The Ultimate Fighter 7 Format Change

Mmajunkie.com is reporting that they've discovered the "Big Change" Dana White has been talking about for the Ultimate Fighter Season 7.

As mmajunkie.com reports..."According to a source close to the show, “The Ultimate Fighter 7” will start with 32 cast members — not the usual 16 — and every one of them will have to fight as soon as the show begins. The 16 winners earn a spot in the house, and the 16 losers are sent packing for home.

Those fights will likely be televised at a breakneck speed, meaning the season’s first couple episodes should include 16 fights in total. That’s a far cry from past seasons of the reality series, when the first fight of the season sometimes didn’t take place until a second or even third episode.

“The Ultimate Fighter 7” features UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton Jackson and season-one winner Forrest Griffin as coaches. The season features only middleweight (185-lb.) fighters and debuts April 2 on Spike TV. A stacked UFC Fight Night 13 event precedes the season premier of the show.

The likely format change should be warmly received by critics of the show who complain that the series focuses more on the drama and in-house antics than it does training and the actual fights. Additionally, many of the show’s weaker cast members will likely be eliminated before they’re even technically a part of the cast, assuring that only the cream of the crop are in the house for the duration of the show."