THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER™ RETURNS FOR SEASON II AUGUST 22 ON SPIKE TV
18 of the Toughest Mixed Martial Arts Fighters Embark on the Quest for the Crown of "The Ultimate Fighter"

UFC Title Holders Matt Hughes and Rich Franklin Serve As Coaches

New York, NY, August 1, 2005 -- No silly singing competitions...No boardrooms...No tribal councils...It’s the return of The Ultimate Fighter™ on Spike TV where you have to fight and win to survive.

Eighteen of the best Mixed Martial Arts fighters, nine Heavyweights and nine Welterweights, have come from around the world to Las Vegas with one dream - to be named the "Ultimate Fighter" and to be given a contract in the Ultimate Fighting Championship® organization.. Season II of the wildly popular series kicks off Monday, August 22 at 11:00pm ET/PT. The series is hosted by Dana White, UFC President.

During the thirty-eight day competition taped this summer, two world-renowned UFC® champions, UFC Welterweight Champion Matt Hughes and UFC Middleweight Champion Rich Franklin, trained the fighters.  The men endured a grueling regimen of jiu-jitsu, judo, Muay Thai, karate, boxing and wrestling.  The intense competition between the fighters continued after they left the gym - at the Ultimate Fighter™ House. These warriors were forced to live with each other, knowing that any day they could be forced to fight each other in the UFC Octagon™.

There are two teams and in every episode each team competes in a physical challenge to determine who will have to fight.  Legendary UFC Champion and Season I coach Randy Couture designed these challenges.  They combined old school training techniques with tests of brute strength.

Once the opponents were chosen, the fighters were officially weighed in. Then, in front of their teammates, coaches, and the sanctioning Nevada Athletic Commission, the two combatants faced off in three five-minute rounds.   

For the finale in November, the four semi-finalists will fight in a LIVE television broadcast with a location to be determined.  In the end, one welterweight and one heavyweight will be crowned the new Ultimate Fighter™.  

Season #1 (13 weeks) of The Ultimate Fighter averaged a 1.7 HH rating (1.5 million) with a 2.0 (1,015,000) in M18-49 a 2.4 (604,000) in M18-34 and an average audience of 2.1 million viewers. Forrest Griffin (light heavyweight) and Diego Sanchez (middleweight) were The Ultimate Fighter champions for the premiere season and each received a six-figure deal with the UFC® organization. Stephan Bonnar was also awarded a contract after his epic battle in the Finals versus Griffin. The audience peaked during the Bonnar/Griffin fight with 3.3 million viewers.

Craig Piligian of Pilgrim Films and Television, Frank Fertitta III, Lorenzo Fertitta and Dana White of Zuffa, LLC are the show’s executive producers. Brian J. Diamond is Vice President, Sports & Specials, Spike TV and serves as Executive in Charge of Production for Spike TV.

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