FAQ

The winners of The Ultimate Fighter competition win a "six-figure" contract to fight in the UFC. The contracts are specifically three-year contracts with a guaranteed first year. Each year consists of three fights, the first year's purse per fight consists of $12,000 guaranteed with a $12,000 win bonus (a maximum of $24,000 per fight), the second year's purse per fight is $16,000 with a $16,000 win bonus (a maximum of $32,000 per fight) and the third year's purse per fight is at $22,000 with a $22,000 win bonus (a maximum of $44,000 per fight). A TUF winner who goes 9-0 can earn $300,000 total on the contract, but only $150,000 is guaranteed for all three years if 9 fights are fought.

They may not have won the "6 figure Contract" but depending on their performance they can still be offered a contract to compete in the UFC. This contract may be for less money or fewer fights or with other clauses in place.

9 have aired and a 10th is about to air in September:

The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights (September 16, 2009 December 5, 2009) Heavyweights

The Ultimate Fighter: United States vs. United Kingdom (April 1, 2009 June 20, 2009) Welterweights and Lightweights

The Ultimate Fighter: Team Nogueira vs. Team Mir (September 17, 2008 December 13, 2008) Light Heavyweights and Lightweights

The Ultimate Fighter: Team Rampage vs. Team Forrest (April 2, 2008 June 21 2008) Middleweights

The Ultimate Fighter: Team Hughes vs. Team Serra (September 19, 2007 December 8, 2007) - Welterweights

The Ultimate Fighter 5 (April 5, 2007 June 23, 2007) Lightweights

The Ultimate Fighter 4: The Comeback (August 17, 2006 November 11, 2006) Middleweights and Welterweights

The Ultimate Fighter 3 (April 6, 2006 June 24, 2006) Light Heavyweights and Middleweights

The Ultimate Fighter 2 (August 22, 2005 November 5, 2005) Heavyweights and Welterweights

The Ultimate Fighter 1 (January 18, 2005 April 9, 2005) Light Heavyweights and Middleweights

With the exception of the season finales, fights on The Ultimate Fighter are sanctioned by the Nevada Athletic Commission as exhibition matches and do not count for or against a fighter's professional record. This is done to keep the results from going public before the air date.

Before the fight, all of the fighters are required to have a functional magnetic resonance image. The fMRI is a picture of their brain in its healthy, undamaged state (if otherwise, the fighter won't be cleared to compete).

Immediately following a KO, the doctors move into the ring and attend to the immediate physical side effects. When KO'd some people can stop breathing, so the docs make sure they are breathing on their own and without difficulty. Next, they check for obvious signs of a devastating injury - are the athletes eyes able to focus and distinguish between objects? Are there any massive cuts, bleeding, or contusions? Is the athlete complaining of abnormal pain anywhere? They may also ask whether the athlete knows their name, where they are, what day it is, etc.

Following a KO, the athlete is now required to get another fMRI. This time, the docs will compare the new one to the one that was taken when they were healthy. They will perform regular follow ups until such time as the fMRI and brain function have returned to a normal state. They will also be keeping an eye on them for any signs of brain swelling, cerebro-spinal fluid loss, etc.

There are several ways a match can end:

Knockout (KO): When a fighter becomes unconscious due to strikes, he is knocked out. As MMA rules allow ground fighting, the fight is stopped to prevent further injury to an unconscious fighter.

Submission: a fighter may submit by tapping the floor or other fighter or a verbal announcement

Technical Knockout (TKO)- Referee stoppage: The ref may stop a match in progress if: a fighter becomes dominant to the point where the opponent can not intelligently defend himself and is taking damage a fighter appears to be unconscious from a submission hold or due to a strike a fighter appears to have a significant injury such as a cut or a broken bone

Doctor Stoppage: the referee will call for a time out if a fighter's ability to continue is in question as a result of apparent injuries, such as a large cut. The ring doctor will inspect the fighter and stop the match if the fighter is deemed unable to continue safely, rendering the opponent the winner. However, if the match is stopped as a result of an injury from illegal actions by the opponent, either a disqualification or no contest will be issued instead.

Corner stoppage: a fighter's corner men may announce defeat on the fighter's behalf by throwing in the towel during the match in progress or between rounds.

Decision: if the match goes the distance, then the outcome of the bout is determined by three judges.

Forfeit: a fighter or his representative may forfeit a match prior to the beginning of the match, thereby losing the match.

Disqualification: a "warning" will be given when a fighter commits a foul or illegal action or does not follow the referee's instruction. Three warnings will result in a disqualification. If the foul is blatantly malicious, the fight may be stopped sooner. Moreover, if a fighter is injured and unable to continue due to a deliberate illegal technique from his opponent, the opponent will be disqualified.

No Contest: whenever the win conditions stated above cannot be met for any reason, the fight is ruled a No Conteset. i.e. both fighters commit a violation of the rules, or both fighters are KO'd.