Kimbo Slice will host the premiere of Spike TV’s Ultimate Fighter Fridays which will show the best of the 14 seasons of The Ultimate Fighter on Spike TV. Spike TV hopes to counterprogram FX’s TUF and Bellator by utilizing the former TUF 10 competitor.
Via Spike TV press release:
Kimbo will discuss never-before-revealed details of his experiences on the show and provide insight into what went on when the cameras weren’t rolling during the filming of the “The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights.” Season 10 was the highest-rated of all the 14 seasons on Spike, delivering an average of 3.4 million viewers per week.
Every week, “The Ultimate Fighter Fridays” will feature the greatest episodes from the 14 seasons of “The Ultimate Fighter.” From Rashad Evans to Matt Serra, from Forrest Griffin to Kimbo Slice, “The Ultimate Fighter Fridays” on Spike TV will showcase all the incredible knockouts, unbelievable submissions, and tense drama from the hit Spike series. The network will air special-themed editions of “The Ultimate Fighter Fridays” with input from fans. To get their voices heard, fans can follow Spike on Facebook and Twitter to share what episodes they’d like to see.
Ultimate Fighter Fridays begin March 9th. Slice will host a night featuring Heavyweights from past TUF episodes.
Payout Perspective:
While some may not appreciate the counterprogramming tactics, Spike TV is taking advantage of the opportunity to utilize the UFC library. Having Kimbo Slice host the debut is another good move. Despite not being an ultimate fighter, Slice is a ratings grabber. Season 10 was one of the highest rated seasons in TUF history due to Slice. His May 2008 fight with James Thompson (remember the ear explosion) on CBS scored 1 million more viewers than UFC on Fox 1. Its a good way for Spike to kick off its Friday series.
Clock’s ticking SPIKE. Ten months to go…
Might as well milk it. And then see how the switch to Bellator works.