The Ultimate Fighter is now entering its 15th season, and the MMA fandom has been abuzz over it for a wide variety of reasons. Between the show’s new live format, the network changes and the blitz of coverage about former pornographic actor Dakota Cochrane’s (brief) presence on the show, there has been a lot to talk about.
Something that the spotlight has started to stray from, however, is the exciting pair of coaches, Urijah Faber and Dominick Cruz. While the newest season of TUF may be a boon for the UFC, the effect this may have on the careers of these two fighters cannot be overstated.
Typically, when a season of TUF is approaching, the talk surrounds what the coaches can bring to a show. After all, numerous seasons have been defined by the conflicts and antics of their coaches.
TUF 10, for example, is remembered for the incessant bickering between Rashad Evans and Quinton Jackson (an impressive feat when so much buzz surrounded Kimbo Slice’s presence on the show). This season is different, though. While true MMA fans are knowledgeable about the incredible skills possessed by both fighters, casual fans are yet to catch on to these two.
While Urijah Faber was the face of the WEC and has been a marketing force for a year now with a load of promotions, he is known more for his personality and appearance than his actual cage savvy.
With MMA stars becoming a better and better way to reach the fabled 18-39 men’s audience, there is still plenty of room for him to grow. While Faber is already popular and fairly identifiable, he will get a profound boost from the extra exposure from TUF. But the possibility of him ending the season with a UFC champion’s belt means the UFC could end up having an absolute star on their hands.
While Urijah Faber is known for his surfer looks, Dominick Cruz is not really known at all, even though he has quietly worked his way into almost all the pound-for-pound Top Ten lists out there. He is currently riding a 10-fight win streak (nine of which in either the UFC or WEC) and has four title defenses in his reign as the UFC’s bantamweight king.
For a variety of reasons, he has kept clear of becoming a household name and actually had his last title defense against Demetrious Johnson relegated to cable television (Versus, to be specific). Cruz is as skilled as almost anyone in the sport, but clearly needs a boost in his visibility. That is something TUF offers like no other and is a great first step in terms of getting Cruz into the spotlight.
With that in mind, it needs to be reiterated that having Cruz and Faber coach opposite each other remains an absolutely brilliant move by the UFC, in spite of the mixed reviews over the ratings—1.3 million tuned in— of the debut episode.
Their prior UFC bout at UFC 132, was actually one of the better-selling cards of 2011 (grabbing an estimated 350,000 buys), surprisingly beating out cards headlined by Dos Santos vs. Carwin, Silva vs. Okami and either card that featured a Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard main event.
However, as stated in this article (and touched on in my “UFC Star-Search” article), there is still plenty of room to grow for these two fighters. The parts are in place for their eventual coaches’ fight to become a major draw.
The UFC is actually counting on this, as Dana White and Joe Silva continue to work on replacing a slew of main event-caliber fighters that sustained injuries or retired over the past 12 months, including Georges St-Pierre, Anderson Silva, Junior Dos Santos, Brock Lesnar, BJ Penn and Randy Couture.
Even though both these fighters have reached the top in the cage, they are still working to get the respect that entails. Even if the numbers for TUF do not meet the expectations of those who thought the show would boom on its new home, FX, this is still a pivotal moment in the careers of Cruz and Faber. This could, finally, be the time when they become the stars they deserve to be.
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