Author: Mark Pare

Jon Jones vs. Chael Sonnen: Will This Move Save the TUF Franchise?

When browsing around my preferred search engine for The Ultimate Fighter ratings, all that was in sight was “new low” and “ratings continue to plummet,” among other things.The numbers tell an abysmal tale of lost viewers with the move from Spike TV to …

When browsing around my preferred search engine for The Ultimate Fighter ratings, all that was in sight was “new low” and “ratings continue to plummet,” among other things.

The numbers tell an abysmal tale of lost viewers with the move from Spike TV to FX. As broken down on BloodyElbow.com, TUF  lost almost half a million viewers (33 percent) on average from Seasons 13 to 14, and then lost an additional 34 percent in Season 15.

TUF  needed a spice-up and UFC President Dana White needed to do something, so he called in his big guns, arguably the two most outspoken fighters in the company, to become coaches.

Jon Jones and Chael Sonnen will fight in April, but for six weeks they will be mentoring up-and-coming mixed martial artists trying to break into the UFC.

A lot of factors come into a season coached by Jones and Sonnen.

Jones is a young phenom so a lot of the guys will look up to him, and the younger ones could relate to him a bit more. Plus, Greg Jackson could be making some appearances (not confirmed, speculation on my part) and he will enjoy fueling his rivalry with Sonnen as well.

This could be a straight matchup of Jackson’s MMA and Team Quest.

Sonnen will probably bring an entourage of guys to help him in training the TUF  combatants. How about a Yushin Okami, or a Dan Henderson?

Sonnen is also a world-class wrestler himself and will be more than happy to pass on his knowledge to others.

Anyway, other than all of that, the important aspect is that Sonnen is not afraid to speak his mind and holds nothing back.

Jones is a young stud that won’t back down from anyone trash-talking him.

It is bound to be a can’t-miss season, but we will have to see how the Shane Carwin/Roy Nelson season goes ratings-wise.

The drawing power of both Jones and Sonnen would be enough to keep people watching, but with fewer people watching FX than Spike, it left TUF  almost dead in the water; it’s keeping afloat with a great history.

It’s hard to say if coaches will make a difference in ratings next season, but it would be nice to see that new season on a new channel like FOX.

What do you think?

 

Mark Pare is a Featured Columnist. You can follow him on Twitter, and don’t forget to check out his sportswriter page.

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Jon Jones vs. Chael Sonnen: What About the Other Top Contenders?

The UFC has in it’s hands a stacked Light Heavyweight Division, full of up and coming stars, former champions, seasoned veterans and at the top, Jon Jones.With so many guys coming towards him, the man who will face him next will be a returnee to the di…

The UFC has in it’s hands a stacked Light Heavyweight Division, full of up and coming stars, former champions, seasoned veterans and at the top, Jon Jones.

With so many guys coming towards him, the man who will face him next will be a returnee to the division, Chael Sonnen.

It will also be a long wait, as Jones and Sonnen will face off in a season of The Ultimate Fighter.

After all this, the Jones/Sonnen battle will take place in April 2013.

Until then, the light heavyweight title landscape is bound to change with plenty of fights to go, so it will be a matter of just winning.

I’ll be the first to say that I am a huge Sonnen fan, but there are plenty of top contenders that deserve shots at Jones just as much, if not more.

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UFC 153: Keys to Victory for Anderson Silva

At UFC 153, Anderson Silva is considered the heavy favourite going into his bout with Stephan Bonnar.One report suggests Silva is a 10-to-1 odds-on favourite to win.Some of you smart-nosed MMA fans are probably thinking, “Hmmm…keys to victory for Sil…

At UFC 153, Anderson Silva is considered the heavy favourite going into his bout with Stephan Bonnar.

One report suggests Silva is a 10-to-1 odds-on favourite to win.

Some of you smart-nosed MMA fans are probably thinking, “Hmmm…keys to victory for Silva…just show up?”

The fact is, Bonnar is still a great test for Silva. Bonnar is well rested, he hasn’t fought in almost a year and he has a three fight winning streak going in.

Silva has some things he may need to do differently, considering it is a three-round fight, but overall should keep his game plan the same.

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Phil Davis vs. Wagner Prado: Questions We Have About Davis

Phil Davis will try again in his attempt for redemption as he faces off against Wagner Prado.Davis delivered a poke to Prado’s eye, one that rendered Prado unable to continue 1:28 into their bout in August on Fox.He was previously in the UFC on Fox 2 m…

Phil Davis will try again in his attempt for redemption as he faces off against Wagner Prado.

Davis delivered a poke to Prado’s eye, one that rendered Prado unable to continue 1:28 into their bout in August on Fox.

He was previously in the UFC on Fox 2 main event against former light-heavyweight champion Rashad Evans, taking the five-round decision loss in the process in January.

What will happen in this coming bout and how will Davis get the victory?

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The 10 Fighters Most Dedicated to Their Craft

First of all, this article is most certainly going to stem controversy because there are a TON of men and women in this sport that are dedicated for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.There are some, though, that go above and beyond the cal…

First of all, this article is most certainly going to stem controversy because there are a TON of men and women in this sport that are dedicated for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

There are some, though, that go above and beyond the call of duty to train themselves to be the best fighters they can be. It’s not just about the time spent in the gym. It’s putting that knowledge and power to work when it matters most and being successful at it.

When you define dedication to something, we talk about consuming your life with it. Everything about you is this sport, all you think about is this sport, all you breathe is this sport.

These 10 fighters have all these qualities listed above and in no particular order, here is the list.

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UFC 151 Canceled: The Winners and Losers of This Interruption

What was once a highly anticipated event that featured Jon Jones defending his crown against the legendary Dan Henderson is now the first UFC event that has ever been officially cancelled.Henderson partially tore his MCL during training and had to…

What was once a highly anticipated event that featured Jon Jones defending his crown against the legendary Dan Henderson is now the first UFC event that has ever been officially cancelled.

Henderson partially tore his MCL during training and had to pull out of the bout.  After proposing the fight to Lyoto Machida and having Jones decline a fight against Chael Sonnen, UFC president Dana White announced the cancellation of the whole event, scheduled for September 1st at the Mandalay Events Center in Las Vegas.

It is not all bad for all UFC fans, as there were some positives to look at.

Here are the winners and losers of the cancellation of UFC 151.

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