Part fight tournament, part male soap opera, Spike TV’s long-running
series “The Ultimate Fighter” has launched the career of dozens of UFC
fighters.
But critics of the show point to the sometimes outlandish behavior of
the fighters residing in the “TUF” house as a potential black-eye on the
still-growing sport of mixed martial arts.
While the antics began in season one with Chris Leben and reached a
fever pitch on the eighth edition with Junie Browning, Spike TV senior
vice president Brian Diamond insists his network isn’t actively seeking
miscreants for the sake of ratings.