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''The Ultimate Fighter'' is an American reality television series and mixed martial arts (MMA) competition produced by Fox Sports 1 and the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). It previously aired for fourteen seasons on Spike TV. The show features professional MMA fighters living together in Las Vegas, Nevada, and follows them as they train and compete against each other for a prized contract with the UFC. The series debuted on January 17, 2005, with its first episode, "The Quest Begins". To date, there have been twenty seasons of the show, two per calendar year. Each season features either one or two weight classes in the tournament. The historic Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar fight in the first season drew millions of viewers to the show and launched the sport into the mainstream. Because of this success, ''The Ultimate Fighter'' was regarded as instrumental to the survival and expansion of the UFC and mixed martial arts into the mainstream. Many current and past UFC fighters are alumni of the show, with some competitors going on to become coaches in future seasons. The show has undergone multiple format changes since its inception, including the introduction of the wildcard bout. Many winners have gone on to compete for UFC championships with some becoming UFC champions. ==History== ''The Ultimate Fighter'' was originally an experimental series financed by the owners of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta III. The series was aired on Spike TV as a last resort measure to gain mainstream exposure for mixed martial arts (MMA). During the early days of Spike TV, the channel wanted sports programming, but had no budget for sports licensing fees. Spike TV founder Albie Hecht began a search to find programming with broad appeal that the network could afford. In the end, Spike narrowed its choices down to the UFC and K-1. Hecht flew to Japan to meet with the head of K-1, but insulted his geisha, so the meeting did not go well. Weeks later, Hecht met with Lorenzo Fertitta in Las Vegas. Hecht was impressed by the UFC's celebrity following, its plan to acquire and consolidate smaller promotions into the UFC, and with Dana White's ability to be a "Vince McMahon"-like personality.〔Falzon, A. (). (2013, October 3). SWTB: Albie Hecht Talks UFC (file ). Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRwa_g1oiAQ〕 Hecht saw K-1 as a safer bet, given it had more international notoriety. He was also not a fan of the grappling aspects of MMA, but the UFC rebuffed his suggestion to change the rules of the sport to accommodate striking. Hecht credits Kevin Kay and his editorial collaboration with the UFC for highlighting the show's story lines, which he believes helped drive its ratings success.〔 Airing after World Wrestling Entertainment's flagship show ''WWE Raw'', ''The Ultimate Fighter's'' debut episode was able to garner a 57% retention rate in viewers from ''RAW'', which was double the usual rate for Spike TV. It is believed by some that WWE's Vince McMahon had to approve The Ultimate Fighter following ''RAW'', but this is incorrect. According to Hecht, McMahon did not have the final say, but given his stature and ''RAW's importance to Spike TV at the time, the network wanted McMahon to "be on board" with the program lineup. At the time Hecht believes the WWE did not see the UFC as a challenge.〔 The live finale for the first season saw the historic bout of Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar. Now widely regarded as the most influential fight in MMA history, the bout took place in what was the first ever MMA event on live and free television.〔 The bout ended in a unanimous decision victory for Griffin and led to the show's renewal on Spike TV.〔 Regarding the success of the show, UFC president Dana White said, "It's amazing to think.... how close we came to not being here today. If it weren't for what these guys did, I don't know if there would even be a UFC. I'll never forget these guys. Ever."〔 The renewal of the show saw UFC produce two more series, before subsequent renewals. In order to garner more attention for the sport, ''The Ultimate Fighter'' utilizes gimmicks: one notable example, in the ninth season, employed a country vs. country theme, with the United States competing against the United Kingdom. These gimmicks enabled the UFC to appeal to fans that had been recently introduced to the sport during UFCs penetration into the European market. ''The Ultimate Fighter'' also drew record viewing figures for Spike TV when YouTube sensation Kimbo Slice participated in the tenth season. Slice's fight against veteran Roy Nelson attracted viewers to the sport, drawing an audience of 6.1 million, making it one of the most viewed MMA fights in history. As part of a new broadcasting relationship between the UFC and Fox Sports, ''The Ultimate Fighter'' moved to FX beginning in season 15.〔 Season 14 was the final season of the series to air on Spike, who considered the relationship to be "incredibly beneficial in building both our brands.” In September 2013, the series moved to Fox's new mainstream sports network Fox Sports 1.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2013/04/13/the-ultimate-fighter-moves-to-fox-sports1-in-september/177725/ )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「The Ultimate Fighter」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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