Greg Jackson, Ricardo Liborio

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Let me start of by saying the following read is for entertainment purposes solely.  Ignoring the fact that I have no personal influence within Zuffa, the UFC, or Spike this idea is targeted directly for the relative hard core fan base and would not garner much interest from the coveted casual fan base.  For one, it lacks Kimbo Slice.  It also focuses on coaching and the people that create the fighters behind the scenes.

To hell with that though because I think this is what it would take to get me excited for a season of The Ultimate Fighter.  What I want to see, shit what I demand to see is The Ultimate Fighter 12: American Top Team vs. Greg Jackson Mixed Martial Arts, Camp vs. Camp.  Doesn't that get you fired up?  No, well screw you because it is doing it for me.  The show's stated goal is to find the next great fighter and for them to earn the six figure contract.  In reality the point of the show is to promote a fight between the two coaches.  We have had great fighters come out of the show, but the immediate impact is helping promote current fighters who decide to coach on the show.  What if they actually made the show about the progression of the raw athletes?  Crazy, no?

To the average fan this would most likely be a boring experiment, but for me I would get an intense amount of joy out of it.  Since the Rashad and Rampage rants are futile with Rampage's retirement the most entertaining aspect of this season has been the fights.  Just kidding, it has been seeing the coaching from Team Rashad, specifically THE Greg Jackson.  This is nothing against Rashad as he appears to be a very solid coach and it could even be a potential career in the future, but at this point whose advice would I take to heart more, the fighter who is coaching me or the man that coaches that fighter?  We read over and over again about these top camps and top coaches, but we do not get the inside look of what makes them different or their approaches to teaching.  The show would not have to include Greg Jackson and Ricardo Liborio (ATT), but could feature any of the top camps around the country.  Using coaching staffs from the top teams around the country does provide the show with incredible flexibility as well when it comes to the format of the program.  Making the teaching the focal point of the show makes it exciting for the hard core fan, but there are ways to open up the show to the casual fan as well.  Following the jump I will detail different methods in which the show could operate.

Camps and Top Fighters: Even though the main coaches of the show would be actual MMA coaches (crazy thought, I know) that does not mean that there cannot be UFC fighters on the show.  It is unrealistic to plan an entire fight card pitting two camps against each other.  Needing to find appropriate match ups would be difficult, it can hurt future cards and scheduling, and not all fights will make sense in the larger picture.  However, that does not mean that there cannot be two fighters that make sense.  Pick one match up between both camps and promote them as a fight.  Since the focal point of the show will be coaching and the trainers I would not use two top level fighters, but rather mid tier level fighters that could be used to headline the TUF finale show.  This way the UFC can still promote their current fighters and introduce the fan base to new talent through the show.

No Affiliation Fighters: When it comes to who will fight on the show it becomes a little more confusing.  Asking the camps to bring their own fighters in is unrealistic as there are only a few camps larger enough to support that and finding enough fighters within a specific weight class would be a problem.  In addition, fighting after the first round would create a major dilemma as fighters in the same camp usually refuse to fight each other.  One idea is to keep the audition process the same.  Have the UFC supply the show with chosen fighters and then have the top coaches and trainers spend the first episode grading fighters before they draft their favorites.  The fighters can have no affiliation with either camp obviously.  This way we can witness how these coaches can truly develop the fighters and the coaches can showcase their ability or potential lack thereof to work with any type of fighter.

Camps Choose Fighters: Have the coaches or camps choose the fighters prior to the show.  This can be done in two ways.  Allow the camps to hold open tryouts at their locations to find new talent.  They can pick the best fighters that come to their facilities and head into the show with them.  This can provide a regional competition to the show as well.  The other option is to eliminate the generic first episode of the show and have the fighters graded and chosen before episode one.  The UFC holds tryouts every year to determine who has the right personality and ability to join the cast.  Instead of having the UFC or Spike select the fighters (this would never happen as they want to pick personalities) have the camps choose their fighters from the auditions.  This would provide insight into their ability to recognize talent as well as their coaching ability.  This option also eliminates the concern of having fighters who refuse to fight each other. 

Bring in Fighter Guest Stars: Since we are dealing with top MMA camps in the country it allows for a plethora of guest appearance options.  The show would need a marketing push each week, but they could have a guest appearance every single week.  A fighter from each camp could come and help teach and train with their respective camps.  This is where the UFC could find their personalities as they are already aware of which fighters can generate viewership and entertain the masses. 

Would anyone else be interested in this or am I the only one?