The Ultimate Fighter 1

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The Ultimate Fighter 1
Season 1
StarringDana White, Chuck Liddell, and Randy Couture
Release
Original network Spike TV
Original releaseJanuary 17 (2005-1-17) 
April 9, 2005 (2005-04-9) [1]
Season chronology

The debut season of The Ultimate Fighter (later designated The Ultimate Fighter 1) premiered on January 17, 2005. Sixteen mixed martial arts fighters (eight light heavyweights weighing from 186 to 205 lb and eight middleweights weighing from 171 to 185 lb) were invited to participate in the show where they resided together and trained in two separate teams coached by UFC light heavyweight fighters Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture. The teams competed in physical challenges, segments hosted by singer Willa Ford, to determine which had the right to pair one of their fighters against an opponent of their choice in the same weight class, with the loser being eliminated. [2]

The finale was broadcast live on April 9, 2005, where the two finalists in each weight class faced off for a contract with the UFC. It was the first live UFC broadcast on non-pay-per-view television, and it drew a very impressive 1.9 overall rating. The series was also broadcast in the United Kingdom in the spring of 2005 on Bravo. A 5-disc DVD set of "The Ultimate Fighter" was released on November 1, 2005.

Cast

Coaches

Fighters

Listed as originally assigned.

Others

Episodes

Episode 1: "The Quest Begins" (original airdate: 17 January 2005)

Coach1st pick2nd pick3rd pick4th pick5th pick6th pick7th pick8th pick
LiddellBobby SouthworthJosh KoscheckDiego SanchezSam HogerForrest GriffinKenny FlorianAlex SchoenauerJosh Rafferty
CoutureNate QuarryChris LebenStephan BonnarMike SwickLodune SincaidAlex KaralexisChris SanfordJason Thacker

Episode 2: "Team Challenges" (original airdate: 24 January 2005)

Episode 3: "Making Weight" (original airdate: 31 January 2005)

Episode 4: "On The Ropes" (original airdate: 7 February 2005)

Episode 5: "Un-Caged" (original airdate: 14 February 2005)

Episode 6: "The Fight Is On" (original airdate: 21 February 2005)

Episode 7: "Ground And Pound" (original airdate: 28 February 2005)

Episode 8: "Sprawl N Brawl" (original airdate: 7 March 2005)

Episode 9: "Low Blow" (original airdate: 14 March 2005)

Episode 10: "Middleweight Semi-Final #1" (original airdate: 21 March 2005)

Episode 11: "Middleweight Semi-Final #2" (original airdate: 28 March 2005)

Episode 12: "Light Heavyweight Semi-Finals" (original airdate: 4 April 2005)

Light heavyweight bracket

 
Semi-finalsFinale
 
      
 
 
 
 
  Sam Hoger2
 
 
 
 Forrest GriffinTKO
 
 Forrest GriffinUD
 
 
 
  Stephan Bonnar3
 
 Stephan BonnarSUB
 
 
  Mike Swick1
 

Middleweight bracket

 
Semi-finalsFinale
 
      
 
 
 
 
  Josh Koscheck3
 
 
 
 Diego SanchezSD
 
 Diego SanchezTKO
 
 
 
  Kenny Florian1
 
 Kenny FlorianTKO
 
 
  Chris Leben*2
 

* Nate Quarry was slated to fight Florian but an injury forced him to be replaced by Leben.

Legend

 Team Liddell
 Team Couture
UD
 Unanimous Decision
SD
 Split Decision
SUB
 Submission
TKO
 Technical Knockout

The Ultimate Fighter 1 Finale

The Ultimate Fighter: Team Couture vs. Team Liddell Finale
TUF 1 Finale Poster - Fitness Philippines.jpg
The poster for The Ultimate Fighter: Team Couture vs. Team Liddell Finale
Promotion Ultimate Fighting Championship
DateApril 9, 2005
Venue Cox Pavilion
City Las Vegas, Nevada
Event chronology
UFC 51: Super Saturday The Ultimate Fighter: Team Couture vs. Team Liddell Finale UFC 52: Couture vs Liddell 2

The Ultimate Fighter: Team Couture vs. Team Liddell Finale (originally broadcast as The Ultimate Fighter: Ultimate Finale, and also known as The Ultimate Fighter 1 Finale) was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on April 9, 2005. [4] Featured were the finals from The Ultimate Fighter 1 in both the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions.

Even though the main attraction of the event was Rich Franklin vs. the UFC Hall of Fame Ken Shamrock, the spotlight was stolen by the light heavyweight finale between Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar. Hailed as one of the greatest fights in MMA history by many, Forrest and Stephan produced a 3-round stand-up war that went the distance. Although Griffin took the decision, both fighters were given UFC contracts for their amazing performance.

Originally, Tito Ortiz was offered to fight Ken Shamrock in a rematch at this event. However, Ortiz left the UFC shortly after UFC 51 due to contract disputes.

Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar fight

Even though both Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar had good records at the time (Griffin 9–2, Bonnar 7–1), many were expecting this fight to be nothing more than filler before the main event between UFC legend Ken Shamrock and rising superstar Rich Franklin.

Both fighters had rough, controversial, and impressive wins to make it to the finale. In their first fights, Forrest defeated Alex Schoenauer by TKO but suffered what appeared to be a serious cut above his eye; Stephan earned a controversial decision win over seasonal favorite Bobby Southworth. In the semi-finals, both fighters finished their opponents with Forrest defeating teammate Sam Hoger by TKO and Stephan defeating teammate Mike Swick by Submission.

Many fans expected a standard fight between 2 contrasting fighting styles—Forrest using his striking against Stephan's jiu-jitsu. Instead, many in attendance were surprised that Stephan chose to stand and strike with Forrest. For three rounds, they brought the crowd to their feet in raucous applause as they battled in a non-stop, knock-down, legendary battle. To many critics and fans, this fight showed the true heart of not only UFC fighters but of all who participate and appreciate MMA.

UFC President Dana White credits this fight as being the driving force behind the future success of the UFC, often stating that due to the fight Spike TV offered them a second season of the show. An estimated three million viewers saw the Bonnar-Griffin fight live on Spike, and the resulting pay-per-view where coaches Liddell and Couture squared off saw a then-record 280,000 buys. It also kicked off what has been termed "the TUF boom", where interest in both watching MMA fights as well as training in disciplines such as Brazilian jiu-jitsu, amateur wrestling, and judo rose amongst the general public. In 2013 both Griffin and Bonnar were inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame, and whilst Griffin went on to win the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship, this fight is still considered the highlight of both fighters' careers.

Results

Main Card
Weight classMethodRoundTimeNotes
Light Heavyweight Rich Franklin def. Ken Shamrock TKO (punches)12:42
Light Heavyweight Forrest Griffin def. Stephan Bonnar Decision (unanimous) (29–28, 29–28, 29–28)35:00 [a]
Middleweight Diego Sanchez def. Kenny Florian TKO (punches)12:49 [b]
Preliminary card
Light Heavyweight Sam Hoger def. Bobby Southworth Decision (unanimous) (29–28, 30–28, 29–28)35:00
Middleweight Chris Leben def.Jason ThackerTKO (punches)11:35
Middleweight Josh Koscheck def. Chris Sanford KO (punch)14:21
Middleweight Nate Quarry def. Lodune Sincaid TKO (punches)13:17
Middleweight Mike Swick def.Alex SchoenauerKO (punch)10:20
Welterweight Alex Karalexis def.Josh RaffertyTKO (punches)11:40
  1. Griffin wins by unanimous decision (29–28, 29–28, 29–28) in what is described as one of the best fights in the history of the UFC. He was the first Ultimate Fighter winner in the light heavyweight division, but Dana White grants Bonnar a UFC contract as well after his performance (see Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar).
  2. Sanchez becomes the first middleweight winner of The Ultimate Fighter.

Encyclopedia awards

The following fighters were honored in the October 2011 book titled UFC Encyclopedia . [5]

  • Fight of the Night: Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar
  • Knockout of the Night: Josh Koscheck

Coaches' Fight

UFC 52: Couture vs. Liddell 2 was held on April 16, 2005 in Paradise, Nevada.

Main Card
Weight classMethodRoundTimeNotes
Light Heavyweight Chuck Liddell def. Randy Couture (c)KO (punches)12:06 [a]
  1. For the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship.

See also

References

  1. List of episodes with original air dates for The Ultimate fighter
  2. "10 bizarre, blast-from-the-past revelations after rewatching 'The Ultimate Fighter 1' in 2020".
  3. "In Search of Strange Brew". March 24, 2015.
  4. "Ultimate Fighter I Finale". Ufc.com. Retrieved March 5, 2009.
  5. Gerbasi, Thomas (October 17, 2011). UFC Encyclopedia - The Definitive Guide to the Ultimate Fighting Championship. New York: DK. p. 212. ISBN   978-0756683610.