Tag: The Ultimate Fighter

Ronda Rousey on TUF: Miesha Tate Spent More Time Worried About How She Looked

When the UFC World Tour rolled into New York City, the dais featured four UFC champions and the fighters that would be challenging for those titles in their upcoming bouts. The two fighters that sat the farthest apart were UFC women’s bantamweigh…

When the UFC World Tour rolled into New York City, the dais featured four UFC champions and the fighters that would be challenging for those titles in their upcoming bouts. The two fighters that sat the farthest apart were UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey, and the woman she will fight on December 28, Miesha Tate.

After witnessing the level of animosity between those two fighters, it’s hard to imagine that the on-stage distance between them was not carefully planned by the UFC beforehand.

It’s clear that Rousey (7-0) and Tate (13-4) do not like each other, and when Cat Zingano was injured and forced from coaching opposite Rousey in the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter reality show, the UFC was able to capitalize on the rancor and insert Tate in Zingano’s vacated coaching spot.

Zingano had been awarded the coaching gig after she defeated Tate on April 13 of this year. The fight, winner of “Fight of the Night” honors, was stopped in the third round after Zingano bloodied Tate with knees and elbows. Tate contested the stoppage, feeling that it came too early.

An injury to Zingano’s knee opened the door for Tate to step into the TUF house as a coach. The coaching spot also came with the bonus of getting a title shot against Rousey.

Rousey and Tate have met before in the cage. Rousey defeated Tate on March 3, 2012, taking Tate’s Strikeforce title in the process. Rousey defended that title once before the promotion was absorbed by the UFC, instantly being named the promotion’s champion. Rousey has one UFC title defense on her record. Her upcoming bout with Tate will be her second defense.

Since losing the title to Rousey, Tate has gone 1-1, defeating Julie Kedzie, before losing to Zingano.

Rousey recently spoke to Rick J. Lee about Tate’s coaching style during the filming of TUF. It should come as no surprise that Rousey was not a fan.

Rousey and Tate will fight on December 28 in the co-main event of UFC 168. The bout will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. A rematch between UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman and former middleweight champion Anderson Silva will headline the fight card.

 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

The Ultimate Fighter 18 Video Preview of Rousey-vs.-Tate-Coached Season

In case it’s slipped your mind, the 18th season of the UFC reality show The Ultimate Fighter is going to premier on Sept. 4 on Fox Sports 1. Coaching the show will be UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey and the woman who has…

In case it’s slipped your mind, the 18th season of the UFC reality show The Ultimate Fighter is going to premier on Sept. 4 on Fox Sports 1. Coaching the show will be UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey and the woman who has become her archenemy, Miesha Tate.

The upcoming season breaks new ground in two ways. First, it’s the first season to feature female coaches. Second, it’s the first season that will have both male and female fighters living inside the TUF house.

UFC president Dana White, talked about the Rousey-Tate-based season on Saturday night during the post-fight media scrum, saying, “Episode one and two are done, and episode one is great, and episode two is awesome. I know what goes on during the fight, but I don’t see the reality (portion) unless something bad happens and then I get involved. One and two are really good. One is great, and two is amazing.”

Some of that may be the promoter in White talking. The show is moving to a new network with this season, and the fact that Rousey is coaching has the promotion hoping for home run ratings, as the women’s champion is one of the sports most marketable stars.

Then again, White’s words may ring true. The two coaches have shown a healthy dislike for each other in the past. It’s doubtful the time on the show was able to smooth things over.

If you think otherwise, the UFC rolled out a promotional video for the upcoming TUF season during the UFC on Fox 8 fight card. From the video, it’s clear that tensions will run high between the coaches from day one.

Rousey will defend her title against Tate in the co-main event of UFC 168. That fight will take place on Dec. 28 from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and will be headlined by Chris Weidman defending his middleweight title against the man he took the belt from, Anderson Silva.

*All quotes obtained first hand by Bleacher Report.

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UFC Announces ‘TUF: China’; Tryouts Slated for This Summer


(Sometimes, relevancy is not of primary importance.)

The UFC is officially making a serious and sustained play to break into the Chinese market. According to a report from SB Nation, tryouts for the first Chinese edition of The Ultimate Fighter reality competition show will take place this summer.

“According to the Chinese announcement, this edition of TUF will be broadcast on LiaoNing TV, and tryouts will be open for professional featherweight, lightweight, and welterweight fighters of Chinese descent, who can speak the language.

“Tryouts won’t just happen in mainland China, and it will instead be held on different countries to get most of the talent available. These multiple tryouts will happen on July 21 at the Metropark Lido Hotel in Beijing, July 25 at the Marina Bay Sands Hotel in Singapore, and on August 3 at the Venetian Hotel in Macau,” they reported.

The TUF: China Finale, to be held in Macau, will be broadcast globally. Coaches for the season of TUF have not been announced so it is not yet publicly known if the UFC will choose to have English-speaking organization mainstays coach the prospects, or if they will search for coaches who can speak the native languages of the participants. As it stands, the only Chinese fighters currently on the UFC roster are Tiequan Zhang, who has lost his last three fights in the Octagon, and undefeated bantamweight prospect Jumabieke Tuerxun, who hasn’t competed for the promotion yet.


(Sometimes, relevancy is not of primary importance.)

The UFC is officially making a serious and sustained play to break into the Chinese market. According to a report from SB Nation, tryouts for the first Chinese edition of The Ultimate Fighter reality competition show will take place this summer.

“According to the Chinese announcement, this edition of TUF will be broadcast on LiaoNing TV, and tryouts will be open for professional featherweight, lightweight, and welterweight fighters of Chinese descent, who can speak the language.

“Tryouts won’t just happen in mainland China, and it will instead be held on different countries to get most of the talent available. These multiple tryouts will happen on July 21 at the Metropark Lido Hotel in Beijing, July 25 at the Marina Bay Sands Hotel in Singapore, and on August 3 at the Venetian Hotel in Macau,” they reported.

The TUF: China Finale, to be held in Macau, will be broadcast globally. Coaches for the season of TUF have not been announced so it is not yet publicly known if the UFC will choose to have English-speaking organization mainstays coach the prospects, or if they will search for coaches who can speak the native languages of the participants. As it stands, the only Chinese fighters currently on the UFC roster are Tiequan Zhang, who has lost his last three fights in the Octagon, and undefeated bantamweight prospect Jumabieke Tuerxun, who hasn’t competed for the promotion yet.

Sixteen fighters will be in the TUF: China house and will compete for a six-figure UFC contract. The fighters will be in the house for somewhere near six weeks and the season will last twelve episodes, according to the report.

In the past, the UFC has decided to change weight classes for TUF seasons in advance of filming based on turnout. Given that lighter weight competitors abound in the region, perhaps the organization will consider changing the weight range to include flyweights and bantamweights.

We’ll keep you posted as news develops. What do you say, nation? Will you be tuning in to see what China has to offer in the way of prank-pulling, binge drinking and MMA prospects with TUF: China? And how does one say “Let me bang, bro” in Putonghua?

– Elias Cepeda

3 Reasons Fans Will Need to Tune into Season 18 of the Ultimate Fighter

A conflict between two passionate athletes creates interesting television—especially if those two athletes are fueled by estrogen.Granted, plenty of downright heated beefs have been sorted out on The Ultimate Fighter’s 17 action-packed seaso…

A conflict between two passionate athletes creates interesting television—especially if those two athletes are fueled by estrogen.

Granted, plenty of downright heated beefs have been sorted out on The Ultimate Fighter’s 17 action-packed seasons. But until season 18, the show had never featured a pair of female coaches who held genuine disdain for one another.

Longtime UFC color commentator Joe Rogan reacted to president Dana White’s decision to pit coaches Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate against one another on The Ultimate Fighter by saying the following during the UFC 158 prelims: 

“That sounds ridiculous. Men and women living in the house together. That sounds like cats and dogs. You’re going to have problems Dana White.”

Here are three reasons to tune into season 18 of The Ultimate Fighter. 

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TUF 18 Preview: Could Some Fighters Have Beef with Rousey and Tate?

The Ultimate Fighter 18 is currently filming, and UFC President Dana White says there is drama every day.“Miesha and Ronda hate each other,” White said. “It’s like literally crazy drama every day.” However, that is between…

The Ultimate Fighter 18 is currently filming, and UFC President Dana White says there is drama every day.

“Miesha and Ronda hate each other,” White said. “It’s like literally crazy drama every day.”

However, that is between the coaches. What about the fighters? Much has been made about the mixed-gender cast heading into this season, but the real drama on the show could be fighters having issues with their coaches.

Why?

Several of the female cast members are long-time veterans of the sport. Rousey, albeit an Olympic medalist in judo, is only 7-0 in the sport. The veterans have been training longer, are more experienced in other disciplines and have had more experienced coaches.

The veterans are likely to give Rousey a break. Her elite status with the UFC, as well as her Olympic background, will gain her favor. The entire cast will at least have that to learn from Rousey.

A couple veteran female fighters took to Twitter prior to the Miesha Tate vs. Cat Zingano battle to complain about her potential coaching. Tara LaRosa and Tonya Evinger were two of them, and they made no bones about their displeasure of Tate.

We have not seen Tate coach, but we have seen her corner, Bryan Caraway, including the infamous “coast” debacle that led to a split decision loss to Takeya Mizugaki in March. It will be interesting to see which fighters remember that bit heading into this season of TUF.

This is all focusing on the female issues with their less experienced coaches. That is not taking into consideration the male fighters of the cast.

Viewers cannot be naive and believe just because of Rousey‘s background—or Tate’s for that matter—that these fighters will enter willing to listen to them immediately. Misogyny is very real with male athletes. Across all sports, it is a concern when a female is the coach.

That is why the most important factor for the coaches could be who they have brought along as their assistants. They may be able to bridge the gap and allow anyone with an issue to quell their concerns.

The angst of the female veterans and potential misogyny from the male cast only adds to the intrigue of this season.

There will be a lot going on outside of the cage. From potential cast beefs with the coaches to the Rousey-Tate rivalry to in-house antics, this could be one of the most intriguing seasons of the show to date.

It seems as if there is more of a chance that fighters would have an issue with Tate than Rousey, but both interactions will be interesting to watch. Rousey has been on the show before but never as a full-time coach.

When The Ultimate Fighter returns, we will have a whole lot to pay attention to outside of the fights.

One can only hope that any potential cast member that has an issue with Rousey or Tate deals with it quickly. The bottom line is that these coaches are at the top of the food chain in their division and are backed by the UFC. The cast members are simply trying to join the organization. They need to know their role.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Could the First International Version of The Ultimate Fighter Already Be on the Verge of Cancellation?


(If the UFC really wanted to save TUF: Brazil, perhaps they could start by firing the 8 year-old responsible for photoshopping their promo posters.) 

Although the seventeenth season of the original The Ultimate Fighter marked a much-needed improvement in the reality show over that of previous seasons (and saw a substantial climb in ratings as a result), apparently the same cannot be said about its international counterpart, TUF: Brazil. Apparently.

Yes, despite pulling in nearly 8 million viewers during its first season, TUF: Brazil 2 — which features Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Fabricio Werdum as opposing coaches — is crashing and burning. According to a report by Brazilian outlet Ataque Total, the reality show has not been renewed for a third season as a result of continually waning fan interest:

With near 1-million viewers per episode, the season two of TUF Brazil don’t had the success of the first and is airing on 23h50 of Sundays. The second season has 16 welterweights in only one weight class and Minotauro Nogueira divides the coaching with Fabricio Werdum.

A huge team rivalry, lots of injuries and some boring fights is almost a trademark in the season. It’s a huge news for the brazilian MMA, with the sport losing its only weekly program in the biggest TV channels of Brazil. Alongside TUF Brazil, Rede Globo also shows 3 UFCs per year (usually Anderson Silva and Jose Aldo ones) and other channels like Bandeirantes, Record and RedeTV aren’t into the MMA world yet. 

As one would expect, the UFC has already taken to the interwebs to dispute these reports…


(If the UFC really wanted to save TUF: Brazil, perhaps they could start by firing the 8 year-old responsible for photoshopping their promo posters.) 

Although the seventeenth season of the original The Ultimate Fighter marked a much-needed improvement in the reality show over that of previous seasons (and saw a substantial climb in ratings as a result), apparently the same cannot be said about its international counterpart, TUF: Brazil. Apparently.

Yes, despite pulling in nearly 8 million viewers during its first season, TUF: Brazil 2 — which features Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Fabricio Werdum as opposing coaches – is crashing and burning. According to a report by Brazilian outlet Ataque Total, the reality show has not been renewed for a third season as a result of continually waning fan interest:

With near 1-million viewers per episode, the season two of TUF Brazil don’t had the success of the first and is airing on 23h50 of Sundays. The second season has 16 welterweights in only one weight class and Minotauro Nogueira divides the coaching with Fabricio Werdum.

A huge team rivalry, lots of injuries and some boring fights is almost a trademark in the season. It’s a huge news for the brazilian MMA, with the sport losing its only weekly program in the biggest TV channels of Brazil. Alongside TUF Brazil, Rede Globo also shows 3 UFCs per year (usually Anderson Silva and Jose Aldo ones) and other channels like Bandeirantes, Record and RedeTV aren’t into the MMA world yet. 

As one would expect, the UFC has already taken to the interwebs to dispute these reports, telling MMAJunkie the following:

The information is inaccurate. The Ultimate Fighting Championship and Globo are happy with this successful partnership, which includes broadcasts of a few of the UFC’s main events and exclusivity for the reality show in Brazil.

We hope for the UFC’s sake that they aren’t feeding us pork pies here, because if you can’t get Brazilians interested in your product, Lord knows what it says about the other, other incarnation of TUF, which will look to exploit the storied rivalry between….Australia and Canada next season. Good luck with that.

But what say you, Potato Nation? Has the fact that TUF: Brazil is only made available online deterred you from watching the show, or have you just had it with TUF in general?

–J. Jones