American television producer Craig Piligian has taken a look back at how The Ultimate Fighter helped change the perception of mixed martial arts.
For those who don’t know, Craig Piligian helped create The Ultimate Fighter alongside the Fertitta brothers and Dana White. Earlier this year, it was announced that he will be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame as part of the Contributor Wing, and rightly so.
As you can imagine, a lot of people haven’t heard of the name Craig Piligian – but it can’t be understated just how important he has been to the growth of the sport. After all, the first season of TUF alone was enough to launch the UFC into the stratosphere.
In a recent interview, Piligian took the time to analyze the true impact that the show had.
Craig Piligian reflects on The Ultimate Fighter’s success
“I think the show means a tremendous amount because it helped really launch a sport that was really misunderstood in the beginning. Everybody thought it was a blood sport. No one was going to—no one could watch it. It was banned in every state. And I think that the show really dispelled so many rumors for a sport now that has helped so many people and has given a lot of fans so much enjoyment.
“So, I think the show really added a lot of goodwill to the sport—the UFC, MMA in general, and all martial arts around the world. I think it was an incredible asset to the UFC.”
“In my world, it’s probably at the top. I mean, it’s so rare—and it’s never been done—that you do a reality show that helped launch a sport. It didn’t happen in football. Hasn’t happened in baseball. Didn’t do it in basketball. You name the sport—it never really happened. But in this sport, a reality show really launched a tremendously huge global sport.”
