Do Fighting Reality Shows Produce Viable Contenders?

As the MMA fan base gears up for the new September installment of “The Ultimate Fighter,” a lot of attention is being paid to the introduction of Kevin "Kimbo Slice” Ferguson into the UFC universe.

Once considered only an Internet sensation and a talent-depraved brawler, Slice now has the legitimate chance of working his way onto the UFC roster by show’s end. But in the event that he does win, should that actually change the way that we should view him as a fighter?

Just as questions arose around the ability of The Contender to produce title-worthy boxers, one has to wonder whether the contestants that come out of The Ultimate Fighter are really talented enough to make their mark amongst the UFC's elite, or whether they are just recognizable names and faces with mediocre records.

While The Ultimate Fighter is entering its 10th season and has thus produced more winners than The Contender, it’s only fair to breakdown the biggest stars from each program (whether victorious or not) and decide which combat reality show has the better track record of producing championship caliber fighters.

The Contender

The Contender is the more maligned of the two shows and certainly has seen far less critical success as a programme. It recently ended its fourth full season (fifth if you include the US vs. UK challenge) and has flown under the radar in terms of its acceptance with combat sports fans. However, even with its middling critical reception, The Contender has still managed to produce its fair share of boxers that remain in title contention.

Perhaps the most obvious success story is first season champion Sergio Mora. To date Mora sports a 21-5 record as both a Middleweight and Welterweight fighter and even held a title, claiming the Welterweight championship in a 2008 victory over Vernon Forrest.

Mora was set to move up to Middleweight to take on powerhouse, and one of boxing's most recognizable names, Kelly Pavlik, in June, but a staph infection caused Pavlik to postpone the fight.

Season three champion, Sakio Bika, has experienced his own success in the ring. He commands a 27-3 record and is currently the IBF fourth ranked Super Middleweight, even holding the IBO Super Middleweight Championship that he won after defeating fellow alumni Peter Manfredo Jr.

Manfredo Jr. has a 32-6 record, and had his fair share of big market fights, yet unlike Bika and Mora, the verdict has yet to go his way. He dropped a decision loss to Middleweight challenger Jeff Lacy and was knocked out by current legend and future Boxing Hall-of-Famer, Joe Calzaghe, in the third round of their fight.

He has since moved from Super Middleweight to Middleweight where he is ranked ninth in the world and is being discussed in fights against up and coming prospects like Irishman, John Duddy.

One of the most interesting former participants is second season’s third place finisher, Cornelius “K9” Bundrage. After being ridiculed early for his lack of technique, Bundrage made believers out of many of his fellow competitors and has experienced much success after the show. He currently holds a 29-4 record and is the IBF No. 2 ranked Junior Middleweight.

Many of his recent fights have come against serious contenders, losing to super-prospect Joel Julio before beating former title-holder Kassim Ouma in a unanimous decision. He was recently in another title eliminator bout against Yuri Foreman when an accidental head butt caused the fight to be called a no decision.

Lastly, one of the biggest names to emerge from “The Contender” has been season one third place finisher, Alfonso Gomez. Gomez quickly made a name for himself with his steel chin and willingness to trade punches with anybody.

His 19-4-2 record includes a TKO victory over former perennial contender Arturo Gatti, another win over Juan Buendia, and a title fight loss against one of the sports best, Miguel Cotto. Gomez is in talks to take on another top fighter in Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.

The Ultimate Fighter

While The Contender may be fledgling, its MMA counterpart is starting to take off. As MMA gains more mainstream popularity, so does the show that promises to give six-figure contracts to fighters who are struggling to make names for themselves outside of the octagon.

Entering its 10th season, the show has produced some of the biggest names in the UFC to date.

Perhaps none bigger than first season winner Forrest Griffin. With a 16-5 record and his willingness to fight anybody, Griffin has become one of the faces of the sport. He claimed the Light Heavyweight title from Quinton Jackson before losing it in his next bout against fellow alumnus, and Season Two champ, Rashad Evans.

Griffin has his biggest challenge to date in front of him as he faces the best pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC, Anderson Silva on August 8th.

Evans’ reign as titleholder was just as short-lived as Griffin’s, dropping the title in his first defense, against Lyoto Machida. It was the first loss for Evans, who at 13-1 is still one of the most dominant fighters in the weight class.

He will return to “The Ultimate Fighter” as a season 10 coach against "Rampage" Jackson, setting up a bout between the two that could see the winner earn another title shot.

The move to return as a coach has been done a few times before, most recently by season three winner, Michael Bisping. Bisping never fully emerged as a contender at the Light Heavyweight division and after a loss to Evans, moved down to 185-lb and started to prove himself again.

His three straight victories and 17-1 record put him in position as a contender in the Middleweight division until his recent fight against his coaching foe Dan Henderson. Bisping was very unimpressive in his two rounds and lost on a brutal second round KO that saw him trying to prove himself all over again.

Another former Ultimate Fighter champ to return as a coach was Matt Serra, the season four winner. His 9-6 record and losses in his last two fights hardly make him a legitimate contender, but it's his one biggest win that still has Serra on the radar.

At UFC 69 in 2007, Serra knocked out, then champ, GSP to take the Welterweight belt. It was a victory that nobody saw coming and one that was also avenged in Serra's first title defense when he was TKO'd by GSP in the second round at UFC 83.

However, Bisping and Serra are only two of the former champions that have seen his stock fall. Bisping's fellow Season three champ, Kendall Grove, as struggled so much that some UFC fans are calling for his removal from the competition.

Victorious in his last two fights, it hardly seems as though an ouster in likely for Grove, but he certainly needs to start becoming more consistent, and fast. Sporting a 10-5 record, he returns inside the octagon for his upcoming fight at UFC 101 against Ricardo Almeida, where a loss could send him right back on the brink of expulsion.

Others fellow alumnus have their backs to the same wall. Season five winner Nate Diaz, and season six winner, Mac Danzing, have been let-downs since joining the UFC. Diaz only has two fights against noteworthy opponents, losing to both Clay Guida and season two champ, Joe Stevenson. Danzing has been even less impressive, dropping his last three fights and falling to 1-3 since he captured the title.

Even the aforementioned Stevenson has seen his share of struggles. Although he boasts a 30-10 record, Joe Daddy has been severely outclassed in his two bouts against the upper echelon fighters in his division, falling to Kenny Florian and BJ Penn.

He also lost to season one winner, Diego Sanchez in Diego's first fight down at lightweight, where he has now made himself a serious contender. While Sanchez's stock is on the rise, Joe Daddy may only get one more shot to prove he is worthy of a title chance.

The Verdict

There are many arguments that can be made for, or against, either show.

For one, boxing’s plethora of championship belts and weight classes dilutes the title-worthy talent pool enough so that fighters who truly aren’t the best at their weight are getting shots to earn belts. Contrarily, UFC's increased popularity makes their fighters seem like bigger names than they have actually earned for themselves inside the octagon.

As the UFC has grown, they have been able to lure fighters away from another MMA competitions, making it harder for “Ultimate Fighter” alumni to keep roster spots that were more available to them when the sport was smaller.

All and all, The Contender has produced two title-holders and two other fighters who have made appearances in title bouts. Furthermore, with Bundrage, they seem to have a legitimate chance to add another title contender to their list, proving that it’s not just the winners from The Contender who find success.

With the fourth season having just ended, its too early to tell who will do what from the newest crop, but in three full seasons, The Contender has produced five championship contenders and other lesser known fighters who have made their presence felt, such as season two first round loser, Brian Vera, who knocked out top prospect Andy Lee in 2008.

However, what The Contender hasn’t produced is a full-blown star. 

Maybe that has more to do with the structure of the UFC in comparison with the mess that represents boxing, but nobody in either reality show as matched the rise of Forrest Griffin. If Rashad Evans can shake off the loss to Machida and prove his mettle, The Ultimate Fighter could very well have produced two of the best, and most recognizable, fighters in the UFC.

However, it has also produced some struggling champions. In eight seasons (since, like The Contender, the newest season just ended) The Ultimate Fighter has produced only three champions and three of its winners might soon be out of the sport and others have floundered when given a chance to step up to elite competition.

That is why, even though UFC may register the bigger names and larger fan base, both shows have actually proven to be equal in their ability to create viable contenders. The UFC may be the better-run organization and get more name-recognition for its stars, but the fact remains that the results have been mixed. With far fewer seasons, and thus far fewer fighters, "The Contender" has produced just as many title-worthy fighters.

The only reason that these two shows even up is because of the dismal situation that boxing finds itself in at the current moment. As The Ultimate Fighter season 10 ticks closer, another batch of fighters have a chance to prove their worth their worth, we might truly begin to see whether its talent that reigns on the show, or just simply flash in the pan, TV sensations.