I can't think of one thing that's gone right with this season.
First, Ronda Rousey is coming off as a petulant, immature, crybaby psycho. After just 4 episodes, Dana White's golden goose has perhaps permanently damaged her brand. All her angry mean mugging is not going to endear her to fans. And without Ronda drawing in casual viewers, there is no women's MMA in the UFC.
Second, the women's fights have been mediocre to awful. (The men haven't been great either) This season just exposes how shallow the talent pool is in women's MMA. Allowing fighers with losing records and 5 fight losing streaks to fight is embarrassing.
If Dana White hoped to elevate women's MMA through this show, I believe his plan has backfired.
Third, the production value has noticeably regressed. Last season they changed producers and the direction of the show. The videography was a lot more artistic, featuring soft focus, slow motion, montages, the editing was enagaging, and the storytelling was new and interesting.
The focus on the fighters and their struggles gave TUF new life. Now we're back to the same old hot headed, come-at-me-bro drama that has grown so tiresome over the years.
Neither the fighers or their coaches are coming off as professional. This is especially unfortunate at a time where the UFC is making a push to mainstream the sport.
Finally, the ratings are in freefall. Episode 3 hit new low point for the series at 639,000 viewers. We'll see if they come back up, but after Episode 4's oversold and misleading teases leading up to its amateurish fight at the end, I have my doubts.
First, Ronda Rousey is coming off as a petulant, immature, crybaby psycho. After just 4 episodes, Dana White's golden goose has perhaps permanently damaged her brand. All her angry mean mugging is not going to endear her to fans. And without Ronda drawing in casual viewers, there is no women's MMA in the UFC.
Second, the women's fights have been mediocre to awful. (The men haven't been great either) This season just exposes how shallow the talent pool is in women's MMA. Allowing fighers with losing records and 5 fight losing streaks to fight is embarrassing.
If Dana White hoped to elevate women's MMA through this show, I believe his plan has backfired.
Third, the production value has noticeably regressed. Last season they changed producers and the direction of the show. The videography was a lot more artistic, featuring soft focus, slow motion, montages, the editing was enagaging, and the storytelling was new and interesting.
The focus on the fighters and their struggles gave TUF new life. Now we're back to the same old hot headed, come-at-me-bro drama that has grown so tiresome over the years.
Neither the fighers or their coaches are coming off as professional. This is especially unfortunate at a time where the UFC is making a push to mainstream the sport.
Finally, the ratings are in freefall. Episode 3 hit new low point for the series at 639,000 viewers. We'll see if they come back up, but after Episode 4's oversold and misleading teases leading up to its amateurish fight at the end, I have my doubts.
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