Season three of The Ultimate Fighter reality series premiered tonight. Dana White, the president of the Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC) is one smart guy. Tweaking the series with feuding coaches Ken Shamrock and Tito Ortiz may have been the smartest move to spice up the third season after a lackluster season two.
Don’t get me wrong! Season two ended on a strong note, but it was too little, too late. The season two DVD's low sales figures certainly proved this. In the past two seasons, the opposing coaches had been very cordial towards each other. Ken vs. Tito was a legendary rivalry that promised to translate itself onto the television screen again. Like a worrisome parent, Dana made sure to sit both coaches down and appealed to them to leave their personal grudges for an upcoming July pay-per-view event. But it could all be for naught, since the first segment ends with a Shamrock-Ortiz face-to-face stare-down with so much tension in the air, that a knife (or a commercial) could have cut it!
The New Blood
The new fighters appeared very skilled, and more importantly, in shape, during the coaches’ separate evaluations. The evaluations were held jointly in the past, but Ken and Tito could not stand to be in each other’s presence. Tito and Ken evaluated the fighters over the first two days to help them determine who would be drafted on to their teams.
On this first look, this season’s contestants seemed like a bunch of level-headed, fun-loving fighters. The UFC had done a better job of scouting and filtering who got picked to come on the show and there was an increase in international flavor. But in the end, it doesn’t matter. As Ken Shamrock declared, “...[the show] IS about me and Tito.” The new narrow personality focus should do wonders for the show’s ratings. The audience got to see the sides of Tito Ortiz and Ken Shamrock that are usually reserved for the people who trained with them. Tito did the better job of winning me over on this episode.
The Draft
Tito won the coin-flip to pick his team first. After the obligatory verbal stab at beating Ken Shamrock yet again (for the coin-flip), Tito made a surprising first pick with inexperienced deaf fighter, Matt Hamill. The draft then went back and forth with Ken strategically picking fighters he felt would defeat Tito’s choices.
The training camp officially started with Tito’s team, Team Punishment, going through strenuous conditioning and sparring to prepare them for their would-be professional careers. Tito displayed a hands-on attitude, boxing and sparring with his fighters. Ken Shamrock was the polar opposite as he brought his “Lion’s Den” philosophy where the strongest survive. Ken’s coaching style was to oversee the contestants’ development. The contrast in coaching styles gained Tito more points in my book.
Article comments
1 - Thomas Myers
I thought that Mike Stines was pathetic. I hope that he does not represent the so-called best season yet. What a Sally. Kalib looked good, though. I believe the first season set the bar high. Season 2 didn't come close, and this one has a ways to go. Let's keep those fingers crossed.
2 - predictor
Kalib is definetly going to win this thing ;)