I'm no big fan of the UFC(Ultimate fighting championship), and I only heard about the UFC when it became Spike TV's only truly original money train. I gotta admit, I only started watching TUF on season 7 when they started having their contestants actually fight for a place on the show, and I saw an add for a local gym using one of the contestants(who actually made it to the final bout). I did get hooked, because this reality show didn't have the audience choose a weekly loser or have the other contestant vote him off, they had to duke it out to prove they still belonged in the house. Some who did lose on the show still impressed someone because I see them in opening bouts for other UFC events, so I guess some prove their mettle in somewhat less publicized ways than the big names and over all winner(s) of the show. Of course I watch the show of the fights outside the octagon and inside the house. Do you really think these fighters can leave their competitiveness in the gym? Some guys have to stay macho 24/7, and those that try the hardest usually lose the worst in the octagon, and those that just think of it as a sport and respect it as such, get a whole lot farther. As with any sport(and reality show that feeds on it) you get the guys who are always out to prove something and the guys that need help more than to prove themselves. But hey, it still makes for good TV, right? I still root for the fighters from my home town, the scapegoats, the losing team, or the guy who gets on to the show by default. They all have a chance, but as stated in comments before: the committed, trainable, and trained always win.
