Why This Season's TUF is DOA

 

Look at that picture above. 

Does it get you hyped for this season's Ultimate Fighter? If you said no, then you'd be correct. The duo of fighters look like a mix between Braveheart and a zombie. The latter is rather fitting seeing as this season was dead on arrival before any punches were thrown or words were said. 

Why you ask? Find out below. 

WHERE'S THE BEEF?

Supposedly this whole thing began when the two got into a minor scuffle in the hallways of UFC 189. It was what it was...nothing. Yet determined to blow it out of proportion and force an issue, the two were signed on as coaches this season. Even Faber admits it's all for the cameras, and McGregor is a decent fellow. 

“I speak my mind, I love to fight, he speaks his mind, he loves to fight, and we don’t take crap. So that’s where things get heated up. But as a person, he’s a decent dude when he’s being real," Faber told MMA Junkie.

Maybe the UFC was scared off by a potential language barrier with Aldo?

NO BLOWOFF TO THE "FEUD"

The premise of TUF has always been the two coaches squaring off at the end of the season. The tension is supposed to build to a fever pitch, so that by the time the card rolls around you want to see who the better fighter is. But in this case, we won't. 

Urijah Faber and Connor McGregor aren't even in the same division. And even if they were? Faber is 36 and past his prime. His best days were in the WEC, and even then Faber struggled to beat fellow top tier WEC fighters such as Jose Aldo, Mike Brown and Dominick Cruz.

On the other hand, McGregor is 26 and on a scintillating tear through the featherweight division. He silenced doubters by dispatching of Chad Mendes in two rounds back in July, which only made his brash arrogance grow even more. His confidence may seem over the top to some, but who can fault a guy for being wildly successful in the world's number one mixed martial arts promotion and talking about it? Even Chuck Liddell can't. 

 NO, WE AREN'T ENTERTAINED

Just like the Joker needs Batman and vice versa, McGregor- ever the antagonist- needs his own protagonist to play off of. And I don't even mean physically- because that is a tall task. No, I mean verbally. Even if Faber were younger, in the same division and could take it to the Irishman in the octagon....his trash talking leaves a ton to be desired. Any time McGregor lands a devastating verbal blow, Faber fails to retaliate on the same level- if at all. It just seems like the little brother is bullying the big one, and not in an entertaining way. 

GOING THROUGH THE MOTIONS 

While the coaches are used to sell the show (and McGregor does his part), ultimately it's just two guys pretending there's a beef where there isn't. Episode 2 already saw Ryan Hall win again with a leglock, starting a smaller scale Rousey-like level of submission precision. When it's all said and done, it's likely the fights and competitors will be Season 22's biggest stars.

That is definitely a plus for them, but leaves a lot more to be desired from people tuning in for fireworks and drama. 

Like it? Love it? Hate it? Let me know @SeanNeutron.