Customer Reviews

UFC Presents: The Ultimate Fighter, Season 1- Uncut, Untamed and Uncensored!

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3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The idea was brilliant: pit two legendary UFC Champions competing against eachother in another aspect of Mixed Martial Arts - COACHING. The Teams are divided by divisions and weight classes for Randy Couture (The former Light-Heavyweight and Heavyweight champion and future heavyweight champion) and Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell (Reigning Light-Heavyweight Champion). Interesting team challenges decide whose team gets to pick the first fight, and so on. Great season, introducing the likes of eight of the best middleweight rising stars and eight of the best light-heavyweight Future Stars of the fast growing phenomenon that is MMA.

Light Heavyweights
Team Liddell: Bobby Southworth, Sam Hoger, Forrest Griffin, Alex Schoenauer
Team Couture: Stephan Bonnar, Mike Swick, Lodune Sincaid, Jason Thacker
Middleweights
Team Liddell: Diego Sanchez, Josh Koscheck, Kenny Florian, Josh Rafferty
Team Couture: Nathan Quarry, Chris Leben, Alex Karalexis, Chris Sanford


The hosting by Willa Ford is an unusual bonus.

Episode 1

Light Heavyweight and Middleweight teams are chosen by coaches Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture
Episode 2

Team Liddell wins the first Light Heavyweight Challenge.
Jason Thacker is sent home by Randy Couture.
Team Liddell wins the first Middleweight Challenge.
Chris Sanford is sent home by Randy Couture.
Episode 3

Alex Schoenauer wins the Light Heavyweight challenge. Bobby Southworth comes in last and will be forced to fight in the elimination bout.
Bobby Southworth vs. Lodune Sincaid.
Episode 4

Alex Schoenauer is traded to Team Couture as part of a team re-balance.
Team Liddell wins the Middleweight challenge and the opportunity to schedule the next fight.
Diego Sanchez vs. Alex Karalexis.
Episode 5

There was no challenge or fight in this episode. The show featured Nate Quarry's injury and the fight and pranks between Bobby Southworth, Josh Koscheck and Chris Leben.
Episode 6

As fallout from the previous episode, there is no challenge and Dana White schedules the Middleweight fight between Chris Leben and Josh Koscheck.
Josh Koscheck vs. Chris Leben.
Episode 7

Josh Rafferty is traded to Team Couture in another team reshuffle.
Team Couture wins the Light Heavyweight challenge.
Stephan Bonnar vs. Bobby Southworth.
Episode 8

Nate Quarry is eliminated from the show due to his ankle injury. Dana White asks Quarry to stay on as an assistant coach, and he agrees.
Quarry gets to choose what fighter from the loser's lounge gets to come back and he chooses Chris Leben.
Team Couture wins the middleweight challenge.
Diego Sanchez vs. Josh Rafferty.
Episode 9

Team Liddell wins the light heavyweight challenge.
Sam Hoger is accused of stealing from the other competitors.
Forrest Griffin vs. Alex Schoenauer.
Episode 10

In the first middleweight semifinal match, Kenny Florian vs. Chris Leben.
Episode 11

In the second middleweight semifinal match, Diego Sanchez vs. Josh Koscheck.
Episode 12

Forrest Griffin vs. Sam Hoger.
Stephan Bonnar vs. Mike Swick.

IN THE FINALE!
Undercard
Alex Karalexis vs. Josh Rafferty
Mike Swick vs. Alex Schoenauer
Nathan Quarry vs.Lodune Sincaid
Josh Koscheck vs. Chris Sanford
Chris Leben vs. Jason Thacker
Sam Hoger vs Bobby Southworth
Main card
Middleweight Final - Diego Sanchez vs. Kenny Florian for the TUF championship in the middleweight division.
Light Heavyweight Final - Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar(Fight of the Year for 2005 - both fighter win contracts for their performance)for the TUF championship in the light-heavyweight division.
Main Event - Rich Franklin vs. Ken Shamrock

In 2005, the Ultimate Fighting Championship was in a sorry state. Sold off by SEG due to collapsing pay-per-view revenues, the new owners Zuffa [fronted by controversial president Dana White] were struggling, and ended up fronting ten million of their own money to produce this show for US Cable channel, Spike TV. The rest, as they say, is history, and [aided by a monster of a fight between Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar towards the end of the show], turned MMA into the fastest growing sport since NASCAR.

So this is the show that saved mainstream MMA, and it really is car-crash television of the finest vintage, a sort of cross between Big Brother and Fight Club, with contestants alternating between alpha-male scenery chewing, trash-talking, whinging, crying, and fighting in the octagon. Into the house enter a variety of fighters of varying proficiency and stamina, and stand-out characters include the requisite nutters [yoga-practicing borderline-psychotic Diego Sanchez; emotional wreck and general stirrer Chris Leben; the smug Josh Koscheck; the charming but loopy Forrest Griffin, a man who goes the entire season sporting a nasty compound fracture in his forearm that juts out under his skin], through the most laid-back cage fighter of all time [Stephan Bonnar], a few whingers [mainly Bobby Southworth: a moan and a bully] and on to the cannon fodder who look like deer in headlights [most predominantly Jason Thacker, a man who permanently looks like he's about to have his lunch money stolen from him, and is solely famous for having his bed 'spritzed' by another contestant].

The format of the show isn't perfect- weirdly, a recurrent theme is dividing up the fighters into two teams, presumably to encourage tribal loyalty [and therefore conflict for the cameras], but one that doesn't make a lot of sense when one team loses a lot of fighters over successive weeks, and so is given fighters from the other team. In addition, it's a few episodes before anyone actually fights, as the first few eliminations are via team challenges [in retrospect, the weaker individuals who are punted would have been pummelled by their peers in the octagon, and so perhaps there was an element of logic to this approach]. I'm also a little suspicious of the editing, as [like MTV's 'The Real World'], it's heavily tweaked to construct a narrative, and I'm still in two minds as to whether or not one contestant was the thief that the show made him out to be [I would say probably, but I still have my nagging doubts]. Finally, given the substantial injury rate of this sport, there is a high turn-over of individuals who are put out the show but then return when other contestants are injured.

These points are quibbles: this is a show that gets its hooks in, and due to the unpredictable nature of the bouts [a stray hook, knee, or elbow can end a fight that had been going heavily in favour of the other contestant], doesn't let go. It has a soap opera cast, some blistering fights, and is 'high stakes' for all the players involved. Engrossing stuff.

My boyfriends addicted. He didn't have any of the Ultimate Fighters before I bought these, but he loved watching them on TV. He's a guy, they can watch fights over & over & over, it doesn't get old. I purchased season 1 thru 4 & will be getting the rest, very soon!

Overall this might be the best reality tv show of all time, the ufc is what it is today because of this show. It shows the struggles fighters go through and the demons that some have to stop from taking over them, i have seen all the series and i still cant get up from the tv until i watch the entire season again!

I bought this as a Christmas present for my boyfriend. He loves UFC and has gotten me hooked into it! The playback is great and it seems that there is much that is missed when UFC is played on Spike.

First of all, the UFC has been around for a long time. I know alot of people didnt jump on the "bandwagon" until they made a reality show, and thats fine, it was underground and many didnt know it even existed. This, however is not old school. Check out UFC 1 to see old school. No weight classes, just show up and fight. The names Gracie, Shamrock, Severn, Frey, Kimo....thats old school, not Lidell and Coutoure. Now, on to the dvd. Im not a big fan of reality tv, but UFC did a great job on the show. Its interesting to see how these guys worked toward their goal of being a pro fighter, the ups and downs of the fight game itself, and how a guy like Griffin can rise up and become a future star in the making. Unlike the people who "graduate" from American Idol, these guys actually stick around and become solid pros. I think this is a good buy for anyone who wants to see just how hard it is to become a pro fighter.

I love MMA and I love UFC. I caught a few of these episodes when they aired but couldn't keep up. I bought a copy of the season for myself and a copy for my best buddy and we enjoyed many a Sunday afternoon drinking beer and watching the guys cause trouble, build and improve their skills and of course some hard core battles.

Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture are seasoned pro's and make for some great coaches.

If you like the ultimate fighter reality series, then you definitely have to see season one. They have some cheesy survivor type competitions but if you can get past that, the personalities and fighters are some of the best out of all seasons.

I love this season. It is amazing to see all the well known fighters in the UFC get their start on this very show.

this is by far the best Ultimate figher season because it is the one with A. Forrest Griffin and B. because its the original season. AMAZON did a good job to get it to me fast and its a great thing to buy if ur interested in where forrest griffin. stephan bonnar. nate quarry. josh koshacheck. Kenny FLorian. and diego sanchez all began. If ur a fan of any of those fighters i suggest buying it.