UFC
"The Ultimate Fighter: Live" no more, UFC going back to pre-taped format for second season on FX
Jun 12, 2012 - 11:00:53 PM "The Ultimate Fighter: Live" no more, UFC going back to pre-taped format for second season on FX

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

The UFC is giving up on the live format for The Ultimate Fighter after only one season and going back to the pre-taped version of the show on FX for it's second run this fall.

According to a report from Kevin Iole at Yahoo! Sports, UFC President Dana White cited a desire to produce more storylines with the fighters throughout the season as a key in going back to a taped format. The show will remain on Friday nights, though White said that FX executives have promised an ability to move to Tuesdays or Wednesdays in the event the next season doesn't meet expectations.

"FX wants to try it again on Friday nights," White said. "But if it's not up to the standards I'm expecting, I'm pretty sure they'll give me what I want. But this season was a smash hit home run for them."

Indeed, numbers for FX's Friday nights were up across the board. According to FX spokesman Dominic Pagone in the Yahoo! Sports report, the show was the #2 program in that timeslot in the UFC's key demographics, including a 141% increase in the men 18-49 demographic from the previous year.

Additionally, FX execs point to a lack of promotional muscle in the form of top shows as lead-ins during the spring when the show began, as well as market confusion from Spike TV's counter-programming efforts.

"At that point, a lot of the big promotional platforms that are within the company are on hiatus," said Chuck Saftler, FX's executive vice president. "The NFL wasn't there. [Major League Baseball] wasn't there. "Sons of Anarchy," "American Horror Story," "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," which are all big promotional horses within the Fox and FX world, were all being rested."

"Considering that we launched when we launched without those promotional platforms, I'm really happy with where we are... for it to improve FX's time period on Friday nights the way it did, that also says good things."

The new season will begin casting in three weeks, with a September target date for the season debut. The new season will once again feature welterweights, though the coaches have not yet been determined.

Penick's Analysis: I enjoyed having live fights each week, and I think it was more interesting to have more focus on the fights themselves than anything. Manufactured drama from the taped show isn't necessarily going to do anything for any of the fighters. It hasn't translated into success for anyone who has recently come out of the reality show, and doesn't lead to more people wanting to see them fight. What would be more interesting is relevant fighters who may actually have a chance at making an impact in the UFC. They aren't finding the next great prospect through this show. They're packing their roster with fighters who may hit the top of the middle these days, and fans have caught on through the years. A move to Tuesday's or Wednesday's will certainly see an uptick in viewers simply because those are much better nights, but they've hit the panic button quick on the live format here, and it's back to the old way for this next season.