Ultimate Fighter Finale & Ultimate Fight Night

So in the past 5 days, UFC has had two specials on Spike TV. And oh what adventures we've had.

The Ultimate Fighter Finale was fairly well done. The pacing was still slow, but it was better than the TUF2 Finale. As expected, Michael Bisping defeated Josh Haynes to win the Light Heavyweight contract. And Kendall Grove defeated Ed Hermann to win the Middleweight Contract. I was quite happy to see that Hermann lost, as he was entirely too confident in his abilities, and too obsessed with Ortiz, as I have stated before. It was a fairly good fight, with Grove really coming across as a much improved fighter. Because of the closeness of the of Grove/Hermann fight, Dana did the Bonnar/Griffin thing and gave both fighters contracts.

And this is where things got interesting. I swear I saw Dana pull Ed Herman aside when Joe Rogan went to interview Kendall, and when Joe interviewed Ed, he seemed more reserved and cordial than the self-absorbed, whiny little child that I had come to want to see dead over the season. Did Dana have a little chat with Ed? I think its entirely possible. It was even better when Dana announced a contract for Ed, as he was already halfway to the locker room, and didn't convey the same sense of excitement that Stephan did when he got his contract. In fact, Ed almost looked disappointed with the contract offer. Which raises an interesting question...Is Ed obligated to take the contract? To me, it seemed that Dana was more interested in locking up a free agent fighter than with rewarding Ed. And I think there's a reason for that.

Dana White, and the UFC, are trying to corner the market on mediocre fighters. As Dave Ling pointed out, the fighters from TUF 1-3 are being exposed as Not Ready for Prime Time Fighters. But at the same time, they are putting on good fights when put up against someone on their own level. Bonnar/Griffin is considered one of the best fights of 2005. But since then, Bonnar has been unimpressive/disappointing. Granted, Griffin is coming into his own, but even he lost to Tito Ortiz, although that fight probably did more to elevate him than hurt him in the eyes of the fans. Season 2s Joe Stevenson had a decent fight with Luke Cuommo, but was beaten in his last fight.

What I'm trying to point out is that, when up against fighters of their calibre, TUF guys look pretty good, but when they're in the ring with more experienced fighters, they come across as pretty unimpressive. But it seems that Dana is determined to make these lower calibre wrestlers the cornerstone of the promotion. Rather than try to sign a fighter like Rampage Jackson, Dana focuses his energies on the Lebens and Quarrys. If Dana gets a stable of enough of these fighters, he will be putting on great matches every time, because the guys he has under contract are all on the same level. But they won't be world-class fighters. But nobody will notice, because UFC gets all the MMA press in the popular media. Groups like PRIDE, IFL, WFA, Strike Force aren't getting the same level of coverage. So the general fan will consider what the UFC is presenting to be the pinnacle of MMA.

Take Chris Leben's moronoic promo before he was beaten like a red-headed orphan by Anderson Silva. Leben said when he was done with Silva, Silva could go where the competition isn't as tough, like Japan. To the casual UFC observer, this statement demarcates UFC as the superior promotion. If Dana can continue this myth, and the myth that the UFC has the best fighters in the world, then eventually that myth will come to be accepted. Sort of like the way FOX News viewers believe that Iraq had WMDs or that there is a was on Xmas. The truth will become irrelevant, and all that matters is the message. I'm sure Dana was happy with Leben's promo, if he didn't have it scripted for him. The more the UFC can create the illusion that they are the premiere MMA group in the world, the more they can convince people that illusion is true. So by locking up another mediocre fighter like Ed Hermann up in a contract, Dana ensures that he has another fighter to put on good fights with the rest of the mediocre fighters he has under contract.

Other thoughts coming out of TUF3 and Ultimate Fight Night:

• Ultimate Fight Night helped convince me Joe Rogan is on the outs with UFC. He openly mocked Blade, the show that the Ultimate Fight Night was organized to promote. He said that the judge who scored the Bonnar/Evans "should be shot," and he mocked Blade star 'Sticky' Fingaz during his interview. (Granted, the mockery came in the form of Joe's patented wide-eyed 'is this person a freak' look, but it was mockery nonetheless.)
• I may have been too judgemental of Tait Fletcher. I've been to his website and read his message boards. He may have been a bit of a jackass on the show, but he seems somewhat more human when not filtered by Zuffa editors. But his head is still enormous.
• Mark Hominick also has a giant head. As does Tito Ortiz.
• I'm thinking of taking up MMA training, just so I can challenge Jonathon Goulet to a hair vs hair match and win. Of course, I weigh two Goulets, but thats beside the point.
• UFC is going too far with the product placement and cross-promotion. I think one of the reasons I didn't really like Blade: The Series is because it was hyped so much.
• What amazed me is that they didn't pretend to change their name to Stake TV to promote the Blade premiere.
• I still think there's something with those decals on the octagon mat that messes with people's footing.
• I'm getting tired of fighters' nicknames. They seem so forced and contrived. The worst is Tim 'The Maine-Iac' Sylvia.
• I'm looking forward to TUF4. Mainly because I want to see Shonie Carter walking around the house with his goblet.
• If Zuffa hasn't bought the rights to LL Cool J's Mama Said Knock You Out for TUF4, they have no marketing sense.
• Okay, GSP, good fighter. BAD interview. And this isn't just because I hate Quebec. He doesn't speak good English, and should not be interviewed. I can only imagine the frustration of the guys he was 'coaching'.
• Okay, just so I'm clear, does the winner of the TUF4 get a title shot?
• And is it me, or does Dana promise title shots to fighters as flippantly as I offer "I Love You's" to the women I want to bed?
• I am really looking forward to UFC 61. That footage of Tito laughing at Ken and Ken kicking the chair into Dana is classic.
• Arlovski isn't going to win. His hair is still too short. Whoever the Jezebel who convinced him to cut his hair is an idiot.
• I will finish with this quote from the Ultimate Fight Night feedback on the Observer. "Plus, why does Joe Rogan hate Canadian Fighters? He continually downplays the efforts of fighters like GSP and Hominick and will instead praise whomever they are poundings ability to take a beating. Did Dave Foley burn you, Joe, on us Canucks? Why the hate?"