Starting to think The Ultimate Fighter was getting a little stale? Wait until you get a load of this BOMBSHELL…
During its 12-year run, reality TV show The Ultimate Fighter has seen ups and downs. Changes in format have been met with mixed reviews, but the show has also bred some elite talent for the world’s largest MMA promotion.
In terms of ratings, things have not been going well lately. The Ultimate Fighter 25 clocked the lowest premiere ratings in the show’s history at 288,000. Previous to that, TUF 24 held the record with 370,000 viewers for the first episode.
Regardless of the high caliber coaches and drama on set, there’s an underlying opinion that TUF is beginning to flop. Clearly aware of the need to bring in fresh eyeballs, the promotion has switched things up again for this season.
Featuring coaches Eddie Alvarez and Justin Gaethjae ahead of their lightweight clash, TUF 26 features an all-female cast for the newly created 125-pound division.
TUF 26 Cast
The Ultimate Fighter 26 cast and first fight schedule is as follows:
No. 1 Roxanne Modafferi (21-13) vs. No. 16 Shana Dobson (2-1)
No. 2 Barb Honchak (10-2) vs. No. 15 Gillian Robertson (3-2)
No. 3 Lauren Murphy (9-3) vs. No. 14 Nicco Montano (3-2) A
No. 4 DeAnna Bennett (8-3) vs. No. 13 Karine Gevorgyan (3-2)
No. 5 Maia Stevenson (6-4) vs. No. 12 Sijara Eubanks (2-2)
No. 6 Montana Stewart (7-4) vs. No. 11 Ariel Beck (4-4)
No. 7 Melinda Fabian (4-3-1) vs. No. 10 Rachael Ostovich (3-3)
No. 8 Emily Whitmire (2-1) vs. No. 9 Christina Marks (8-8)
But wait until you get a load of Rachael Ostovich:
HOT Prospect
Trust the UFC to go BIG with their quest for ratings, but this writer is not complaining. Although 3-3 in her MMA career, Ostovich is widely regarded as a talented and hard working prospect.
Given the current need for superstars in the UFC, and the lack of anyone in the 125-pound division, it’s safe to say Ostovich is almost locked for a spot in the UFC.
Here’s some more:
The Teams
The lucky SOB who’ll get to coach Ostovich is Gaethjae. Also, there’s some other chicks fighting too:
Coach Alvarez:
Barb Honchak (10-2)
Shana Dobson (2-1)
Christina Marks (8-8)
Melinda Fabian (4-3-1)
Sijara Eubanks (2-2)
Ariel Beck (4-4)
DeAnna Bennett (8-3)
Lauren Murphy (9-3)
Coach Gaethje:
Roxanne Modafferi (21-13)
Gillian Robertson (3-2)
Emily Whitmire (2-1)
Rachael Ostovich (3-3)
Maia Stevenson (6-4)
Montana Stewart (7-4)
Karine Gevorgyan (3-2)
Nicco Montano (3-2)
And some more:
Episode 1 Recap
Here’s the rundown of TUF 26 episode 1, by MMAMania.com:
125 lbs.: No. 1-seed Roxanne Modafferi (Team Gaethje) vs. No. 16-seed Shana Dobson (Team Alvarez)
Round 1: Touch of gloves and Dobson trying to find her range. Modafferi lumbers in with stiff punches and even stiffer posture. She eats a hard right. Modafferi with a takedown attempt that turns into a fall, but she gets back up and rattles off a body kick. Dobson gets too close to the cage and Modafferi is able to take her down. Probably not where Dobson wants to be. Modafferi slows the pace and starts to play chess match. Dobson is clearly outmatched on the ground and despite an admirable attempt to scramble and pop free, Modafferi readjusts and gets mount. First come the elbows, then the punches. Dobson has two minutes to figure something out. More elbows. Dobson bucking to no avail. More elbows and while most of them are blocked, Dobson is unable to answer the barrage of strikes and the referee — who did issue a handful of warnings — is forced to intervene.
Probably not where Dobson wants to be. Modafferi slows the pace and starts to play chess match. Dobson is clearly outmatched on the ground and despite an admirable attempt to scramble and pop free, Modafferi readjusts and gets mount. First come the elbows, then the punches. Dobson has two minutes to figure something out. More elbows. Dobson bucking to no avail. More elbows and while most of them are blocked, Dobson is unable to answer the barrage of strikes and the referee — who did issue a handful of warnings — is forced to intervene.
Final result: Modafferi def. Dobson by technical knockout
