Bad blood and finger pointing is becoming the hallmark of season 20 of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF). A cast of top tier fighters, professionals with as many as 23 pro bouts, have yet to find a balance between personal attacks and professionalism. The dominance of such negativity throughout the show’s run thus far has clearly detracted from what should be a must-see fight tournament, the likes of which have never been promoted so highly in the United States. Personal attacks on Twitter have doubled as promotion for a show that has clearly lost its way.
As reality television goes, it is common to have dramatic situations punched up in the editing room to keep the tension high and hopefully have the audience on the edge of their seats. If that is the case with season 20 of TUF, the cast is doing a great job of helping the editors by selling the dramatic story. Sadly it seems that the tension and dislike between many of the fighters is as real as paying taxes. Throughout TUF history there have been singular spats between competitors, but team versus team tension is usually riding shotgun. This season of TUF seems to be moving away from the norm, taking on more of a bullying mentality that has less to do with the teams and more to do with outcasts versus “cool” kids. As quickly as the season started it was obvious that cast member Heather Jo Clark rubbed people the wrong way, and without much warning the focus of a majority of trash talk was directed at Clark. The dislike that many of the fighters showed for Clark would apparently serve as a warning to those who would choose to interact with Clark socially. No one would suffer as a result of this more than Olympia, Washington’s Lisa Ellis.
Ellis made it clear that she wasn’t going to ostracize Clark simply because others felt Clark was annoying. Ellis took a stand, along with a few others, but it was Ellis who was most vocal about her support for Clark. As the fighter with the most experience in the house it was Ellis who could have been looked to for guidance as the situation got tense, but there would be no effort by her peers to search for guidance of any kind.
Making matters worse for Ellis, her fight against Jessica Penne was a lopsided defeat. Ellis’ performance drew the criticism of UFC President Dana White who felt she allowed Penne to gain a dominant position because she didn’t want to be there. White’s stance on the fight seemed to spur on the arguing, criticism, and insults. As promotion for the show has continued, the infighting has heated up leading to several jabs between TUF contestants on Twitter. The arguing got so personal that at one point a cast member’s cell phone number was posted in a screen shot online for the world to see. Personal attacks have escalated and Ellis has been extremely vocal about the desire to share her side of the story on Fox Sports 1 with TUF Talk host Karyn Bryant. With only a few episodes of TUF left it appears that she is fighting an uphill battle as she tries to give her side of the story. There are two sides to every story and it appears that bits and pieces will surface as the season rounds out. Whether Ellis has a chance to speak out or not, who knows?
This season of TUF still has the potential to make a superstar out of at least a handful of the cast members; the crowning of a strawweight champion should kick start the new division. However, as the drama unfolds and the tension raises the focus has shifted away from the budding new division and the promise of a new superstar. If the UFC brass hopes to excite the masses it is time for someone to take hold of the reigns and have the cast focus on selling the strawweight tournament and not the infighting that has been nothing more than a schoolyard back and forth without a winner.
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