TUF 20: Why the Format Shift Was Ideal and B/R Staff Predictions

The Ultimate Fighter 20 debuted Wednesday night with a two-hour episode.

This season introduces the UFC audience to the new 115-pound women’s division. The strawweights on this season will not battle it out for a six-figure contract, but they instead will fight to become the inaugural UFC strawweight championship.

The tweak to the format this season was that the 16 fighters were seeded. Everyone knows who they will fight in the first round and how the bracket is set up.

That is exactly what they should have done for this season. There was no other choice.

In seasons past, the fighters would have to fight to gain entry to the house, the coaches would pick teams, and whomever had control would pick a fight. It was a solid format for the show with a roster full of prospects. It added the reality-show element that it needed for the network.

TUF 20 was different from the beginning. Are there prospects on this cast? Absolutely, but the majority of fighters are veterans. Several members of the cast are the upper echelon of the division. It would have been a disservice to the cast if they had kept the old format.

Team Pettis	Team Melendez
No. 1 Carla Esparza	No. 16 Angela Hill
No. 9 Justine Kish	No. 8 Bec Rawlings
No. 5 Aisling Daly	No. 12 Angela Magana
No. 4 Jessica Penne	No. 13 Lisa Ellis
No. 2 Joanne Calderwood	No. 15 Emily Kagan
No. 10 Alex Chambers	No. 7 Rose Namajunas
No. 6 Felice Herrig	No. 11 Heather Clark
No. 14 Randa Markos	No. 3 Tecia Torres

Would we really have wanted to see No. 1 seed Invicta FC champion Carla Esparza vs. No. 4-seed Jessica Penne? No. The fighters being seeded makes this a more legitimate tournament. It makes the tournament more sport than spectacle, which is what we want.

The UFC could continue to do this with future TUF incarnations. The UFC’s scouts know who these fighters are and know their abilities. They could seed every seasons if they wanted to, but it wouldn’t be necessary.

Other seasons of TUF is about developing a new generation of fighter. TUF 20 is about crowning a champion.

As we now know, No. 3-seed Tecia Torres was eliminated in the first round. That was a very big upset, and it elevated No. 14-seed Randa Markos on a national platform. More fans now know who she is and what her abilities are. The seeding format helped assist in making that a possibility.

This will be a very exciting season, and a big reason is how the format was altered thanks to this season being a group of talented veteran fighters going after a belt.

Members of the Bleacher Report MMA staff gave their predictions on the season, and several had to be shocked with the opening episode. Torres was picked to win on three out of eight ballots. With Joanne Calderwood up next, it will be interesting to see if two more writers lose their victor.

B/R MMA Staffer	Finalist	Finalist	Winner
Criag Amos	Jessica Penne	Joanne Calderwood	Jessica Penne
Hunter Homistek	Tecia Torres	Carla Esparza	Tecia Torres
Riley Kontek	Joanne Calderwood	Justine Kish	Joanne Calderwood
Nathan McCarter	Joanne Calderwood	Aisling Daly	Joanne Calderwood
Steven Rondina	Carla Esparza	Tecia Torres	Carla Esparza
Matthew Ryder	Jessica Penne	Joanne Calderwood	Jessica Penne
Sean Smith	Tecia Torres	Carla Esparza	Tecia Torres
Kyle Symes	Carla Esparza	Tecia Torres	Tecia Torres

Note: All B/R staff predictions were made prior to the TUF 20 premiere.