Randy Couture and Chuck Liddell are forever etched in UFC history as the iconic coaches for the debut season of The Ultimate Fighter, the reality show that catapulted the UFC into mainstream fame.
However, on an episode of the Jaxxson Podcast, Couture opened up about an interesting tidbit from those early days—he doesn’t believe he was the UFC’s first choice for the coaching role.
With his usual humility and candor, the MMA legend shared his perspective on why he ended up on the show and provided a fascinating look behind the scenes of a pivotal moment in UFC history.
“I think Tito was their first choice to be honest. Tito and Chuck had a rub and hadn’t fought yet. And I don’t think they could get Tito to do it. I don’t know if that is true, I think I was their second choice though and I was happy to be involved.”
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The first season of the Ultimate Fighter will forever be etched in the memory of UFC fans. For starters, it produced one of the greatest fights of all time. Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar went to war for three rounds but they had beaten each other up so much by the second that the arena was shaking with the crowd tapping their boots.
The Ultimate Fighter saved the UFC
Their light heavyweight finale wasn’t just a thrilling back-and-forth slugfest—it was the fight that introduced the common American homes to the thrill of the UFC.
Airing free and live on Spike TV, the bout captured the raw grit and heart of the sport after the show had spent weeks eradicating stereotypes about mixed martial artists being street thugs. The boys were well-educated, well-spoken men with families to feed and the the audience was hooked to their stories. So, when they tore each other apart with smiles on their faces, 3 million people watched it- an unprecedented number at the time.
The UFC had been struggling financially, but the success of TUF Season 1 and the Griffin vs. Bonnar fight skyrocketed the promotion’s popularity.
Dana White himself has said that without that iconic finale, the UFC might not have survived. This fight didn’t just earn both competitors UFC contracts—it told investors everywhere that they were sleeping on a gold mine, laying the foundation for the UFC’s meteoric rise.
