I’m a fan of mixed martial arts. I watch most of the pay-per-view events, I know a fair amount about the sport, I even dabbled a little in training for a very brief (almost inconsequential) time when I was younger and working as a bouncer. And yet, despite my interest, I’ve never owned a single Tapout, Affliction, UFC or other fight culture branded piece of clothing, and I’ve never closely followed the UFC reality show, The Ultimate Fighter. This month, however, marks the start of the show’s 10th season, and I’ll definitely be adding it to my DVR queue. (I will not, however, begin purchasing fight-branded clothing.)
The rivalry between Season 10 coaches Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Rashad Evans is enough to pique my interest. Both guys are extremely skilled fighters, and the camera loves both of them, Rampage because he’s charismatic as hell and a more than just a bit looney; and Rashad because he’s just as charismatic, and has that good-lookin’ clean-and-mean vibe about him. Plus, they’re both good shit talkers and they seem to genuinely dislike each other.
This season’s teams consist entirely of heavyweights — there hasn’t been a heavyweight division on the show since Season 2, and this is the first time show has focused on a single class — and the field looks pretty fierce. Among them are four retired NFL players (including All-American college player and first round NFL draft pick Marcus Jones), former IFL champion Roy Nelson, and a bunch of other big ass, badass dudes, including street fighting legend and former Elite XC champ Kimbo Slice.
I’m not big on the “reality show” drama surrounding all this stuff (which could explain why I’ve only casually kept up on previous seasons), I prefer to just watch the fights, but I think this season will be the most worth-while to-date. The show starts September 16, on Spike TV. Check this out…