The Ultimate Fighter can well be described as a contract winning reality show that leaves the winner with an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) contract. It decides which of the competing mixed martial arts fighters would make it to the coveted wrestling platform. The show was launched on January 17, 2005, and has been raking in high TRPs from twelve seasons.

The show is hosted by world-renowned wrestler Dana White, who is also a co-founder of The Ultimate Fighter, and the president of the UFC. Dana White is also the man behind the everyday events on the show. Each season features a fixed number of contestants, which varies between 16 and 32. These fighters are usually amateurs, who gain recognition after the show. The ultimate catch is an appealing contract with the UFC, which spans over a three-year period.

While the contract comes with an assurance of the first year, the prospect of the second and third year depends on the performance of the fighter. The maximum monetary benefits per fight are $24000 for first year, $32000 for the second year, and $44000 for the third year. Each year features three fights. The fighter gets the full amount on winning the matches, and half of it on losing.

The first four seasons divided the contestants into two teams on the basis of the weight categories that they fell into. Each of these teams was coached by a UFC headliner, and the teams went on to dwindle with each passing combat, ultimately leading to a undisputed champion. This format underwent a revamp in the successive seasons, leading to a change which prohibited the elimination of contestants who hadn’t fought even once.

Moreover, a major change was introduced in the seventh season, with the number of contestants being doubled from 16 to 32. This led to the introduction of a preliminary fight, which decided over the contestants who would go in, and at the same time gave the coaches a chance to assess contestants’ capabilities.