Dana plans to use TUF to create international tournaments

http://mmajunkie.com/news/20528/no-olympics-no-problem-ufc-plans-to-create-its-own-international-tournament.mma
"What we're starting to do now is we're working on ways to get 'The Ultimate Fighter' in other countries," White said. "We're going to start getting 'The Ultimate Fighter' in each of these different countries and try to figure out how when we do the finales, the finale would be all the countries come together and everybody fights."

White has long discussed the plan for international versions of the long-running Spike TV series "The Ultimate Fighter." Canada and the Middle East have been tagged as frontrunners, though the UFC's recent expansion into China has also opened up another potential market.

White said he envisions a system in which the multiple versions of the show can run simultaneously and culminate in a massive international finale. And while there was some initial concern that fans would fans it difficult to track the results of the international versions of "The Ultimate Fighter," White said as the promotion expands, company officials are actively seeking out ways to broadcast the fights around the globe.

"Technology is our friend," White said. "There's more ways to watch this stuff. People will be able to watch the 'The Ultimate Fighter' from other countries online or however. That's our long-term goal and what we're working on and trying to figure out how to do it."
"As we continue to do more fights and continue to travel around, we need more weight divisions," White said. "So we're going to be adding weight divisions and getting those lighter weights in there."

With the UFC already operating at a breakneck speed, it's hard to imagine the promotion's activities multiplied exponentially on a global scale, but White seems to think it's possible.

And while some fans are concerned the quality of the sport may be diluted over time, White has no such fears.

"It's scary how many fights (we're going to do)," White said. We just did four fights last month. As this thing continues to open up to different places, and as long as we can keep putting on great cards, we're just going to keep popping out fights left and right.

"People always ask, 'Are you over-saturating?' Are there too many football games on? Are there too many baseball games on? As long as we're putting on great fights, we're going to keep doing it."

I love the idea.

Canada, Brazil, Asia, Middle East, Oceania, Britain, Europe and Africa each have their own series for the same weight division. All 8 winners join 8 Americans in a U.S.A vs The World. Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen as the coaches.

fucking genius

However he does it I'll be interested to watch. I wouldn't mind watching a SPIKE card full of TUF winner vs TUF winners. Or having an entire season with the different TUF winners. They could do like Bellator and have LIVE shows every week.

They are getting close to having a full card worth of fighters for something like that.

LHW - Forrest Griffin vs Ryan Bader
HW - Rashad Evans vs Roy Nelson
WW Matt Serra vs Diego Sanchez
LW Efrain Escudero vs Joe Stevenson
MW - Michael Bisping vs Amir Sadollah
LW Mac Danzig vs Ross Pearson
WW Nate Diaz vs James Wilks
MW - Kendall Grove vs Court McGee

Sorry Travis Lutter, I guess you can go fuck yourself until another LHW or MW wins this thing.

GDPofDRC wrote:

They are getting close to having a full card worth of fighters for something like that.

LHW - Forrest Griffin vs Ryan Bader
HW - Rashad Evans vs Roy Nelson
WW Matt Serra vs Diego Sanchez
LW Efrain Escudero vs Joe Stevenson
MW - Michael Bisping vs Amir Sadollah
LW Mac Danzig vs Ross Pearson
WW Nate Diaz vs James Wilks
MW - Kendall Grove vs Court McGee

Sorry Travis Lutter, I guess you can go fuck yourself until another LHW or MW wins this thing.

Yeah but that really isn't International now is it? That would be like the Tournament of Champions. But why is Rashad at HW? I know he won at HW but if you go by that logic Deigo won at MW.

That's what I took from you saying you wouldn't mind seeing a TUF winner vs TUF winner card.

The logic is only that, logic. Griffin is bigger than Evans but since there is only one current HW that won TUF, I threw Evans in for him since he is a HW TUf winner. Almost half of the fighters fights for what I listed are not at the weight they won TUF at, give and take.

Sanchez, Stevenson, Bisping, Evans, Diaz, Lutter, Danzig anyways

international tourney? Great way for the UFC to get into the tournament game.

I have a better idea...let's use TUF as garbage can filler.

KingsOwn19 wrote:

I have a better idea...let's use TUF as garbage can filler.

ha ha.

but seriously, we can watch the tourney without having to watch the shows.

Yes now we can find some French,Australian,Welsh,German,Danish Andy Wang's.

If the format changes from the typical trash TV one to one that uses reality TV to build MMA in international markets while simultaneously farming international talent, then my beef with it goes away. Just because it's called "the ultimate fighter'' doesn't make it evil.

TUF sucks

"As we continue to do more fights and continue to travel around, we need more weight divisions," White said. "So we're going to be adding weight divisions and getting those lighter weights in there."

I missed that quote on the first go through. That is big news as well.

"I'm shocked. Shocked I say, to find gambling in this establishment." - Claude Raines, 'Casablanca'