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By: C.J. Tuttle, MMATorch Columnist
After arriving fashionably late at the SoHo House in West Hollywood on Monday for a screener of "Fight Master: Bellator MMA," I was lucky enough to stumble into the elevator containing Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney, arguably the best trainer in MMA in Greg Jackson, and Randy "The Natural" Couture. One may assume other MMA fanboy type thoughts were running through my head at the time, but really I couldn't help but think - "How does Joe Warren fit into this equation?" For me, seeing him and Frank Shamrock compete for recruits against Couture and Jackson was one of Fight Master's true highlights.
What fighter is going to pick a retired fighter over someone who trains Jon Jones, or better yet what aspiring fighter is going to pick a former Bellator Champion over a UFC Hall of Famer. And just how would all these moving parts fit together onscreen? The answer is: brilliantly.
Needless to say going into the exclusive screening, my expectations had been quelled by a lack of not exactly knowing what to expect.
Settled in the theatre next to Jimmy Smith, (who doesn't mind being called "Bellator's Joe Rogan") amongst Spike and Bellator brass, I was shown the complete "fight to get into the house episode," along with the first ten minutes of installment four. Simply put, I am sold. The house isn't even really "a house" per se, as the cage is viewable from the balcony of some of the fighters rooms. You'll see what I mean.
Fight Master - Bellator and Spike TV's newest joint foray into the world of reality television and mixed martial arts is a pleasant break from the proven UFC reality show model.
Gone is the process of coaches picking the fighter who had the most elaborate knockout on the first episode. Fighters who win their opening fight are given the choice of whose tutelage they will fall under. There is a newfound pleasure in watching coaches become the victims of fighters they want no business training. The coaches also have zero say in who the fighters choose to fight. Couture put it best when he told me "the fate is in their own hands." This is a beautiful thing, and I pine for this inevitable moment on the show when one fighter chooses another, then gets knocked out by the guy he called out.
The dynamic between the four coaches creates some lighthearted moments. It reminds me of four buddies looking to beat each other at Madden or something. Each coach has his own method in recruiting or pushing away those they do or don't think their style meshes with. The dialogue is natural and comes across great when they are analyzing the fight taking place before them. The highlight of this banter is Joe Warren.
The 36-year-old, who is now training under Greg Jackson and has a fight of his own in September, oozes heart and fits in well. He hopes that the perception of Joe Warren changes from fighter to legitimate coach.
"I'm still fighting, I know what works now," Warren told MMATorch. "My mindset is still as a pro fighter."
Remember what I was thinking on that elevator ride? Funny how wrong first impressions can be.
All of this is a drastic change from the serious overtones that plague much of The Ultimate Fighter. If you're into that sort of thing, then look no further than the fighters clawing to make their way onto the show. The struggle is a real thing, and the guys chosen in the shark tank that is the 170 lb. weight class are handpicked by a group of Bellator executives and co-signed by a much more reserved style of CEO in Bjorn Rebney. The guy is born to lead. This is on display after the coach's camps have been set in stone, as they sit down with Rebney and rank the top 16. He acts as a facilitator and not a dictator; this achieves the goal of the show and the bigger picture, which is focusing on the fighters.
And focus on the fighters they do. Before each bout all fighters are interviewed, and the sleek editing and styling of the show intertwine footage from the casting tapes the guys sent in. Victors are interviewed by Jimmy Smith before the panel and the internal debate on which route to take is put on display. Nothing is left to the imagination and the result is rich in emotion and strategy.
The winner of the Fight Master will be flung into a spot in the tournament and start the process of working their way up the proverbial ladder all over again. They will be $100,000 richer, but the real victory is in the experience and training they receive from someone the likes of Jackson, Couture, and Shamrock. Greg Jackson's roster of "60-100" fighters doesn't make for much time spread between the lower ranks. Fight Master ensured that those on the show received all the coaches attention. He compared the type of attention given to that of someone the caliber of Jon Jones gets in preparation for a title fight.
So, what didn't I like? Aside from Frankie Shamrock being on vacation in Spain, not much. But, the lack of new attraction Quinton "Rampage" Jackson does leave something to be desired. I brought this up to [Greg] Jackson, Rebney, Warren, and Smith. All told me emphatically that they couldn't see this season being a one shot deal. With the verbiage in Rampage's contract being the development of reality television shows, the stage seems set for a revolving door of coaches similar to The Ultimate Fighter. Even Couture, who after clarifying the fact that he "signed with Spike for two years to develop shows, not Bellator," added he'd have no problem coaching alongside Rampage.
When I left Bellator's event at a small casino in Southern California in March I spoke of the indie vibe the promotion gave off. On my solo elevator ride downstairs concluding the screening, I was left with an entirely different perception and outlook for what the future of the company holds. Everything about Fight Master and the talent involved screams big league and I fully expect the show to fill the void left by The Ultimate Fighter's departure in 2011. If the show eventually draws anywhere near the 2.5 million TUF finale drew, it will be putting an exclamation point on an already crowning achievement for the budding promotion based in Southern California.
Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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