Something odd about Ultimate Fighter(s)...

[sdss]

With all the idiotic back and forth about Dillashaw betraying Team Alpha Male, this has been a hard season to watch and maintain the respect I usually have for these guys as professional athletes.

In the latest episode, I was watching the trash talk between Ramsey Nijem and Gilbert Smith, and something struck me as very odd. What is with these guys trying to alpha male each other and back and back one another down verbally when they are all trained professional fighters? If any of them were actually scared to get in a fight, they would've chosen another fucking profession.

Even more bizarre, most of the time, these guys are standing in a fight gym. When things get heated, two guys will get in each other's face and say, "I'll kick your ass / no, I'll kick YOUR ass" for 5 minutes, but nobody ever thinks to say, "Let's put some gloves on, step into the cage right over there and settle this." Why is that?

It's like watching two sprinters argue about who is faster instead of just taking 30 second to race.

 

[Hotora86]

Could it be... that this is... a show? For entertainment? And views?

 

[HaikenEdge]

nobody ever thinks to say, "Let's put some gloves on, step into the cage right over there and settle this." Why is that?

Probably because it wouldn't be part of the tournament but could cause an injury that'd get them evaluated as unfit to continue.

 

[Marginal Judo]

With all the idiotic back and forth about Dillashaw betraying Team Alpha Male, this has been a hard season to watch and maintain the respect I usually have for these guys as professional athletes.

In the latest episode, I was watching the trash talk between Ramsey Nijem and Gilbert Smith, and something struck me as very odd. What is with these guys trying to alpha male each other and back and back one another down verbally when they are all trained professional fighters? If any of them were actually scared to get in a fight, they would've chosen another fucking profession.

Even more bizarre, most of the time, these guys are standing in a fight gym. When things get heated, two guys will get in each other's face and say, "I'll kick your ass / no, I'll kick YOUR ass" for 5 minutes, but nobody ever thinks to say, "Let's put some gloves on, step into the cage right over there and settle this." Why is that?

It's like watching two sprinters argue about who is faster instead of just taking 30 second to race.

I laughed when Ramsey kept asking "Or else what?" and Gilbert only responded with "What?" each time. It couldn't be more obvious that he wasn't going to do shit.

 

[sdss]

Probably because it wouldn't be part of the tournament but could cause an injury that'd get them evaluated as unfit to continue.

Maybe so. But I think much worse would likely happen if two guys were to actually fight with bare fists, which is what they're essentially challenging each other to do.

 

[sdss]

I laughed when Ramsey kept asking "Or else what?" and Gilbert only responded with "What?" each time. It couldn't be more obvious that he wasn't going to do shit.

I thought it was pretty funny when Krause and Nunez got into it, and Nunez threatened to kick Krause's ass, and Krause wisely pointed out that Nunez already had a chance to do that and failed.

 

[sdss]

Could it be... that this is... a show? For entertainment? And views?

I can't be the only person who would be more entertained by two fighters actually fighting than watching them mouth off to each other like two assholes in a bar.

I accept that a certain amount of the drama on the show is manufactured in some way, but I can't believe producers are specifically telling the fighters, 'Feel free to get in each other's faces, but absolutely do not actually back it up in the venue that we have provided for you."

 

[sdss]

I'm not looking to pick arguments with any of you guys, by the way. I just thought this was interesting. All of these fighters, getting in each other's faces and challenging each other, and we've really never seen any of them look to settle it in the manner that makes the most sense.

Except maybe once. After I thought about this a while, I seem to recall something with Edmund and Dennis Hallman on the Ronda/Meisha season, and I do think Hallman might've said something like, "We can get in the cage right now." But I can't remember for sure. So he might have been the exception.

 

[HaikenEdge]

Maybe so. But I think much worse would likely happen if two guys were to actually fight with bare fists, which is what they're essentially challenging each other to do.

Last that it happened, didn't both guys get tossed from the show?

 

[Hotora86]

I can't be the only person who would be more entertained by two fighters actually fighting than watching them mouth off to each other like two assholes in a bar.

I accept that a certain amount of the drama on the show is manufactured in some way, but I can't believe producers are specifically telling the fighters, 'Feel free to get in each other's faces, but absolutely do not actually back it up in the venue that we have provided for you."

I think that's EXACTLY what the producers say. Fighting outside the competition format may jeopardize the "real" fights so they are not allowed. But any kind of verbal conflict and personal abuse is allowed as it "builds up tension" and generates controversy, so loved by the "casual" viewer.

 

[Paradigm]

I laughed when Ramsey kept asking "Or else what?" and Gilbert only responded with "What?" each time. It couldn't be more obvious that he wasn't going to do shit.

Reminded me of this exchange...

I thought it was pretty funny when Krause and Nunez got into it, and Nunez threatened to kick Krause's ass, and Krause wisely pointed out that Nunez already had a chance to do that and failed.

Nunez had literally zero comeback for that...

Last that it happened, didn't both guys get tossed from the show?

 

[DarkneT]

I thought it was pretty funny when Krause and Nunez got into it, and Nunez threatened to kick Krause's ass, and Krause wisely pointed out that Nunez already had a chance to do that and failed.

Loved that moment Nunez looked lost at that, gotta be so rough when your mad over etiquette with another dude, but your fully aware he's got your number

 

[Marginal Judo]

I think that's EXACTLY what the producers say. Fighting outside the competition format may jeopardize the "real" fights so they are not allowed. But any kind of verbal conflict and personal abuse is allowed as it "builds up tension" and generates controversy, so loved by the "casual" viewer.

Allowed and strongly encouraged, if not basically scripted. I had 3 friends that worked on reality TV shows and it is unreal how fake and disingenuous all of this shit is. ALL of it.

 

[sdss]

I think that's EXACTLY what the producers say. Fighting outside the competition format may jeopardize the "real" fights so they are not allowed. But any kind of verbal conflict and personal abuse is allowed as it "builds up tension" and generates controversy, so loved by the "casual" viewer.

Maybe so, but we have seen guys break the rules by actually fighting outside of the cage. I just think it's weird that in all this time we really haven't seen anybody break the rules by fighting inside the cage, which is what they all spend a huge chunk of their lives training specifically for.

 

[sdss]

Last that it happened, didn't both guys get tossed from the show?

I think Marlon Sims and Noah Thomas, (posted above,) was the only time that two guys came to blows in a full-on fight, and they did kick them both off the show, and Monstah Lobstah as well for good measure. But that all happened away from the gym. Funnily enough, I think both guys did say afterwards that they wanted to finish it up in the cage. I think that fight was booked at one point, but never happened.

 

[Ghostoftheville]

Allowed and strongly encouraged, if not basically scripted. I had 3 friends that worked on reality TV shows and it is unreal how fake and disingenuous all of this shit is. ALL of it.

some of these shows even do their own "behind the scenes" specials and show how often they go out of their way to fabricate drama. Asking people to redo an entire argument because the cameras weren't around for some of it, or somebody came up with a witty comeback after the fact.

 

[Slapchoppin]

well the two guys acting tough and trying to fight Cody and Gilbert don't actually want to fight they just want to look tough

TJ and Ramsey aren't looking to get into fights over nothing

 

[Armitage Shanks]

See I think they're all trying to get one over on each other mentally, but nobody really wants to fight outside the cage. When fighting is your business, when you rely on it to get money, to fight for free and risk injury is the dumbest shit imagineable. So it makes sense for them to bitch at each other and shit off their chest that way that throw punches, because none of those dudes really have anything to prove. They could all hurt each other on any given day

 

[HaulParris]

Reminded me of this exchange...







Nunez had literally zero comeback for that...

Quality post. IIRC, Monstah Lobstah was kicked off the show along with the two dudes who fought?

 

[Kim Jong Un]

They actually did do that in one of the early seasons. Rory Singer and Kendal Grove were beefing and one of the coaches was ust like "Put on gloves and beat each other up until its out of your system and we can move on."