Since The Ultimate Fighter debuted in January of 2005, there has be 24 seasons aired on American television and 10 additional seasons airing on UFC Fight Pass from all around the world. Brazil, China, Australia, and more have all hosted the hit show. After 11 years and 34 total seasons, people are starting to lose interest. Claiming that the show is repetitive, boring, and the shows talent is diminishing. What people don’t see is how a stint on the show can change someone’s entire life. Even if they don’t win. That is exactly what it did for UFC Bantamweight and TUF: Latin America 2 contestant Marco “Psycho” Beltran.
Heading into The Ultimate Fighter Beltran was on a 3 fight losing streak. Struggling to find time for high quality training between school and work. TUF helped show him what real training was all about. “…In my case I was in school. In University. I had a work in the Government. Only at night could I train. That was really hard. Before The Ultimate Fighter show, ya I was a really good fighter in my country. When we came to the United States, ya know. They treat the MMA (like a job)…”
While some may believe the format is stale, the show is obviously still helping fighters develop into top talent. Riding his 3 fight win streak, Beltran focuses on former TUF foe Guido Cannetti at UFC Fight Night 98 in Mexico City, Mexico. Listen to the full interview below to hear his thoughts on the fight, what it’s like fighting in the Mexico City altitude, and how he plans to punish his opponent for talking trash.