugfest that had the sellout crowd at Cox Pavilion on its feet roaring.
It turned out to be the most-watched show Saturday for men in the coveted 18-to-34-year-old demographic, including the broadcast networks, with a 3.3 rating. It was the second most-watched original show in network history, and Spike finished second among men 18-to-34 and 18-to-49 in "total day" ratings.
White said he thinks the success of the TV show will have a long-term impact on the company, but hopes it will help the sales of Saturday's pay-per-view card at the MGM Grand Garden featuring a light heavyweight title bout between Randy Couture and Chuck Liddell. Couture and Liddell served as coaches on "The Ultimate Fighter."
"We need to let TV help us build our brand, which is why we decided to go with a reality show," White said. "I was a big boxing fan in my younger days, and I remember when I could watch `Wide World of Sports' on free TV and see the biggest fights there were. Then, after that, USA's `Tuesday Night Fights' had Roy Jones Jr., Riddick Bowe, all the big stars of that time.
"But when that went away, all the big stars went to sign with HBO, and HBO doesn't have the broad reach network TV does. We're a pay-per-view company -- that's our business, our bread and butter -- but we have to use free TV to help us."
Kevin Kay, Spike's executive vice president of programming, said the show far exceeded expectations. Advertisers, he said, were reluctant to sign on at first, but quickly changed their minds after seeing the ratings. Among the advertisers were Miller Beer, Nintendo and the U.S. Army.
The finals drew 2.6 million viewers, making it the most-watched bout in UFC history.
"There was a little reluctance (from advertisers) in the beginning because a lot of them didn't know what it was, there was some concern about violence and, quite honestly, the UFC had some baggage from its previous ownership," Kay said. "But once they saw the show, they wanted to be a part of it."
The UFC refuses to release its pay-per-view sales, though they are believed to fall well short of numbers posted by boxing matches. But it is clearly becoming a force at the box office in Nevada. Saturday's card is approaching a sellout of 13,600 after seats were added.
The live gate ticket sales will approach $3 million, which will make it nearly double the largest gate in company history. Marc Ratner, the executive director of the Nevada Athletic Commission, said the previous high was $1.54 million for the Nov. 22, 2002, fight at the MGM between Ken Shamrock and Tito Ortiz.
Couture said he is already seeing the impact of the show.
"A lot of people who said they had never seen or heard of the UFC or mixed martial arts saw the show and are coming up to me and talking about it," he said. "The response has been incredible."
UFC signs deal with Spike TV
Spike TV and The Ultimate Fighting Championship® organization have agreed to a two-year strategic partnership, it was announced jointly today by Doug Herzog, President, Spike TV and Dana White, President, Zuffa, LLC d/b/a Ultimate Fighting Championship®. The main components of the deal are new seasons of the highly-rated reality series, The Ultimate Fighter➢, which will premiere Monday, August 22 at 11:00pm ET/PT. In addition the deal includes six LIVE fight cards - two this year and four in '06. The announcement comes on the heels of the finale of The Ultimate Fighter which drew 2.6 million viewers and more Men 18-34 than CBS's Masters golf tournament coverage on Saturday, April 9.
"The UFC® brand is a sports entity on the rise and we are thrilled to continue our already successful relationship with them," said Herzog. "The passion and dedication that Dana White brings to the sport of mixed martial arts and the brand is the driving force behind its success."
"We always knew that Spike TV would be an incredible partner to work with and one of the best places for our product to be viewed. We were right on both counts," noted White.
“The Ultimate Fighter is a show like none other and it found its audience like a heat seeking missile from the beginning. It continues to beat down the competition and we can’t wait to produce the next two seasons,†said Craig Piligian, the executive producer for the show.
The Spike TV deal includes the following:
• A second and third season of the highly successful reality series, The Ultimate Fighter. Production for Season 2 will begin in early June and consist of eight heavyweights and eight welterweights. Celebrity coaches and a host are to be announced. The show will once again be taped in Las Vegas where the company maintains its UFC® Training Center.
• Six LIVE fight cards featuring some of the well-known names from UFC sporting events. Two will be in '05 and four in '06.
• 26 one-hour episodes of an untitled series of great moments from the UFC® vast library of fight footage.
"If America Was A Tree, The Left Would Root For The Termites...Greg Gutfeld."
The Contender Loses By TKO
Agreed, bts. I watched the entire UFC series and it was MUCH better than The Contender, on every level. It didn't edit the matches, you got to know the fighters personally, and it didn't waste time on the 'stars' of the show
.(it didn't have any Hollywood hype) Stallone and Leonard were on camera too much on Contender. UFC was gritty, down to earth - more like the real thing.
.(it didn't have any Hollywood hype) Stallone and Leonard were on camera too much on Contender. UFC was gritty, down to earth - more like the real thing.
The Contender Loses By TKO
I loved the Contender! Great show! I liked the drama that was added into the regular season. I totally disagree with you. It couldn't have played out better. In the final episode, you got to see the entire fights. You liked that...eh? My husband was peeved about the same things that got you. From a girl's perspective (at least this girl)...I liked the drama that was added and I didn't mind the editing of the fights. Alfonzo and the Snake won too...I was soooo tickled! My two favs got the cash!
The Contender Loses By TKO
Maybe it's a guy thing!! :wah: But yes, I did like the final - they showed the whole fight!! 
The Contender Loses By TKO
A note of interest to New Mexico fans, we had Diego Sanchez win all his matches in grand style.
yesterday came this report:
Fighter victim of check scheme By Maggie Shepard
Tribune Reporter
May 24, 2005
Allegations of check fraud against two people from Albuquerque have set them up against an intimidating adversary. Luckily for Michael W. Gowan, 33, and Barbara Ayers, 52, ultimate fighting champion Diego Sanchez doesn't want to hurt them.
Sanchez, 23, recently won an elimination series in the sport of ultimate fighting - a bloody, intense mix of gloveless boxing, martial arts, wrestling and street fighting.
Gowan and Ayers were arrested by Albuquerque police Saturday after a grocery store employee called police to report Gowan trying to cash a fake check.
The name on the check: Diego Sanchez.
"He knew the check was missing, but he thought he'd misplaced it," Sanchez's manager, Eddie Madrid, said.
The check, worth $500, had been written to Sanchez as a bonus for him passing his drug test to join the regular ranks of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Madrid said the check and other items were stolen from Sanchez's bag at a gym or other public place.
"I don't think it had anything to do with Diego being Diego," Madrid said.
Madrid and Diego attended court today to watch Gowan and Ayers hear their bond status.
"We wanted to show up to make sure they didn't get out of jail," Madrid said.
They didn't.
According to a Metro Court criminal complaint, when police searched Gowan's car, with Ayers behind the wheel, they found needles, methamphetamine, a gun and about 15 other fake checks.
Gowan's bond was set at $20,000 for charges of possession of a firearm by a felon, possessing methamphetamine, forgery, fraud, false identification and conspiracy.
Ayers' bond was set at $3,000 on charges of forgery, false identification, conspiracy, fraud and possession of methamphetamine, according to the complaint.
"Diego is a little mad, but not really," Madrid said.
Copyright 2005, The Albuquerque Tribune. All Rights Reserved.
yesterday came this report:
Fighter victim of check scheme By Maggie Shepard
Tribune Reporter
May 24, 2005
Allegations of check fraud against two people from Albuquerque have set them up against an intimidating adversary. Luckily for Michael W. Gowan, 33, and Barbara Ayers, 52, ultimate fighting champion Diego Sanchez doesn't want to hurt them.
Sanchez, 23, recently won an elimination series in the sport of ultimate fighting - a bloody, intense mix of gloveless boxing, martial arts, wrestling and street fighting.
Gowan and Ayers were arrested by Albuquerque police Saturday after a grocery store employee called police to report Gowan trying to cash a fake check.
The name on the check: Diego Sanchez.
"He knew the check was missing, but he thought he'd misplaced it," Sanchez's manager, Eddie Madrid, said.
The check, worth $500, had been written to Sanchez as a bonus for him passing his drug test to join the regular ranks of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Madrid said the check and other items were stolen from Sanchez's bag at a gym or other public place.
"I don't think it had anything to do with Diego being Diego," Madrid said.
Madrid and Diego attended court today to watch Gowan and Ayers hear their bond status.
"We wanted to show up to make sure they didn't get out of jail," Madrid said.
They didn't.
According to a Metro Court criminal complaint, when police searched Gowan's car, with Ayers behind the wheel, they found needles, methamphetamine, a gun and about 15 other fake checks.
Gowan's bond was set at $20,000 for charges of possession of a firearm by a felon, possessing methamphetamine, forgery, fraud, false identification and conspiracy.
Ayers' bond was set at $3,000 on charges of forgery, false identification, conspiracy, fraud and possession of methamphetamine, according to the complaint.
"Diego is a little mad, but not really," Madrid said.
Copyright 2005, The Albuquerque Tribune. All Rights Reserved.
"If America Was A Tree, The Left Would Root For The Termites...Greg Gutfeld."
The Contender Loses By TKO
Too bad they got jail time - if they didn't, Sanchez might have beat the stuffing out of them!! 