On Wednesday night, The Ultimate Fighter: American Top Team vs Blackzilians debuted. It is the 21st season of the show affectionately known as “TUF”. The new concept of gym vs gym allows us to witness the ultimate South Florida grudge match.
This season held particular interest before the first show had aired. The world’s best fighters are part of elite training teams. Sports fans find teams easy to relate to, and as these teams already exist within the sport it is surprising that the UFC has underutilized this aspect of the sport in the past.
The UFC has known for some time that the traditional TUF format had grown stale. Attempts have been made to freshen up the show in the past, but no matter how “live” it became, or how many artistic camera and lighting shots were added to the confessional portion of the show, change was still needed.
Out with the old and in with the new. For those who haven’t taken an interest yet, it’s time to set your DVR because if the first episode is a forecast for the rest of the season, this could be one of the best in the show’s history. If you need a push in the right direction, here are some of the major changes you will see this season.
Old Format Abandoned
No longer will the UFC be trying to manufacture drama by using two opposing coaches. Coaches who, in previous seasons, were merely fighters promoting an eventual clash between themselves. They will be using two elite, well established MMA teams with a real long running bitter feud. This creates a more compelling story line in between fights.
No Longer Using a Bracket System
The fights will no longer be taking place in a traditional tournament style as the bracket has been replaced with a points system. The fights are broken into three rounds with four fights in each round and the winner of each fight earns points for his team. The fights in the first round are worth 25 points each and double in value for the second and third rounds.
Home Gym Advantage
Since these two gyms are geographically close the teams with be able to enjoy a home gym advantage as a reward for winning their fights. This might be the best change of all as it gives the fights the excitement and energy they were sorely lacking in past seasons. The gym was packed with a bunch of fighters screaming their heads off to encourage their teammate, providing a tremendous atmosphere for the fight. In past seasons the gym was so quiet you couldn’t help but feel like you were just watching a sparring match.
Fight Selection Overhauled
Another tweak to the show is the new fight selection process. In the past the coach of the winning team was able to select the matches, allowing him to manipulate the way fighters match up and create advantages. Now, each team will select a fighter for the match, but the selected fighter won’t know who his opponent will be until the weigh-in.
The Overview
Overall the first show was enjoyable and gave us plenty of reasons to look forward to the rest of the season. It is clear that these two teams have an authentic dislike for one another and they aren’t just fighting for the hope of getting a contract from the UFC, they are fighting for bragging rights and team pride.
