-For over a decade, it was considered the toughest
competition in sports, a brutal gauntlet
of pressure and pain, with a singular goal -- to anoint the next
great UFC star. Now the wait is finally over.
"The Ultimate Fighter" is back. But before stepping into
the Octagon for a 29th season, we'll take a look back at
the series changed MMA and the UFC forever. From the pioneers who
started it all... -Do you want to be a fighter?
That is my question. ...to the warriors
who laid it all on the line. -It's definitely no exaggeration
to say that "The Ultimate Fighter"
changed my life. -We will relive some of the most
unforgettable moments in "Ultimate Fighter" history. -Hey, man!
-A ground breaking battle that changed everything. -You knew people were
calling each other going, "Are you watching
this right now?" -Rivalries fueled
by intense competition. -You're wasting your breath on
me, boy. -To emotional stories of triumph
that turned unknown fighters into global superstars. -Michael Bisping
is the champion! -This is "The Ultimate Fighter:
Through the Years." -Welcome to the Apex,
the UFC's new state of the art training center and the new home
of "The Ultimate Fighter." "The Ultimate Fighter"
is considered by many to be the hardest
competition in sports. It helped the UFC grow into
an international phenomenon. But it's come a long way
since its inception. And I was lucky enough to be
there from the very beginning. -The UFC was originally formed
in 1993 as a way to answer that age old question of which
martial art was the best. [ Bell dings ] -There they go. -What do you think? -Whoa. -I saw the first ever UFC. A bunch of guys
were telling me about it. They had no time limits,
no rounds, no rules, and I couldn't believe
what was actually happening. There was definitely a stigma
attached to the UFC. Some positive. A very small group of people
thought it was positive and a lot of other people
thought it was negative. So what started to happen
is states started banning the UFC, and then they
lost their cable Pay Per View contract,
and by 2001, the UFC was on
the verge of bankruptcy. -On a business retreat in Miami
with my brother Frank and the rest of our executive
team at Station Casinos, Dana called me, and he said,
"I just heard that the UFC is going to be sold. You and Frank should look at
buying this thing. -We bought this thing
for $2 million. And I didn't know
what was going to happen. They called me in one day,
and they said, "We want you to be the president
of the UFC." -Dana White, president of the
Ultimate Fighting Championship. Dana, congratulations
on your first show. That's got to feel good.
-Thank you very much, James. I appreciate it.
We're very excited. -Let's get it on! Come on! -Think about this. Frank, Lorenzo and I,
not only had we never promoted a fight before. We'd never done anything
in television production. But we knew exactly
what we wanted. And in that goal,
we wanted to build the UFC into the biggest brand
in the sport. -Our gates continued to be
pretty darn good, but we still were in the red. We were losing money.
We weren't able to get sponsors. We weren't able to get traction
on Pay Per View. -Lorenzo called me one day
and said, "Listen, I can't keep
doing this, man. I want you to go out, see what
you can get for this thing." And I called Lorenzo at the end
of the day, and I said, "I think we can get $6 million
for it. Maybe we can get $8 million." And he just sat there
on the other phone and said, "Alright, I'll call you
tomorrow." -Oh! -At that point,
we were in, you know, $40 million or so. Obviously, we're going to take
a massive loss. I went home that night,
got a good night's sleep. For whatever reason, woke up
the next day, tons of energy. I called Dana, I said,
"I'm not ready to do this. I'm not ready
to let go of this thing." We've never not been successful
in anything we've ever done. We're going to figure
this thing out. -What we knew we had to do was
to get on television, and reality shows were big. So the thing was, we're going
to put fights on TV, but we're going to put it on
through reality. When out on the road to try
to sell this thing to sponsors. And nobody was interested
in giving us any money. We ended up meeting
Craig Piligian. -Frank and Lorenzo stood there,
and they were brave. And they they said to me,
"Here's the deal. We're going to pay for it.
Let's find a network." We found Spike. -On this season of
"The Ultimate Fighter"... -Let's just put all our chips
on the table, everything we have,
our last ditch to try to make this thing work. If it doesn't work after this,
we're going to shut it down and call it quits
and it's just -- it's done. We'll move on. -If you look around inside
this gym right now, there's pictures of legends,
Hall of Famers, and the greatest fighters
in the world. So I ask you this question. Which one of you will have
your picture up in here? Good luck, gentlemen. -So it's basically 16 guys,
two different weight classes, living in a house, get split up
into two different teams with two different coaches,
at the end of the season, you'd end up with two
different guys in two different weight classes that would win and become
The Ultimate Fighter. Then the coaches would fight
on Pay Per View. -I don't follow fighting at all.
-Yeah. -I don't have
a problem with fighting. -I have a problem with not
getting paid for fighting when I said, "I'll never fight
for free again, -I was at some nutrition company
trying to get them to sponsor
"The Ultimate Fighter." And Lorenzo calls me. He says, "Hey, what's going on
here at The Ultimate Fighter?" I don't know.
What's going on over there at "The Ultimate Fighter"?
What are you talking about? He says, "These guys are all
here saying they're not going to fight." You have to understand
at that time, the pressure and the stress
that we're under, this is the last shot. If this thing doesn't work,
the UFC is done. Did anybody come here thinking
that they would not fight? Speak up, let me hear it. -Some of us thought we weren't
gonna fight till the finals. -That was my understanding. -Let me explain something
to everybody. This is a very -- and when I say
very, I can't explain to you what a unique opportunity
this is. You have nothing to
[bleep] worry about every day except coming in
and getting better at what supposedly
you want to do for a living. Big deal. The guy sleeping
next to you [bleep] stinks. He's drunk all night
making noise and can't you can't sleep. You got [bleep] roommates. We picked who we believe
are the best guys in this country right now. [bleep] act like it, man. Do you want to be a fighter?
That's the question. -That's why I'm here.
-It's not about cutting weight. It's not about living
in a [bleep] house. It's about do you want
to be a fighter? It's not all [bleep]
signing autographs and banging broads
when you get out of here. It's not.
It's no [bleep] fun, man. It's a job just like
any other job. So the question is not did you
think you had to make weight? Did you think
you had to do this? Do you want to be
a [bleep] fighter? That is my question. Anybody who says they don't,
I don't [bleep] want you here. And I'll throw you
the [bleep] out of this gym so [bleep] fast your
head will spin. It's up to you. I don't care.
Cool? I love y'all. That's why you're here.
Have a good night, gentlemen. -Dana gave the speech
of a lifetime -- "Who wants to be
a [bleep] fighter" speech, which really got people
invested in it. And he said it from the heart,
which to this day is the greatest speech
in reality TV. I'm sorry. -If the president of the UFC
can't fire you up, I don't know who can.
-Fired up. -I mean, that speech was
right up there with something Vince Lombardi
would say to his team, you know? After he gave that speech,
we we all wanted to fight each other right there. -"The Ultimate Fighter"
premieres in January of '05. And I had a feeling. I said, "You know what? I'm telling you,
this thing is going to work." Boom. The ratings came in
after the first show, I got a call from
Craig Piligian, and he goes, "I told you,
I told you, I knew this was going to work. This is a home run on Spike." -We're pulling
unbelievable numbers. Unbelievable numbers
on Spike, right? And I can't get these guys
on the phone. -Here in beautiful
Las Vegas, Nevada, we are inside the Cox Pavilion. -So going into the finale,
I don't even know if there's going to be
a season 2. You know, we don't
know anything. -The finals are underway. -Leading into that finale,
Diego Sanchez and Kenny Florian go out there and fight. -Florian being
punished by Sanchez. -Florian stunned.
He must have got a head shot. -It's all over! -And Diego Sanchez annihilates
Kenny Florian in seconds. And I'm like, "Oh, my God,
this is a nightmare. This is terrible. Forrest and Stephan
need to deliver, man." -Here we go. -Nice turning side kick. And here we go!
-Wow! -Big right hand.
What a blow. Oh! Staying in the pocket. Big right hand! -So you want to be
an Ultimate Fighter? -That fight starts,
and it's on, man. Just a knock down,
drag them out war. -There's a big knee by Bonnar! He's on his feet. Uppercut just missed. Toe to toe they go. -Those two beat the ever living
[bleep] out of each other. It was the single greatest
fight in UFC history. -These guys are literally giving
it everything they have here. -People were calling
each other going, "Are you watching
this [bleep] fight? Are you watching
this right now?" -Bonnar goes for the wheel kick! -During the fight,
people are stomping their feet and people are cheering
and going crazy, and people at home who are
watching the fight start to call their friends,
and the number just starts to grow and grow
and grow and grow. -Five seconds. Oh! What a finish! -What a finish! -At the end of the fight,
we literally sit down there and we looked at each other,
and I didn't care what happened. We knew we made it. -By unanimous decision... Forrest Griffin! -The season 1 finale
was a huge success. Winning that fight launched
my career in the UFC and changed my life forever. It also gave the UFC a new life. After signing the deal
with Spike, the series was off and running, producing some truly
unforgettable TV moments. -Let's get it on! Come on! ♪♪ -We'd come off an incredible
season, you know, continued to do
very strong ratings. Everything was great. -I am genuinely excited
about this season. By season four, we decided to
open the competition to UFC fighters. This season isn't like
all the other seasons. The winners will get a shot
at the title. This is your big opportunity.
Make the most of it, guys. Good luck, boys. All right. Champion at the time was
George St-Pierre, one of the greatest fighters
to ever live and to ever compete in mixed martial arts. -Will tonight be the defining
moment of Matt Serra's career? -Matt Serra was
a great jiu-jitsu fighter. At this point, I think his
UFC record was 4-4. Then he goes on season 4 of
"The Ultimate Fighter", wins it, and finds himself
fighting GSP for the welterweight title. And from there, he goes on
to shock the world. -Unbelievable! Serra buckles St-Pierre! St-Pierre down! Serra's trying to upset
St-Pierre. -Lord, he's hurt him three times
in the last 60 seconds. -It's over! -Unbelievable! Serra! The new welterweight
champion of the world! -Matt Serra goes in
and knocks out George St-Pierre in the first round and becomes
the welterweight champion of the world. -The new UFC welterweight champion
of the world, -This next guy that's coming
is definitely a fighter. Question is,
is he a mixed martial artist? So let's bring number 16 in. -Who is it? Tank Abbott? [ Laughter ] -What's up, Kimbo?
-What's up? -Jump in line there, -Being on the show itself,
you know, it's an honor. You know what I'm saying?
Considering all that [bleep] Dana White was saying about me. I'm already street certified
for doing what I do. And so now it's time to take it
to the next level and prove myself
as The Ultimate Fighter. -Bringing in Kimbo Slice,
you know, it was controversial at the time
because Kimbo had so much popularity through the Internet and he was almost like
a cult figure. And, you know, he's getting all
this attention, he's never done anything. He's a street fighter He can't fight at this level. So if he can come in
and prove himself, let's do it. Let's see how it works. -Come on, Kimbo. Let's go, baby. -The night Kimbo Slice fought
on "The Ultimate Fighter" against Roy Nelson, we broke
all, shattered every record. -Ready? Let's do it. -Reach. Chin down, hands up. -Having Kimbo Slice on a show,
it was a huge anticipation to see what he was going to do when he stepped
into the Octagon. [ Indistinct shouting ] -He got his shots in,
but at the end of the day, Big Country was just too skilled
a veteran, and he's, you know, been around fighting
big names for a while. So it really was not
really fair for Kimbo. -I need work, Kimbo. Fight's done. -Kimbo's fight on
"The Ultimate Fighter" was a massive success
with the ratings, but it did show that being
a badass brawler isn't going to get you
that far in the UFC. You've got to have
the whole package. You need striking,
wrestling, grappling. But to be fair,
in his first fight on "TUF", he fought Roy Nelson, the guy who ended up winning
that season. -Hit me first. -Punch him in the shoulder.
-Ooh! -Aw, that was cheap. -Some of the unforgettable
moments over the years happened outside the Octagon. One of the earliest
was in season 5, and it took place at the house. -You know, one of
the major rules of being on "The Ultimate Fighter"
is there's no fighting outside of the cage. -Noah Thomas of Marlon Sims
get into a fight, and Thomas arm bars Sims. Sims literally picks him up
and power slams him on to the concrete. -Oh!
-Get him the [bleep] off. -Oh.
-Dumb [bleep]. On the [bleep] concrete? -And, you know, dangerous
and could have ended up bad. What happened last night
is exactly what most of the people
in the real world think of us. They're a bunch
of [bleep] goons. Guess what? You're gone. You're gone.
And, Lobster, you're gone. -What Dana wanted to do
was show that, listen, this kind of behavior
isn't tolerated, that that is not the behavior
of a UFC professional fighter. You can't go out and just kick
anybody's ass out there, that, you know,
there are certain standards and there are certain
responsibilities of being a UFC fighter. -You've never actually
stepped out in your life. [ Laughs ] But the guy you brought up
touched it. -What, TJ? TJ's here with us. -Here with us? -He ain't with you. -Conor McGregor's probably
the most outspoken fighter in the UFC. And in season 22, when he was
coaching against Urijah Faber, he was constantly pushing
Urijah's buttons about the fact that one of his training
partners from Team Alpha Male, TJ Dillashaw, was rumored
to be leaving his camp. Then at one of the weigh-ins
that season, TJ showed up. And that's when the whole thing
blew up. -Where's the little weasel?
Has he got Duane with him? [ Laughs ] Yeah, I've told Urijah
many times he needs to recognize who's with him,
who's against them. That's why I can't let you sit
and talk [bleep] about TJ without saying something,
'cause that's my [bleep] boy. That's loyalty.
-Well, are you going to do? -I'd do something about it.
-Well, do something then. Do something then.
Do something then, you little -- [ Indistinct shouting ] Do something then. -Cody Garbrandt, you know,
was getting fed up and getting fed up
and getting fed up. -You'll do nothing,
you little twerp. [ Indistinct shouting ] -Take care of your underwears.
I'm gonna [bleep] you, man. -What? [ Laughter ] -Like, we're in this heated
thing, and David Teymur goes, "Change your underwear,
little boy, because I'm going
to [bleep] you." Yeah, your little opponent
with a big mouth. Okay? I'm going to [bleep]
all of you. -And we all just
started laughing, and that calm things down. [ Laughs ] -I'm coming for your
[bleep] ass, dude. -You're never going
to touch that. -Please.
-You little short ass bitch. -For the winner and moving on
to the live finale here in Las Vegas at the Palms,
Jesse Taylor. [ Applause ] -I feel awesome. I don't think
it's really even kicked in yet. I have a good feeling
it's gonna hit me tonight. -Apparently, Jesse Taylor
and a couple of the guys rented a limo, and when the limo
pulled into the valet, Jesse Taylor kicked the window
out of the limousine. And if that wasn't bad enough,
then he went into the hotel and started terrorizing
some of the female guests. And when he was approached
by security, he started flipping out
and getting hostile with them and basically telling them,
"You know who I am? I'm a UFC fighter." And that [bleep] don't cut it. What's up? What happened
When you went out? -Drank a little too much. -It's one thing to be
in the house and bust up the house
and have fun, but when you get back out
into the [bleep] real world, you go to jail for that [bleep]. Bro, you're not even
[bleep] famous yet. What the [bleep] are you
going to be like when you start making money and everybody wants
your [bleep] autograph and all the girls want
to [bleep] hang out with you? What's going to happen to you? The bottom line is,
you're [bleep] out, bro. The first time ever
that somebody gets kicked off after the show. -[ Sighs ] Opportunity of a lifetime. I was this close, though. Been [bleep] up my whole like,
though, so... -"The Ultimate Fighter" isn't
just about the fighters. Every season, two of the biggest
stars in the UFC face off as coaches, knowing they'll
eventually face off in the octagon. Seeing someone every day that
you're eventually going to fight can make for some
pretty tense moments. -Everything's cool. -You hate me.
I [bleep] hate you. All right? Let's just --
let's make this an awesome show. You know? At the end of this
is all done, make the best [bleep] team win. It's business. -I think the earliest example
of two coaches not liking each other,
two coaches that were going to fight at the end of the season
with season three of "The Ultimate Fighter" between
Tito Ortiz and Ken Shamrock. -Team's dwindling, buddy.
Your team's dwindling. -Wait till I get to you.
I'm gonna knock the -- your head off. -That's what you said last time. You like Frankenstein,
Marshmallow boy. -Don't bitch, [bleep]. -These guys had a history,
and it was very real. They did not like each other. -Tito, keep going, man.
We'll get it going before then. So that's fine with me.
-What's that? -You [bleep] heard me.
-Yeah, come on. Come on, dude.
-What? -Come on. You think -- hey,
we can get into it. -That's okay.
-What? What, tough guy? Remember last time?
I painted you with a paintbrush. -Yeah, last time. You keep
thinking about last time. -Yeah, go ahead, red guy. -Ken's so easy
to get under, man. The guy has no confidence
in what he does. And I get under his skin, man. I just push the right buttons
and things happen. -Because I'm going to snot
out of you this time. -Go ahead, red guy. -I'm gonna smash
your little head. -Yeah, we'll see
who's a boy, boy. -Yeah, punk!
-Old man. -That's all right.
-Hey, that's all right. You watch this old man punch
a hole in your head. -Oh, okay, just like last time.
-Reach out and touch me, Tito. Go ahead. -Yeah. -Whoa, whoa, whoa. -Yeah. Go ahead.
-This was the first time you saw two coaches
on "The Ultimate Fighter" who really wanted
to beat each other up. -You can't remember
the last time. -Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Talk, talk, talk,
that's all you do. -Yeah, that's right. Well,
I'm not -- -Whoa, whoa. -Keep living through your
boys here, boy, because that's all you're going
to get. -My kids listen.
-That's all you're going to get! -Exactly. That's fine.
Watch and see. -I'm gonna kick the [bleep]
out of you. -You don't believe that, do you?
-I know it. I'm gonna beat the brakes off. -Let me tell you why
it ain't gonna happen. You're too slow.
-You think so? -You think so?
-You're too slow. -I'm glad you think that.
-You're too slow. And your head too big
and too easy to hit. -Rampage and Rashad should
just have their own show. The gift of gab, those two, man.
Those two could talk, [bleep]. -Hey, why you got one shoe on,
one shoe off? -Because I'm about to break one in your [bleep] ass,
that's why. -It was really tough not coming
to blows with Rampage. -I can't wait...
-That's good. ...to break them brakes
off you, boy. -That's not gonna happen. You
know that's not gonna happen. -I kind of felt like I was
back at school where every single day
I had to face the bully. And if I didn't face the bully,
he was going to take my lunch. -Youse a sucker. -If I'm a sucker,
treat me like a sucker. -I'm gonna treat you
like a sucker. -Well, come lick on me, then.
[ Laughs ] -Rampage, you a bitch, man. -Ha, ha, so funny, Rampage.
Ha-ha-ha-ha. -[ Laughs ] -I knew there were gonna
set me up with something. -Hi. Ronda and I fought once before,
and obviously, then we fought, things were
heated, I lost. -I'm here to coach.
-You're here to coach? -I am.
-Coach what? The other team?
-The Ultimate Fighter. -Are you serious?
-Serious. -Aw, [bleep], where is he at? -There have been a lot
of great coaching rivalries. I think my favorite
was season 18 when Ronda Rousey took on
Miesha Tate. -Cat Zingano blew her knee out. She's literally in surgery
right now. Your buddy graciously stepped up
and said she would love to coach this season
of "The Ultimate Fighter." -She did not like Miesha at all.
Miesha did not like Ronda. -I'm going to break this girl
to the point where she's never gonna be able to put
a string of wins together again. -And you really saw
the intensity of Ronda Rousey. -Good fight.
-[bleep]. -Good fight.
-Our personalities really clash. It's like fuel on fire. So us together on
"The Ultimate Fighter" was day in, day out "want to
pull your hair out" drama. -Oh, that's what
we're waiting for. -What's up? Fashionably late. They're taking the telestrator,
as well. I'll get you going again, buddy. You're gonna get thrown around
in front of everybody. -We'll go out at it.
-Yeah. I'm okay with that. It's hard for someone
to get under my skin, but Conor's very good at getting
under other people's skin. -[ Chuckles ] Butt face. -Acne scars. [ Laughter ] Guy looks like a [bleep]
orange cotton candy. -You look like a 50-year-old
retired skateboarder. [ Laughter ] A fat old man you look like.
-Am I fat? That dude is a crack up. I mean, the banter back
and forth was classic. -You're not wearing your
high heels today? -Python skin.
-Python? -I hunted them myself.
-We don't even know what python is in America. Python sounds like -- -Your little bum ass
couldn't afford. -Yeah, you think?
-Yeah. I do think. -You're wrong. -Hi.
-Hi. -How are you today?
-I'm great. -Look what I bring.
-Nice. I like that.
-She like that. You heard. -Another great coaching rivalry
was season 23, Joanna Jedrzejczyk
taking on Cláudia Gadelha. And they had
already fought each other. -I know I'm beautiful. You don't have to look at me
all the time. -You're not.
-You're not. -You're not.
-You're not. -There were so many
awkward situations that I almost felt internally
as a viewer, where if a fighter gets
in my face and challenges me or is looking me in the eye, I wasn't exactly sure
how I would react to it. -You're so funny.
-You are. You are. -Go.
-Go where? -You want me to spit
in your face. -Yes, do it.
-These two do not like each other. There is nothing more fun in
the UFC when you have this rivalry, not only between the champion
and the number one contender, the two baddest 115-pounders
in the world. But they hate each other, and
that makes it so much more fun. -Make sure you're going
to be ready. -Shut up.
-Shut up? -[ Indistinct whispering ] -Awesome, you two.
No, that's good. That's good. Good, good, good.
We're good. We're good. Calm down. -This guy right here?
-He's [bleep] selling me out before anybody.
-This guy right here? -All these [bleep] --
[bleep] you, bitch. [bleep] you, dude.
-[bleep] you. What?
-Cody. -The reason TJ and Cody
have so much bad blood between them
is because of their history. They were training partners at Team Alpha Male
under Urijah Faber. Urijah brought in Duane Ludwig
as a striking coach, and TJ really hit it off
with him. So TJ ended up
leaving Team Alpha Male and is now with Duane Ludwig
full time. And that pissed off
obviously Urijah Faber and most of Team Alpha Male,
including Cody. -Whole team full of fakes. Whole team full of fakes,
that's why. Stay alive, be real.
You know that, TJ. -Oh, come on, come on.
-Hey, guess what. -You know you are.
-Please, [bleep]. -How am I fake?
How am I fake, bitch? -How am I fake, [bleep] [ Indistinct shouting ] -So he called me fake
and then attacked me, which just seemed
a little crazy, right? How am I fake, [bleep] -Ooh.
-Hey.
-Yo! -[bleep]
-Come on, [bleep]! -Chill. Chill.
-Come on, [bleep]! -Yeah, [bleep]!
-He's shook. He's scared, especially -- You know, he's the one
that invited that fight. He got what he got. From the snake's team,
we choose Tom. [ Applause ] -Real original.
-I know. -You're smart, man.
Real original. Maybe pull Connor's [bleep]
out your mouth. -Want me to grab you up again?
-Go for it, bitch. -Come on, bitch.
-Go for it, [bleep]. -I think it all leads down
to just insecurity. Cody's not very smart. He doesn't have anything
that he can say that's witty, and he feels like he needs
to create drama to be important. [ Laughter, cheering ] -[ Laughs ] Look at this guy.
Look at this. -You're scared, bro. Do it.
-Yeah. Bring it. Bring it. -I feel your heart beating.
-Yeah. Mm-hmm. -I'll whup your ass.
-Mm-hmm, yeah, exactly. -Mm-hmm.
-Bring it. -You smell like [bleep].
-Good. -Did you [bleep] your pants
today? -[ Exhales deeply ] Can tell I get tuna.
-Yeah, ri-- Bro... You're a [bleep] clown. -Yeah!
-[ Chuckles ] Yeah. [ Applause ] -Hell yeah! -At some point every season, the coaches face off
in a coach's challenge. I actually had to face
Rampage Jackson in a game of Horse in season 7. Now, if you come out on top, you win prize money
for your entire team. It's a lot of pressure. It's also something
Dana has always loved a lot. -Alright, guys. Welcome to my favorite part
of the competition -- the Coaches Challenge. As many of you know,
this is actually my favorite part
of the competition. This is my favorite part
of the season! Favorite part
of this competition. My favorite part of the season. I say it every season. My favorite part of the season is the Coaches Challenge. I love it because
people don't realize what a total pressure cooker
this place is for these guys. The Coaches Challenge is the day
that they get to relax, they get the kick back
and have fun. ♪♪ I just think there's been
so many fun moments. I've had a blast, The ping pong game between
B.J. Penn and Jens Pulver was awesome. [ Cheers and applause ] [ Air horn blows ] -So, this coach's challenge,
they had a rope climb. They had a whole set up
of all these different guns. ♪♪ -Holy [bleep]!
[ Cheers and applause ] ♪♪ [ Cheers and applause ] [ Laughing ] Oh, [bleep]! ♪♪ [ Cheers and applause ]
-Yeah! [bleep] yeah! -I'm just excited to hit Chuck
with my balls. [ Whistle blows ]
[ Indistinct shouting ] ♪♪ [ Cheers and applause ] -[ Screams ]
Remember that! ♪♪ -Probably one of the coolest, most badass ones we've ever done was with Conor McGregor
and Urijah Faber. Flying in helicopters, dropping watermelons out of them
onto a target. We were in
an air-conditioned tent, partying,
watching these guys do it. -Alright, Urijah.
You're up. ♪♪ -[bleep]! ♪♪ -[bleep]! I missed. -[ Laughs ] ♪♪ [ Cheers and applause ] ♪♪ -Whoo! Game over! -I don't like losin'. Congratulations
to the little butt face twerp. ♪♪ Behind me here are
two massive dunk tanks. -I wasn't worried
about the money. I just wanted
to beat Joanna so bad. I wanted to dunk her
inside the water so bad. -Final take! [ Cheers and applause ]
-[ Laughing ] Oh, [bleep]. ♪♪ [bleep]. -It's so [bleep] cold. Whose idea was
this [bleep]? -Alright, Joanna.
It's your shot! ♪♪ [ Cheers and applause ] ♪♪ [ Cheers and applause ] ♪♪ -Get some money, baby! Whoo! -Cláudia! Now you have the opportunity to win another 5,000! You have three shots to dunk me! One time I didn't have a blast
was where I had to get dunked in the biggest dunk tank ever. I think I'm gonna faint! Cláudia! [ Cheers and applause ] ♪♪ Not one of my favorite
Coaches Challenge. Whoo! Hoo! The spotlight and pressure
of competition has also led to some pretty wild and sometimes bizarre moments
over the years. ♪♪ -You ready to fight? You ready?
Let's do it! ♪♪ -Stop! Stop! ♪♪ -Season 10, my team is
destroying Rampage's team. It's not even close. [ Cheers and applause ] -Winner, Justin Wren.
-Victory, Darrill Schoonover. -The winner by majority
decision, Matt. -These [bleep] tryna
piss me off, for real. ♪♪ -I mean,
you got to see the reason that they call Rampage "Rampage." Takes a swing at the door. He starts beating it down,
and it's like like Christmas, like trying to open a present
or something. He's like... Nonetheless, I mean,
it was shocking to see somebody
just rip through it like wrapping paper. ♪♪ -Those son of...
[ Laughs ] -When these guys
are in the house and they're locked up
with no access to the outside world, they start to freak out, so
they start doing goofy [bleep]. In Season 14, Michael Bisping
Mayhem Miller got into this prank war that started
with Miller barricading a car that belonged to Bisping
assisted coach, Tiki. Bisping
eventually got his revenge. -Go, go, go. Oh, [bleep]! ♪♪ -Hey! [ Laughter ] ♪♪ I can take anything,
you can I will do this. -Don't do it.
-Just do it! Because I got --
I could punch you and -- -Probably
one of the craziest was when Kaplan
was asking Lawler to hit him, that he can't be knocked out. -Do it!
Just [bleep] do it! -Oh
-[ Laughs ] [bleep]. You're lying. Kap? Oh, [bleep].
Kap? -I wasn't knocked out,
but he did hurt me. My jaw does hurt. -Come on, dude.
Come on. -He comes to and he's like,
"Oh, I wasn't knocked out. The hurt I felt, I was dazed
but I wasn't knocked out. Dude, you were snoring! -As you can see, we've had
some wild moments on "The Ultimate Fighter"
over the years. We've also had some pretty
wild characters. ♪♪ Chris Leben had gone over
to one of the beds, Jason Thacker's bed,
and said, "Oh, you know, I'm going to pee
on this bed." -Is he coming? -You know, back then, man,
I was a dick. -Just rub it.
-part of it is psychological warfare. You know, I wanted to establish
being the alpha. ♪♪ -Some of the greatest TV
you'll ever see where Chris Leben is trying to sleep
out in the yard and Koscheck's hosing and Bobbi's like this
all evil. [ Evil laugh ] Then Leben wakes up. -It's the house.
-Come here, you [bleep] bitch. [Banging on door] ♪♪ -Being on "Ultimate Fighter"
for sure is enough to make you crazy. I probably went
a little bit nuts. I think it definitely
changed me. You know, after, I was never
quite the same after that. You know what? The shows over
because I'll go to jail messing with that [bleep]. -One of the craziest characters
of all the seasons of "The Ultimate Fighter"
was Junie Browning. -[ Laughs ] -[ Screams ] -He definitely has a certain
amount of craziness that made him unique. -Get off me, man.
I don't give a [bleep], man. -He messed with a lot
of the other fighters, he talked a lot of trash. -You ain't got
to tell me anything. You just got show me.
[ Glass shatters ] Dude, what the [bleep]
is wrong with you? -You're talking [bleep] to me.
-I'm not talking [bleep] to you.
Back the [bleep] up. -Whoa, whoa, whoa. -With Junie Browning,
who is an absolute nightmare to everybody in the house
and had done some really stupid [bleep]
and continue to do it, so I get together with the guys. He wants me to kick him
off the show and say I'm would have won
that [bleep] show. But they [bleep] kicked me off
because I was the baddest [bleep] on there
and this and that. And now you guys
[bleep] tell me. I'm sure you want to beat
his [bleep] ass, right? -Yeah.
-This ain't [bleep] "Survivor" and [bleep]. Let's vote them off. You [bleep] beat him off. That didn't sound good, did it? [ Laughter ] Let's beat him off.
[ Laughs ] One of my, you know, not one of greatest moments
on the show. Hey, Gunther, why are you
always in different states all the time?
-Oh, just from our jobs. -What do you do?
-Shear Alpacas. -You shear Alpacas? -I just travel around
and cut animals hair, yeah. [ Alpaca shrieking ] They just this horrifying sound. It's like...
[ Screaming] [ Alpaca snorts ] -John Gunther,
that guy was hysterical. He sheared alpacas for a living. Then when it came time
for his preliminary flight... -Let's do it.
-Let's go, John. -He charged in
on Joe Giannetti like an alpaca. [Indistinct screaming] -He's going, he's going, gone -And he gets choked out
like 10 seconds out. Out cold. -You got caught with choke.
-A what? -Caught with a choke.
-A choke, dang. I was fighting, and then
all of a sudden I like -- I just like saw some people
looking down at me. And I'm like,
"Oh, no, this is weird. Like a weird perspective. Why am I staring
at the ceiling?" [ Laughs ]
And then I knew this is bad. Darn, like I didn't get
to do anything. It's depressing.
But, shoot. -Dog, get that [bleep]
out my face, bro. That's [bleep] up. -Another challenge
for these fighters is when they lose,
they still have to live in the house
and be around these guys that are still in competition. -Because I'll [bleep] beat
someone's ass in this house, and I'll [bleep] get sent home. -Well, that's a bad decision. -I'm not [bleep] playing, dog.
Right now. -Some guys like Julian Lane and Season 16,
couldn't handle it. -You can't hold me, man.
-Chill out. What's up, dog.
-Almost got my stitches popped. -You smiling?
It ain't funny, dog! Guys were holding me back,
holding down Dom back. Mike Hill [bleep] jumps in. Let me [bleep] bang, man. -You don't want to do that, man.
-Let me [bleep] bang, bro. Let me [bleep] bang, bro.
-Dude. -Let me [bleep] bang, bro.
-I do. -Let me bang.
-I do let you bang. -Let me bang again, man.
-I let you bang. I let you bang.
-He's like, "I do let you bang." I'm like, "Let me bang again"
And then I watch it. Like, dude, that [bleep] is
awkward as [bleep], man. Let me bang, man. -In the end,
"The Ultimate Fighter" is all about the fights. Win and you move on.
Lose, your out. And over the years,
there have been some truly epic battles
inside the octagon. ♪♪ -Southpaw stance. The right hand.
That's it! ♪♪ -Oh! ♪♪ -Stop, stop, stop. ♪♪ -You ready?
Let's get it on. -It's always interesting
when two guys who are very good friends
fight in the cage. -There's been so many
crazy cool moments. -They both said
it's about putting on a show. -Oh, Scott Smith
is just throwing bombs. -One of the coolest moments
ever that sticks out in my head is Pete Sell hit's Scott Smith
with a nasty body shot, physically bends over
and he's in pain. Pete Sell runs in for the kill and Scott Smith sucks it up
and throws one huge bomb at him, and ends up knocking out
Pete's Sell and stopping him in that fight. -Look at this punch. Right on the floating rib. Scott instantly winces in pain. He is hurt badly, but this guy
is always dangerous. Bang. That is crazy. -That is one of
the most unbelievable finishes in UFC history. -The winner by knockout,
Scott "Hands of steel" Smith. -What got a great fight tonight
here in Las Vegas. -Let's go and fight. [Bleep] Your time to shine. -Alright, gentlemen.
Now bring it all. Come on. -Season 9 with the US
versus the UK, and the fight of the season, when James Wilks took on,
Frankie Lester. Lester was one of
the toughest guys we've ever had on
"The Ultimate Fighter". And it showed in that fight. Wilks was the grappler and Lester
was a flat out brawler. And they just went
back and forth. Then at one point,
Wilks throws a vicious knee that catches
Lester right in the chest, and knocks his top 4
teeth out. -That's alright.
You looking like me, okay? -Come on, let's go.
-What the [bleep]? -If you can't fight
you can't fight! -They had to stop the fight
because Lester's teeth actually got stuck inside
his mouthpiece. -My teeth got knock out.
I can't put it in. -I've literally
never seen anything like it. -Let's see if we can get his
tooth out, doctor. -It's over, it's over. -Michael Bisping was the coach
of the U.K. team. He's going crazy. Dan Henderson was the coach
for the USA team, and he's literally over there trying to pull the teeth
out of the mouthpiece. It was insane. -There we go.
Alright. Get it in. Save the tooth,
put the tooth on ice. Let's go. Get it in.
Ready? Get it in good, Frank. Alright.
Bring it on. Come on. ♪♪ -The fight resumes and Wilks
ends up winning by submission, but that was definitely
one of the best fights I've ever seen on the show. -You gotta keep your hands up. We're on that podium. -Gentlemen, here we go. Now bring it on.
Come on. -One of the craziest knockouts
I had ever seen, period, was a wheel kick delivered
by Uriah Hall on Adam Cella. [ Cheering ] I think it was the first
wheel kick we had ever seen in the octagon,
and it was absolutely brutal. ♪♪ I remember seeing Dana's face
when he saw it, and he actually looked
very concerned. That was one of the first times
I've seen that Dana was scared after a fight
and after a knockout. ♪♪ -It was one of the most vicious
knock out you'll ever see in any fight,
in any combat sport. -That's a good sign, though. -Yeah, that's a real good sign. -Sit right there. We're not
coming up all the way. [ Applause ] -That was insane. Cella's jaw
was pretty busted up. I was just happy to see
that he was going to be okay. -Let's go Raquel! -One of the great things
about season 18 was it was the first time
we were going to see women on "The Ultimate Fighter." -I'm coming for her. I refuse to lose,
and I'm going to be bigger, faster and stronger
in every situation. -And we saw one
of the best fights in "Ultimate Fighter" history between Jessamyn Duke
and Rachel Pennington. -Alright, ladies.
Now bring it on. Come on. ♪♪ ♪♪ -Keep it sudden.
Always first. [Indistinct shouting] -[Screams] -It was three-round,
back and forth war. -See what you did to her nose?
-Yeah. You blooded her up. -She's trying to catch
you with punches. She can't kick with you. -Forward, forward, forward.
She doesn't like it. ♪♪ -It was a crazy fight
that really delivered, and showed that the women
had definitely arrived in UFC. [ Horn blares ] [ Cheers and applause ] -All three judges scored
this round 10-9 by the winner, Pennington. [ Cheers and applause ] -Yeah. Good, job, dude.
Great fight. Great fight. -I was really impressed
with Raquel. She's a hell of a counterpunch,
She hits hard and I like her. I like her a lot. It's going to be fun
to watch her fight. -Side, you ready?
Side, you ready. Fight.
-In season 27, the last semifinal fight was between Jay Cucciniello
and Tyler Diamond. Tyler was the number one pick
that season, and Jay was only in the fight because the other guy
got injured. -Oh! -But Jay definitely showed
that he belonged. It was an epic back
and forth fight. Both these guys
were getting with big shots. Jay just got a little bit more
left in the tank at the end, landed some great
kicks to the body. Oh!
-And that's finished Diamond with an elbow. ♪♪ [ Cheers and applause ] It was one of
the biggest upsets was ever had
on "The Ultimate Fighter". [ Cheers and applause ] And it showed that anything
can happen in the sport, anything is possible. -Winner by referee,
stoppage to the strikes, Jay. -With every epic victory
in the octagon, there's also a crushing defeat. A lot of these fighters
spent years working to get to this point, which makes dealing
with the loss that much harder. ♪♪ -It's over. -Stop, stop! ♪♪ -There you go.
Whoo-hoo -[ Screams ] [ Cheers and applause ] -Stop!
Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop. -A lot of these fighters train
their entire lives just to get a chance
to be on "The Ultimate Fighter," and once they make it,
they have to take advantage
of this opportunity. It's their one shot
and that's what makes losses so devastating.
-Judges come to a decision. Blue corner, Nico Montano. [ Cheers and applause ] -I'm so sorry. -Lauren,
you don't apologize to me. -I'm tired of losing.
I'm [bleep] tired of losing. I was already coming off a loss
coming into this show, and I thought maybe
dropping to 25 was going to be like the answer
to all my problems. And clearly, it's not. [Crying] I'm sorry. I'm away from my family,
and I just miss him so much. And it's hard to go
through a loss like this and to be the upset on the show and not have them here
to comfort me. [ Sobbing ] [ Indistinct shouting ] ♪♪ -Stop! Stop! -The winner by tap out... -I don't really think
Efrain's as good, was better
than what I thought. I just think I'm just not
as good as what I thought. I'm in the wrong sport
completely. I'm done.
This is my last fight. If I can't beat him,
I can't beat nobody in the UFC. Just waste my time. It's been
a waste of three years. You know, I need to make
some money somehow, and obviously fighting
ain't gonna be the way for me to do it. So I'll just find
something else to do. [ Indistinct shouting ] -Finish it! Finish it! He's out. He's out! Stop! -Jared took the loss hard. It's like you go
to work every day and you work your ass off
and you get to be the vice president
or president of a company, then you just get
knocked off one day and you're back down
to where you started. That's exactly what it's like
in the fight business. You're as good
as your last fight. And that's why these guys
take a loss so hard. -All three judges
scored this fight 20 to 18 for the winner
by unanimous decision, Marunde. [ Cheers and applause ] -I got to put food
on the table now. -You're gonna get there.
- I don't have a job at home. I don't have no money. I don't have nothing, man. It's my first loss,
man, as a pro and it's highly
disappointing, man. And I feel like, like I said,
I let my daughter down, you know, my unborn, let my whole family down, man. -Nothing can prepare
a fighter for the pain they feel after a loss. But over the years
there have been some incredible stories
of triumph that truly make "The Ultimate Fighter"
what it is. ♪♪ -Good morning, guys.
-Good morning. You ready?
-Yeah. -Season 2 was something
I really didn't expect because at the time,
you know, I just graduated from college, and surprisingly enough, I didn't think
I was gonna get a call back. I got a call back and they said,
you know, you've been selected. -Rashad. -In season two,
We had to weight classes -- heavyweight and welterweight Rashad Evans
was one of the heavyweights, but he was
a very small heavyweight. He was the last pick overall and he went into every fight
as the underdog shot. -Rashad, you ready?
Let's get it on. Come on. -Rashad Evans. -He went in there
and he beat everybody, -Rashad.
-He wins "The Ultimate Fighter". Then years later,
he faces Forrest Griffin for the light heavyweight title
and becomes a world champion. -It's all over! -The new undisputed
UFC light heavyweight champion of the world, "Suga" Rashad Evans! -When I really started
using bad, start taking pills
then started drinking every day, then
started drinking on the way home from work
then after work. And then pretty soon
it was like, you know, 1:00, 2:00 o'clock
in the morning, I had to be up at 4:30. -So like I had to have coke
for the morning. I'd go to bed hungover, so I'd wake up hungover
and I drank and then take OxyContin
to get rid of the hangover. I was addicted to drugs
and alcohol, you know, and it led into,
at the end, heroin. And I just happened to be
one of the fortunate ones that were able to make it out. [ Cheers and applause ] -Court McGee is another
amazing story. He was a drug addict,
went to rehab, got clean, and then he made his way on
to "The Ultimate Fighter." -Let's fight. -Drive, drive, drive. -In his first fight face,
he faced Nick Ring. It was a back and forth war, but he ends up losing
the decision. -The winner
by majority decision, Nick Ring It who was a tough loss
for Court, but after one of the other
fighters had to quit the competition with an injury, we decided to bring Court back. That's what he turned it on. He submitted James Hammortree and choked out Brad Tavares
on his way to the finale. Then in the finale,
he beats Chris McCray and wins "The Ultimate Fighter". -Congratulations.
You are The Ultimate Fighter. It's an incredible story and an incredible
comeback story. -While I was at practice,
kid warmed up, got yanked from the class and was told
I needed to call my mom. She just told me that my dad
passed away last night. I'm sorry I'm not there. My dad's been there
my whole life, and I owe all this to him,
you know, because I wouldn't be here
if it wasn't for him. And it's unexpected, but it's something
that we discussed. If I made it on this show and things took a turn
for the worse, he made me promise
I wouldn't leave. I'm sorry. I'm not there.
I wish I was there right now. -Michael Chiesa is another
inspiring story. On season 15, he finds out that his dad passed away
during the competition, but he decides to stay
and fight to honor his dad and has an incredible run. -Now bring it on.
Come on. ♪♪ -Ah!
-And the winner by unanimous decision, Michael Chiesa. [ Cheers and applause ] -He beats Jeremy Larsen, Justin Lawrence and James Dent
on his way to the finale where he takes on Al Iaquinta. -Nice. He's got
a very nice body lock. Chiesa gotta finish this. Mike Chiesa's just coming off
a life experience and just tugging at your heart
strings. Not able to get under the chin. -He's not favored to win it,
but comes through and gets the upset. -Michael Chiesa
has put him to sleep! -Michael Chiesa
is the perfect example of toughness, resilience
and drive, everything that it takes
to be "The Ultimate Fighter", -Like it sounds terrible,
but I enjoy hurting people, but I don't think I always will. Like I think it's just something
that, you know, from your -- from my past. like I was the one being hurt, you know, and that's kind of
what you're taught, you know? and then you kind of
want to hurt other people because that's all. growing up in Milwaukee,
I've seen a lot of violence
and I've been sexually harassed
all my life. There's a lot of kids out there
that are probably thinking that it's their fault
that they're being abused. You don't have to
take it on yourself. You know, I live with
that secret for up until right before the show,
you know, and I finally told somebody
about it, you know. but you don't have to
keep it a secret. You can, you know,
open up to somebody and you can get out
of that situation. If you -- if you --
you can do it. -Rose, your time,
-Are you ready? Fight. Rose Namajunas is one
of the most compelling stories
we've ever had on the show. She had a tough childhood,
overcame so much, then goes on season 20 and just runs
through the competition. ♪♪ -Get your knee down! -Let go.
-Whoo! ♪♪ -She won every single one
of her fights by submission, then in the finale
she faced Carla Esparza for the women's
strawweight title. -Trying to push that elbow up.
She's tapped. -Carla Esparza
is the UFC strawweight champion
of the world. -She didn't win that fight,
but she went on to an outstanding career
in the UFC and eventually won
that world title, capping off
a truly incredible story. -Rose Namajunas! -Rose's story
is an incredible one. Her rise to fame coincided with
the rise of women in the UFC, something "The Ultimate Fighter"
had a lot to do with. ♪♪ -As the sport started to grow,
we started to evolve and go global. Tough was a big part of that. At one point I said I'd never
bring women into the UFC. Then comes Ronda Rousey,
who changes everything, changes the entire landscape
of the sport. -It's a monumental season
this season. This is what you ladies
have been waiting for your entire career. I don't have to give you
women a speech. I mean, ever since women
have stepped foot in the UFC, they've been some of the most
exciting fights we've ever seen. You girls go at it, you're going
to make this season great. -My journey through
my whole career fighting, you know,
spanned over a decade. And I just remember
when women's fighting was just not taken seriously. I remember when Dana White
himself would say women will never be a part of the UFC. -You [bleep] ready or what?
-Yeah. [ Applause ] -And the moment I realized that women would not
only be a part of the UFC but would also be featured on "The Ultimate Fighter," It was a very exciting
moment for me. -Fight! ♪♪ -Stop, stop! That's it [ Cheers and applause ] -He made a statement
about how tough women can be. -Okay, stop. -Stop, stop! -It was really exciting
to be part of the first season of women. The females were just starting
to rise in popularity. So it was just so cool
to be part of history. -The popularity
of female fighters just kept growing. Season 20
was the first season we had only female fighters, and the winner was going
to be crowned the first ever UFC strawweight champion. So this season with just packed
with great fights. In the end, Carla Esparza
won the finale and the belt, and it was a massive success. -Carla "Cookie Monster" Esparza. -In fact, it was so successful
that in Season 26, we did it again,
but this time they fought for the first ever
UFC women's flyweight belt. ♪♪ In the end, Nicco
won the title. -Montano! -And the impact of women
in the UFC has continued to grow
to this day. -over the years,
"The Ultimate Fighter" has proven it isn't
your typical reality show. Fighters to win the competition
often go on to have successful careers
in the UFC. Several, including yours truly, even went on
to become world champions. And that success
has helped the UFC to grow into the global
phenomenon that it is today. ♪♪ -From the first season,
second season, third season, in those early days,
"The Ultimate Fighter" really helped take
a fringe sport out from the dark
and make it a mainstream sport. -We got these fighters young,
we got them trained, and then they went
in the UFC and had legacy. -T.J. Dillashaw! -The coolest aspect
of "The Ultimate Fighter is the fact that they're not
just producing content, that they're actually
finding legitimate champions
in the sport. They're producing top-level
talent guys that have gone on to win belts in the UFC, guys like T.J., Dillashaw,
guys like Forest Griffin. -You are The Ultimate Fighter. -Guys like Rashad Evans. --Congratulations, Rashad. -This is a talent that was found
in "The Ultimate Fighter" that went on to do
a lot of great things and become some of
the biggest names in the sport. -Ladies and gentlemen,
this fight will determine who will be
"The Ultimate Fighter" winner. -Because
"The Ultimate Fighter" has had champions come off
the show like myself it legitimizes the show. You know, it makes
the show totally legit where you believe that,
you know, these guys are
tomorrow's future stars. -Tony Ferguson,
ladies and gentlemen, -it really is like
the graduate school for the fight game. It's something
that changed the sport completely from giving
it a heart to building new stars
to breeding champions and creating legacies. I mean, it's a very influential
and powerful show. -Michael Bisping! -I believe "The Ultimate
Fighter" did help me in my career, I think it helped people
know who I was. -I can't say where I would be
if it wasn't for "The Ultimate Fighter." -In the history
of combat sports, there never has been
and there never will be a show that's more important
than "The Ultimate Fighter". ♪♪ -"The Ultimate Fighter"
has a new home and a new look, but the competition
remains the same. Survive the gantlet and get
your shot at UFC stardom. "The Ultimate Fighter is back,
and the question is, who will come out on top
in season Season 29? -Two teams of promising
young fighters training under two of the
top stars in the UFC today. The most grueling competition
in sports returns, but this time it'll be bigger
and better than ever before with a brand new state
of the art training facility. But the goal
of the fighters remains -- survive the pressure-filled
competition and earn a six figure
UFC contract and the right to be called the Ultimate Fighter. Don't miss Season 29
of "The Ultimate Fighter," coming March 2021.
