The story of the UFC’s turnaround on Spike TV with “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series is, by now, a well-known piece of MMA history. The key players in the show’s birth disagree on how it came into the world, much as they do about their relative contributions to its success. But there’s no disputing the beginning was a rocky one. Well into filming the show, which was bankrolled entirely by UFC owners Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta, the cast threatened to strike when they heard contestants on the boxing reality show “The Contender” were getting paid to fight
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Dana White, Spike TV offer different versions of ‘The Ultimate Fighter 1′ – MMA Junkie