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Spike TV's 'The Ultimate Fighter 3' Goes Into Production in Las Vegas
Bitter Rivals and UFC Legends Ken Shamrock and Tito Ortiz
to Serve as Coaches
LAS VEGAS, Jan. 11 -- The best up-and-coming mixed martial
artists from around the world have convened in Las Vegas in pursuit of one
goal -- to be named the "Ultimate Fighter" and to be given a contract in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship(R) organization. For the third season of Spike
TV's highly successful reality series, The Ultimate Fighter, UFC legends and
bitter rivals Ken Shamrock "The World's Most Dangerous Man" and Tito Ortiz
will train and coach the participating light-heavyweights and middleweights.
Production on The Ultimate Fighter 3 begins on Monday, January 16 and
continues in Las Vegas for about the next 6 weeks. The Ultimate Fighter 3
premieres Thursday, April 6 at 11:00pm ET/PT. The series is hosted by Dana
White, UFC President.
During the thirty-eight day competition, the 18 men will endure a grueling
regimen of jiu-jitsu, judo, Muay Thai, karate, boxing and wrestling. The
intense competition between the fighters will continue after they leave the
gym -- at the Ultimate Fighter(TM) House. These warriors will be forced to
live with each other, knowing that any day they could be forced to fight each
other in the UFC Octagon(TM).
Opponents from each team will be selected to square off in battle,
officially weighed in and then, in front of their teammates, coaches, and the
sanctioning Nevada Athletic Commission, the two combatants face off in three
five-minute rounds.
For the finale in June, the four semi-finalists will fight in a LIVE
television broadcast with a location to be determined. In the end, one
light-heavyweight and one middleweight will be crowned the new Ultimate
Fighter(TM).
The Ultimate Fighter 2 airing this past fall drew a higher rating (2.7) in
the hard-to-reach demographic Men 18-34 than the following in 4th Qtr '05:
ESPN's Saturday Night ACC Football; the NBA on ESPN and TNT (Tues., Wed., and
Thurs.); ESPN's "World Series of Poker" (Tues.), FX's "Nip Tuck" (Tues.) and
MTV's "The Real World" (Tues.).
Craig Piligian of Pilgrim Films and Television, Frank Fertitta III,
Lorenzo Fertitta, Dana White of Zuffa, LLC, and Kevin Kay of Spike TV are the
show's executive producers. Brian J. Diamond is Vice President, Sports &
Specials, Spike TV and Co-Executive Producer. Peter V. Symuleski serves as
Executive in Charge of Production for Spike TV.
Spike TV, the first network for men, is available in 88 million homes and
is a division of MTV Networks. MTV Networks, a division of Viacom
International Inc.
SOURCE Spike TV
Web Site: http://www.spiketv.com
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