The Ultimate Fighter: Season 1 Retrospective | REWIND-A-WAI #145

John Pollock and Wai Ting look back at The Ultimate Fighter: Season 1, the 2005 SpikeTV reality series which launched the UFC’s rise to mainstream popularity. They discuss the struggling state of Zuffa and UFC at the time of the show’s development, how the series managed to convert unsatisfied WWE fans starving for a more mature alternative, and the show’s ability to introduce an audience to the then-niche sport of Mixed Martial Arts. John & Wai review the first 3 episodes of the season and discuss highlighted characters such as Chris Leben, Diego Sanchez, “Strange Brew” Jason Thacker and Bobby Southworth. They then review the legendary Light Heavyweight Finale fight between Stephan Bonnar and Forrest Griffin. This event was chosen by Espresso Executive Producer, Jake Allonar. Watch TUF 1: Team Liddell vs. Team Couture on the UFC Fight Pass (subscription required): https://ufcfightpass.com/playlist/1705 Watch Stephan Bonnar vs. Forrest Griffin TUF 1 Finale on the UFC Fight Pass (subscription required): https://ufcfightpass.com/video/28832 Next time on Rewind-A-Wai: WWE Backlash 2007 Check out the Rewind-A-Wai Archives for all patrons: https://www.postwrestling.com/category/podcasts/postwrestlingcafe/raw/ Subscribe: https://postwrestling.com/subscribe Patreon: http://postwrestlingcafe.com Forum: https://forum.postwrestling.com Discord: https://postwrestling.com/discord Merch: https://store.postwrestling.com X/Facebook/Instagram/YouTube: @POSTwrestling