A pretty good season
P. Mann | Los Angeles | 10/15/2008
(4 out of 5 stars)
"In this, the seventh season of The Ultimate Fighter, the rules have changed slightly. Rather than inviting sixteen fighters into the house, the UFC invites thirty-two fighters, informing them that they have been paired up and will have to fight for the right to enter the house and be on the show. Thus, the number of scheduled fights more than doubles for this season (from 14 to 31, not counting the finals). We don't get to see all of the preliminary bouts, though there is some excellent action, including a brutal knockout, in the bouts that are shown.
As usual, the fighters destroy the house, get on each other's nerves, and proclaim their intention to hurt each other when the fights arrive. The fights, following the same tried-and-true formula as previous seasons, were generally better than most of those in the earlier seasons. The coaches, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Forrest Griffin, seem to get along with each other for the most part, removing the animosity that characterized previous seasons. (You decide for yourself whether that's better.)
Perhaps the biggest drawback is that we do not get to know the fighters as well as in previous seasons. Since they are mostly unknown to wide audiences, the chance to get to learn more about them is especially helpful.
One final point of interest: The main event of the final show features Evan Tanner in his final fight before his untimely death.
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