The Ultimate Fighter 1

The Ultimate Fighter 1: Team Liddell vs. Team Couture
Genre Reality, Sports
Created by Craig Piligian, Frank Fertitta III, Lorenzo Fertitta, Dana White
Starring Dana White, Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture
Country of origin  United States
Production
Running time 60 minutes
Release
Original network Spike TV
Original release January 17 – April 9, 2005 .[1]
Chronology
Preceded by Premiere
Followed by The Ultimate Fighter 2

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 lbs and eight Middleweights weighing from 171 to 185 lbs) were invited to participate in the show where they would reside together and train in two separate teams coached by UFC Light Heavyweight fighters Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture. The teams would compete in physical challenges, segments hosted by singer Willa Ford, to determine which team would have the right to pair one of their own fighters against an opponent of their choice in the same weight class, with the loser being eliminated.

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 ever 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 UK 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)

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-finals Finale
      Sam Hoger 2  
      Forrest Griffin TKO  
 
          Forrest Griffin UD
        Stephan Bonnar 3
      Stephan Bonnar SUB
      Mike Swick 1  

Middleweight Bracket

Semi-finals Finale
      Josh Koscheck 3  
      Diego Sanchez SD  
 
          Diego Sanchez TKO
        Kenny Florian 1
      Kenny Florian TKO
      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
Information
Promotion Ultimate Fighting Championship
Date April 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

The Ultimate Fighter: Team Couture vs. Team Liddell Finale (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.[2] 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 Famer Ken Shamrock the spotlight was stolen by the incredible bout 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 Forrest Griffin would take the decision both men 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.

The Fight That Saved the UFC

Even though both Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar had good records at the time (Griffin 9–2, Bonnar 9–1), 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 perennial 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 it was due to the fight that Spike TV offered them a second season of the show. In reality the second season had already been confirmed (and was in the casting stages) prior to the fight. 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 title, this fight is still considered the highlight of both fighters' careers.

Results

Main Card
Weight class Method Round Time Notes
Light Heavyweight Rich Franklin def. Ken Shamrock TKO (punches) 1 2:42
Light Heavyweight Forrest Griffin def. Stephan Bonnar Decision (unanimous) 3 5:00 [lower-alpha 1]
Middleweight Diego Sanchez def. Kenny Florian TKO (punches) 1 2:49 [lower-alpha 2]
Preliminary card
Light Heavyweight Sam Hoger def. Bobby Southworth Decision (unanimous) 3 5:00
Middleweight Chris Leben def. Jason Thacker TKO (punches) 1 1:35
Middleweight Josh Koscheck def. Chris Sanford KO (punch) 1 4:21
Middleweight Nate Quarry def. Lodune Sincaid TKO (punches) 1 3:17
Middleweight Mike Swick def. Alex Schoenauer KO (punch) 1 0:20
Welterweight Alex Karalexis def. Josh Rafferty TKO (punches) 1 1:40
  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 wins the first Ultimate Fighter Championship 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.

Coaches' Fight

Main article: UFC 52

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

Main Card
Weight class Method Round Time Notes
Light Heavyweight Chuck Liddell def. Randy Couture (c) KO (punches) 1 2:06 [lower-alpha 1]

See also

References

External links

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