How Does The Ultimate Fighter Show Work?
The Ultimate Fighter, or TUF, is a reality television show produced by the UFC. It is a versatile concept that aims to provide MMA fans with an inside look into the fighting game and all of its aspects through the engaging reality format. But despite the fact that TUF has been around since 2005, not much has been said about how this show actually works.
How do you apply to be the ultimate fighter? Do TUF contestants get paid? How do the applications and tryouts work? In this article, we are going to dive deep into these questions and explain how this captivating show unfolds in detail.
How Does The Ultimate Fighter Show Work?
The Ultimate Fighter is a TV show where talented MMA fighters compete for a UFC contract. During the show, 16 fighters of the same weight class are split into two teams. usually red and blue. The season lasts around a month and a half, during which fighters are coached by the two famous UFC fighters and their personal team of coaches.
So if the coach is Conor Mcgregor, contestants on his team are coached by Mcgregor’s team from “SBG Ireland”. Through the show coaches become mentors, guiding and shaping the fighters’ skills and mindset throughout the season.
During the season, contestants compete in a tournament-style format where the winner advances to the next phase, while losers stay without the chance to bounce back. The elimination tournament includes:
- Preliminary round
- Quarterfinals
- Semi-finals
- Grand Finale at the UFC event
The ultimate goal is to go through all the phases of the show and reach the final event. The winner of the finals earns a six-figure contract with the UFC and extra media exposure which they can use to build a fan base. The ones who got eliminated, however, may also receive another chance. If the UFC sees the value in their fighting styles and personalities, they might get booked one more time, but this is not guaranteed.
During the show, all fighters live under the same roof in a “TUF house” located in Las Vegas Nevada and they are not allowed to get out. Every corner of the house is covered with HD cameras, filming fighters’ everyday activities, including intense arguments and physical alterations. As the season progresses, tensions rise, friendships form, and rivalries intensify, which makes the audience emotionally engaged in the show.
Overall, TUF has an important strategic value. On one side, the show is engaging and beyond interesting. It brings in a new fan base and enables new fans to learn more about how the game works. They get an insight into weight cuts, diets, training, rules, and many other things. On the other, the UFC uses the show as a platform to bring in new talents, test them before signing, and pick only the finest talents.
How does TUF auditioning work?
Official TUF tryouts are organized months before the filming of the show. Athletes who want to take part must complete and sign up for the online application which you can find HERE. You can also send it to the UFC’s official e-mail address, or fill out the papers and bring them to their headquarters in Las Vegas in person. But that’s a bit old-fashioned. And you wait for their response.
Each year, more than 500 up-and-coming talents show up to the official tryouts and they are brought in in a group of 50. In the initial stage, applications must showcase their skills by performing directly in front of the UFC matchmakers and scouts, including Dana White himself. Instead of “fighting”, athletes similar in size grapple against each other for around 3–4 minutes. They might even get a $100 price if they submit the opponent or show dominance. But at the same time, they must be careful not to cause any injuries.
As far as striking is concerned, applicants do not spar against each other. This is too dangerous and might cause serious injuries. Instead, they must hit the pads to showcase timing, accuracy, speed, and power before they move to the next segment.
The next phase is where applicants get the chance to showcase their personality, tell interesting or inspiring stories, and talk more about their background. Overall, this is where you must convince the UFC that besides talent, you also have the ability to sell a fight and engage the audience during press conferences and other media work. They will also ask you to show them your social media, how many followers you have, the type of content you are posting, etc.
It’s not a secret that the UFC scouts are paying a lot of attention to numbers. Applicants who are outspoken, funny, ready to put on a fake persona just to sell a fight or even trash talkers tend to have a better chance of making it to the show. Although the UFC won’t ever admit this publically, all MMA fans know how the game works. Just look at the top-level UFC and you can clearly see what sells.
Do TUF fighters get paid?
Matches at The Ultimate Fighter show are considered amateur. This means that the contestants do not receive regular salaries like UFC fighters do for instance. During the show, opposite teams compete in various challenges where the winning group receives a certain amount of prize money they get to split between them. But apart from that, they do not receive money for their performances inside the octagon, or during their stay in the house.
Since this is an amateur competition format, the losses or wins do not go into their official records. Only the final match, which is booked as a professional MMA match at the proper UFC event goes into their record.
What is the reward for Winning the TUF Show?
The winner of The Ultimate Fighter receives a six-figure contract with the UFC. They sign a three-year deal with a guaranteed first year in which they compete three times.
During the first year, they receive $12,000 show money plus another $12,000 as a win bonus which means that they can potentially cash out $72.000 in case of winning all three. During the second year, they receive $16,000 to show up plus another $16,000 as a win bonus which sums up to $96,000 for three wins. In the final, third year, they receive $22,000 show money plus another $22,000 in case of winning or $132,000 in total for three wins. Bear in mind this is without post-fight or promotional bonuses.
So if a TUF winner manages to complete a contract by going 9–0, they will earn $300.000 without bonuses. Like all fighters, they are eligible to win an additional $50.000 for a knockout, submission, or fight of the night.
On paper, other show contestants are eliminated from the show once they lose a fight. However, if they put on a good performance, and have an exciting fighting style, the UFC might give them another chance. They might end up in the DW contender show, low-level UFC card, or might re-appear in the next season of TUF. It happens quite often that the losers from the semi-finals get another chance.
Final Thoughts
The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) is a great show and very important to the UFC. If it isn’t, the show wouldn’t have been around for almost two decades. Just look at how many high-level athletes have won or come out of the show. The UFC champions like Michael Bisping, Robert Whittaker, T.J Dillashaw, Kamaru Usman, and Rose Namajunas all got into the UFC thanks to The Ultimate Fighter.
Apart from producing great fighters, the show is also entertaining and has an educational purpose. It enables new fans to learn more about the sport by closely following fighters’ lives in every episode, and it portrays MMA fighters as real athletes and MMA as a real sport. In fact, the TUF show on its own is directly responsible for changing the image of the sport and enabling it to rise.
