Ultimate Women Challenge Looks Like It's Actually Happening

by Jackie Maden on Aug 21, 2010 12:31 PM EDT in Girl Fights

Ultimate Women Challenge Trailer (via pennyjomma)

The above video has actually been circulating for several months now, with hazy promises of a fall debut on NBC. Now it looks like the show is really going to be aired starting sometime next month. They have a website and Facebook page, sponsors and famous hosts. There are 16 fighters listed as participating, including Angela Magana, who had to drop out of the Bellator women's tourney with an injury. One of the hosts is even Bas, for gawd's sake. But my feelings on this are mixed like a vodka martini - which incidentally is what I feel like I need after watching that trailer.

Not even Bas Rutten can make me feel good about a women's MMA reality show that has a trailer as crappy as that one. In fact, after watching it, I am trying as hard as I can to understand El Guapo's involvement at all. At least two of the fighters shown, Felice Herrig and Jessica Aguilar, aren't actually on the show at all, apparently. And I had to watch the trailer several times to catch the names. Stellar quality there. Then there is the fact that all we saw was a little bit of kickboxing and there was NO ground game.

Maybe the show is much better than the trailer they've given us, and I'll come back after watching and apologize for being so harsh here. Maybe my misgivings about how this is going to depict the ladies and the sport are completely unfounded, and it will turn out to be a good thing. Or, perhaps the fact that I'm sick right now and in an ill mood anyway is coloring my perception of the trailer, and therefore of the show. All of those things are possible.

So, what do you gals/guys think? Does the show look like a disaster or a windfall for women's MMA? Am I being too cynical and/or nitpicky?

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very interesting. i actually liked it but two prolbems. the names of the women came soo fast i only....

caught about half of them. joana krupa is only on the show b/c she is a pretty face and b/c she basically called T.O. (terrel owens, egoticstical pro football player) a pussy in some reality show. as for bas i guess he is doing it for the money and i would sell the striking of women as well b/c people boo when the men ar rolling around. people want to see action and i’ll bet we get it with this show. kinda like a tuf show for women. good luck to them and i will watch at least the first show.

I'm all about covering the spread and moneylines. Glory favors the bold. Chance favors the prepared mind. Luck, well i have that too. University of Utah goes to the Pac-12 conference in 2011. I expect them to compete immediately for the conference CG. Brock Lesnar will defeat Cain Velasquez. Womens MMA, the next big thing in sports. 2 weeks till the first game of college football. UTAH vs Pitt. September 2nd 2010.

by wolfmanshowlforever on Aug 21, 2010 12:46 PM EDT reply actions

The trailer looks awful. Really awful. Hopefully, the show will be better. I also hope that this will take wmma a few steps forward instead of a few steps back.

by Keren on Aug 21, 2010 1:48 PM EDT reply actions

Its possible...

that the trailor was made without NBC production and.or money. A trailor made out of pocket to sell the show to NBC- which now that it is sold will put its own production behind it. And Bas’s participation is just a sign of them taking it seriously.

Oooooor, it sucks ass and adding a few big name hosts will get ratings on a cheap cheap show. $$$

Even a broken clock is right two times a day.

by Chris Toffer on Aug 21, 2010 2:50 PM EDT reply actions

"Why do I want to be involved with this sport?"

“Because chicks getting sweaty and throwing punches is HAWT.”

Bleh. It’s inevitable. Men are pigs. Even the BF (who takes his MMA very seriously) can’t make it through a women’s fight without commenting on the attractiveness of at least one fighter… =P And if that promo is any indication, NBC sure as hell isn’t going to be helping matters. I mean really, the co-hosts are Bas Rutten and…some random super-model?! If they wanted to work the hot-chick angle, they could have at least gone the “attractive female athlete” route, ffs.

That being said, I will probably watch it at least once before I make a final decision on the subject. =P

Check out http://ringrusted.blogspot.com/ - because you can never have enough MMA websites in your Bookmarks!

by dubiety on Aug 21, 2010 4:35 PM EDT reply actions

is dancing with the stars an nbc show b/c if it is that is another reason joanna krupa is on this

she went pretty far in the competition, i do consider her attractive but certainly no athlete. i guess gina carano was not available.lol.

by wolfmanshowlforever on Aug 22, 2010 2:18 AM EDT up reply actions

Hey now, many women can't sit through an MMA fight without commenting on the attractiveness of a fighter

Fighting is primal, so is sex – it’s all connected down there somewhere. Men are just more vocal about it, and with fighting being primarily (at least demographically) “advertised” towards men, the “sex” part will be heavily involved.

by Sonic Boom on Aug 22, 2010 12:18 PM EDT up reply actions

You are absolutely right... we comment on fighter's attractiveness all the time here :)

It’s just that many (not all) men who watch women’s fights completely ignore the skill of the fighter and remark only on their looks, good or bad. We see that so often, I think that’s what dubiety is reacting to. That and the fear that this show might just cater to that way of thinking instead of focusing on the sport.

We’ll just have to wait and see though. I’m more worried about the fact that the trailer looks like it was made by the interns at Strikeforce/Showtime than anything else at this point.

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by Jackie Maden on Aug 22, 2010 2:26 PM EDT up reply actions

I <3 you, Satarma.

You hit the nail right on the head. That’s EXACTLY the point I was trying to make. When I watch the fight with my girl Rusty, we totally indulge in a little objectification if one of the fighters is particularly good-looking. But our appreciation of a fighter’s appearance is secondary to our appreciation of the fighter’s ability and our interest in the sport as a whole — a good-looking fighter is just icing on the cake.

And yes, I’m well aware of the fact that men are pretty much hardwired to think about sex at the slightest provocation and marketing firms the world over capitalize on this fact whenever possible, and I don’t necessarily blame them. But wtf, MiddleEasy publishes an article on the Strikeforce women’s tourney and the first comment posted is an animated gif of bouncing boobs. So yeah, maybe I’m a bit sensitive to anything that could cast women’s MMA in a “jello wrestling” light.. =P

Check out http://ringrusted.blogspot.com/ - because you can never have enough MMA websites in your Bookmarks!

by dubiety on Aug 22, 2010 3:19 PM EDT up reply actions