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''The Ultimate Fighter 3'' was the third season of the
mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, inc ...
reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...
series ''
The Ultimate Fighter ''The Ultimate Fighter'' is an American reality television series and mixed martial arts (MMA) competition produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Pilgrim Media Group currently airing on ESPN+. It previously aired for fourteen s ...
''. It premiered on April 6, 2006, immediately after the conclusion of '' Ultimate Fight Night 4''. The season featured sixteen fighters (eight light heavyweights and eight middleweights) with still-feuding former champion
Tito Ortiz Jacob Christopher "Tito" Ortiz (; born January 23, 1975) is an American mixed martial artist and politician. He is currently signed to the Combate Americas promotion. Ortiz is best known for his stints with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UF ...
and
Ken Shamrock Kenneth Wayne Shamrock (''né'' Kilpatrick; born February 11, 1964) is an American bare-knuckle boxing promoter and semi-retired professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, and kickboxer. He is best known for his time in Ultimate Fighting Champ ...
as coaches. The finale aired on June 24, 2006 and tied the UFC's all-time record with a 2.0 overall rating. There were several rule changes from the previous ''Ultimate Fighter'' seasons. There were to be no team challenges. All fighters would have to win a preliminary match before advancing to the semi-finals—which in practice started the single-elimination tournament at the beginning of the series instead of near the end. The first preliminary match was set by the team who won a coin toss. All subsequent first-round match-ups were set by the team that won the previous match. Each fight was set for two rounds instead of the normal three. If there was a draw after two rounds, the match would go to a final, five-minute tiebreaker round. In such a case, the judges' final decision on the match would be based solely on the third round (unless the fight was stopped by the referee before the end of the round). Coaches were allowed to bring two other assistant coaches to assist with training, whereas in previous seasons, assistant trainers hired by the UFC worked for both camps! This series of ''
The Ultimate Fighter ''The Ultimate Fighter'' is an American reality television series and mixed martial arts (MMA) competition produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Pilgrim Media Group currently airing on ESPN+. It previously aired for fourteen s ...
'' was also the first in which fighters who reside outside North America had participated (
Michael Bisping Michael Gavin Joseph Bisping (; born 28 February 1979) is an English actor, sports analyst, commentator and retired mixed martial artist, who competed in the Middleweight and Light Heavyweight division of the UFC. A professional competitor ...
,
Clitheroe Clitheroe () is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Ribble Valley, Lancashire, England; it is located north-west of Manchester. It is near the Forest of Bowland and is often used as a base for tourists visiting the area. In 2018, the Cl ...
,
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
; Ross Pointon,
Stoke-on-Trent Stoke-on-Trent (often abbreviated to Stoke) is a city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Staffordshire, England, with an area of . In 2019, the city had an estimated population of 256,375. It is the largest settlement ...
,
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
). As a part of their agreement to work as coaches for ''The Ultimate Fighter 3'', Shamrock and Ortiz had a rematch of their ''
UFC 40 ''UFC 40: Vendetta'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on November 22, 2002, at the MGM Grand Arena on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The event was broadcast live on pay per view in the United Sta ...
'' fight at ''
UFC 61 ''UFC 61: Bitter Rivals'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on Saturday, July 8, 2006. The event took place at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, in Las Vegas, Nevada and was broadcast live on pay-per-view in ...
'' A 5 disc DVD set of the entire season, full finale, and auditions was released in stores entitled The Ultimate Fighter 3: The Ultimate Grudge.


Cast


Coaches and Trainers

* Team Ortiz **Tito Ortiz, head coach **
Dean Lister Dean Richard Lister (born February 13, 1976) is a retired American mixed martial artist. A professional from 2000 until 2015, he fought in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, PRIDE Fighting Championships, and California-based promotion King of t ...
, jiu jitsu coach **
Saul Soliz Saul Soliz (1965/1966 – August 17, 2021) was an American mixed martial arts trainer known as "the godfather of Texas MMA". Beginning in the 1990s, he helped establish the sport in Texas. After organizing informal cage matches for some time, ...
, kickboxing coach **Wing Butler, sign language interpreter * Team Shamrock **Ken Shamrock, head coach **Roman Pollock, boxing coach **Dan Freeman, nutrition/strength coach


Fighters

* Middleweights **Team Ortiz: Mike Stine,
Kendall Grove Kendall Grove (born November 12, 1982) is an American mixed martial artist who is currently signed to Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2003, he has also competed for the Bellator MMA, UFC, KSW, ProElite, King o ...
,
Rory Singer Rory Michael Singer (born May 28, 1976) is an American mixed martial artist and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black Belt. Although Rory had made a name for himself as a 185-pound prospect; his big break came after meeting the producers of TUF. They were fil ...
, Danny Abbadi **Team Shamrock:
Kalib Starnes Kalib Starnes (born January 6, 1975) is a Canadian mixed martial artist. Early life Starnes became involved in the martial arts at an early age and began teaching when he was a teenager. He started training in Gracie Jiu-Jitsu at the Gracie Aca ...
,
Solomon Hutcherson Solomon Hutcherson (born August 13, 1972) is an American professional mixed martial arts fighter currently competing in the Middleweight division. He was a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter 3, and has competed for the UFC and MFC. Background H ...
,
Ed Herman Edward Benson Herman (born October 2, 1980) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Light Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2002, Herman was a finalis ...
, Ross Pointon * Light Heavyweights **Team Ortiz:
Matt Hamill RIT Tigers Matthew Stanley Hamill (born October 5, 1976) is an American mixed martial artist and wrestler who has competed in the Light Heavyweight division of the UFC. He is a three-time NCAA Division III National Champion in w ...
,
Michael Bisping Michael Gavin Joseph Bisping (; born 28 February 1979) is an English actor, sports analyst, commentator and retired mixed martial artist, who competed in the Middleweight and Light Heavyweight division of the UFC. A professional competitor ...
, Noah Inhofer,
Josh Haynes Joshua Lee Haynes (born July 30, 1977) is an American former mixed martial artist. He fought out of Las Vegas, Nevada, with Xtreme Couture where he was also a coach. His MMA record is 17 wins, 11 losses. He was also a contestant on the third sea ...
**Team Shamrock:
Jesse Forbes Jesse Lee Forbes (born October 24, 1984) is a retired American mixed martial artist. A professional competitor from 2005 until 2010, he competed for the UFC, WEC, the MFC, and was a competitor on ''The Ultimate Fighter 3.'' Background Forbes ...
, Kristian Rothaermel, Tait Fletcher, Mike Nickels


Host

*Dana White


Episodes

Episode 1: Fresh Meat (Original Air Date: 6 April 2006) *Tito Ortiz and Ken Shamrock are introduced as the coaches. *A coin is flipped (red for Ortiz, green for Shamrock) and Ortiz wins, meaning he got to pick the first fighter *Kalib Starnes defeated Mike Stine by KO (punches) at 2:09 of the first round. Episode 2: The Basketball (Original Air Date: 13 April 2006) *Noah Inhofer defeated Jesse Forbes by submission (armbar) at 2:35 of the first round. *Team Ortiz gains control of the matches. Episode 3: Team Dagger (Original Air Date: 20 April 2006) *Grove and Solomon Hutcherson befriend each other and declare themselves "Team Dagger," despite being on different teams. They will try to share information with each other to make sure that they both make it to the finale. *Kendall Grove defeated Ross Pointon by submission (rear naked choke) at 3:45 of the first round. *Team Ortiz retains control of the match-ups. Episode 4: Hitting it Hard (Original Air Date: 27 April 2006) *Michael Bisping defeated Kristian Rothaermel by TKO (strikes) at 3:51 of the first round. *Team Ortiz retains control of the matches. Episode 5: The Truce Is Over (Original Air Date: 4 May 2006) * The fighters watch
UFC 57 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...
. After Randy Couture makes a retirement announcement, Ed Herman declares he will make it to the finals and win for Couture's honor. *Rory Singer defeated Solomon Hutcherson by KO (head kick and punches) after 0:21 of the second round. *Team Ortiz retains control of the matches. Episode 6: The Letter (Original Air Date: 11 May 2006) *There is no fight in the episode, although Team Ortiz selects Josh Haynes to fight Tait Fletcher. *Noah Inhofer decides to quit the show and return to
Yankton, South Dakota Yankton is a city in and the county seat of Yankton County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 15,411 at the 2020 census, and it is the principal city of the Yankton Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes the entirety of Y ...
after receiving a letter informing him that his girlfriend back home believes he has cheated on her. It was never explained how it was possible for him to receive a letter when a strict policy denying all external communication was in place. *A previously eliminated fighter returns to take Inhofer's place, but it is not disclosed during the episode who this fighter is. Episode 7: Mohawk (Original Air Date: 18 May 2006) *Jesse Forbes returns to Team Shamrock and takes Noah Inhofer's spot in the semifinals. *Josh Haynes defeated Tait Fletcher via split decision after two rounds. *Officially, Team Ortiz retains control of the match-ups. However, as only two middleweights who have not yet fought remain, the next match will be Danny Abbadi vs. Ed Herman. Episode 8: The Fuse Is Lit (Original Air Date: 25 May 2006) *Ed Herman defeated Danny Abbadi by submission (armbar) at 4:14 of the first round. *Officially, Team Shamrock regains control of the matches. However, as only two light heavyweights who have not yet fought remain, the final first-round match will be Matt Hamill vs. Mike Nickels. Episode 9 :The Golden Boy (Original Air Date: 1 June 2006) *Matt Hamill defeated Mike Nickels via unanimous decision after two rounds. *Hamill is sent to the hospital after his victory, due to injury. *The way matches are determined appears to be changing, although it is not revealed exactly how. Episode 10: Full House (Original Air Date: 8 June 2006) *Most of the first-round losers are brought back to live in the house and help train the semifinalists. *White proposes that Ortiz and Shamrock play eight ball billiards (best two out of three games) for a US$10,000 prize. Shamrock wins 2 games to 0. *Despite winning the last match, Matt Hamill is declared out of the competition due to injury. Mike Nickels is not an option to replace Hamill, as he was badly bruised and had a broken nose from his fight with Hamill. *To the surprise of White and both coaches, both Tait Fletcher and Kristian Rothaermel turn down offers to replace Hamill in the semifinals. *Ross Pointon agrees to replace Hamill and fight in the higher 205-pound light heavyweight class despite originally entering the competition as a middleweight. *The semifinal matches are decided by White and the two coaches. Fighters on the same team are now eligible to face one another. *The middleweight semifinal matches are Grove against Starnes and Ed Herman vs. Rory Singer. *The light heavyweight semifinal matches are Josh Haynes vs. Jesse Forbes and Pointon matched up against Michael Bisping in a battle of the British. *All semi-final matches will be three 5-minute rounds. *Kendall Grove defeated Kalib Starnes by verbal submission (rib injury) at 0:30 of the third round.. Episode 11: The Jungle (Original Air Date: 15 June 2006) *Kalib Starnes returns from the hospital and reveals that his ribs were dislocated during the previous fight. *Singer finds his property defaced and blames Ed Herman and Jesse Forbes. Singer defaces their boxing gloves and lockers and rubs Herman's gloves against his naked buttocks. *In retaliation, Herman hides Singer's boxing gloves and leg guards around the gym and urinates on his headgear. *Singer finds his gear missing and goes outside to confront Herman. They get into an argument and Herman and Forbes reveal that it was Kendall Grove who had been defacing Singer's gear. *Matt Hamill returns from the hospital and is surprised to find out that he is out of the competition due to medical suspension. *Ed Herman defeated Rory Singer by submission (rear naked choke) at 2:31 of the second round. Episode 12: Bangin' (Original Air Date: 15 June 2006) *Josh Haynes defeated Jesse Forbes via submission (guillotine choke) at 0:18 of the second round. *The fighters (excluding the British) party wildly before the last semifinal fight and the house is trashed. *Michael Bisping defeated Ross Pointon by submission (strikes) with 2:47 left in the first round.


Tournament Bracket


Middleweight Bracket


Light Heavyweight Bracket

''* Inhofer decided to quit the show. His semi-finals spot was then replaced by Forbes.'' ''* Hamill was injured after his fight. Pointon stepped up one weight class to replace him.''


The Ultimate Fighter 3 Finale

''The Ultimate Fighter: Team Ortiz vs. Team Shamrock Finale'' (also known as ''The Ultimate Fighter 3 Finale'') was a
mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, inc ...
event Event may refer to: Gatherings of people * Ceremony, an event of ritual significance, performed on a special occasion * Convention (meeting), a gathering of individuals engaged in some common interest * Event management, the organization of eve ...
held by the
Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...
(UFC) on June 24, 2006. Featured were the finals from The Ultimate Fighter 3 in both the
Middleweight Middleweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the middleweight division is contested above and up to . Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have be ...
and
Light Heavyweight Light heavyweight, also referred to as junior cruiserweight or light cruiserweight, is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the division is above and up to , falling between super middleweight and cruise ...
divisions as well as a main event between
Kenny Florian Kenneth Alan Florian (born May 26, 1976) is an American retired mixed martial artist and commentator who formerly competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He formerly served as an analyst for UFC on Fox from 2011–2018, and he also ...
and
Sam Stout Samuel James Stout (born April 23, 1984) is a retired Canadian professional mixed martial artist. A professional from 2003 until 2015, Stout is best known for his 20-fight stint with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), winning ''Fight of the ...
. This event also marked the debut of future Middleweight Champion
Michael Bisping Michael Gavin Joseph Bisping (; born 28 February 1979) is an English actor, sports analyst, commentator and retired mixed martial artist, who competed in the Middleweight and Light Heavyweight division of the UFC. A professional competitor ...
During the event
Randy Couture Randall Duane Couture (; born June 22, 1963) is an American actor, former United States Army, U.S. Army sergeant, former mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist and former Collegiate wrestling, collegiate and Greco-Roman wrestling, Greco-Roman ...
was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame and the return of
Jens Pulver Jens Johnnie Pulver (born December 6, 1974) is an American retired professional mixed martial artist and undefeated boxer and kickboxer. Pulver was the inaugural UFC Lightweight Champion in addition to serving as the head coach on ''The Ultimate ...
was announced.


Results


Bonus awards

*Fight of the Night:
Kendall Grove Kendall Grove (born November 12, 1982) is an American mixed martial artist who is currently signed to Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2003, he has also competed for the Bellator MMA, UFC, KSW, ProElite, King o ...
vs.
Ed Herman Edward Benson Herman (born October 2, 1980) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Light Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2002, Herman was a finalis ...
*Knockout of the Night:
Luigi Fioravanti Luigi Fioravanti (born January 22, 1981) is an American mixed martial artist who last competed in 2016. A professional since 2004, he is perhaps best known for competing in the UFC, but has also fought for M-1 Global and the Maximum Fighting Cham ...
*Submission of the Night:
Kenny Florian Kenneth Alan Florian (born May 26, 1976) is an American retired mixed martial artist and commentator who formerly competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He formerly served as an analyst for UFC on Fox from 2011–2018, and he also ...
and
Rory Singer Rory Michael Singer (born May 28, 1976) is an American mixed martial artist and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black Belt. Although Rory had made a name for himself as a 185-pound prospect; his big break came after meeting the producers of TUF. They were fil ...


Reported payout

Kenny Florian: $12,000 Michael Bisping: $10,000 Kendall Grove: $10,000 Rory Singer: $10,000 Mike Nickels: $10,000 Matt Hamill: $10,000 Kalib Starnes: $10,000 Keith Jardine: $10,000 Solomon Hutcherson: $5,000 Josh Haynes: $5,000 Ed Herman: $5,000 Ross Pointon: $5,000 Jesse Forbes: $5,000 Danny Abaddi: $5,000 Luigi Fioravanti: $4,000 Sam Stout: $4,000 Wes Combs: $2,000 Wilson Gouveia: $2,000 Disclosed Fighter Payroll: $124,000


Coaches' Fight

UFC 61: Bitter Rivals was held on July 8, 2006 in
Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
. *Light Heavyweight bout:
Tito Ortiz Jacob Christopher "Tito" Ortiz (; born January 23, 1975) is an American mixed martial artist and politician. He is currently signed to the Combate Americas promotion. Ortiz is best known for his stints with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UF ...
vs.
Ken Shamrock Kenneth Wayne Shamrock (''né'' Kilpatrick; born February 11, 1964) is an American bare-knuckle boxing promoter and semi-retired professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, and kickboxer. He is best known for his time in Ultimate Fighting Champ ...
:Tito Ortiz defeated Ken Shamrock via TKO (punches) at 1:18 of the first round.


See also

*
Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...
*
List of UFC champions Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships. Historical notes At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight classe ...
*
List of UFC events This is a list of events held and scheduled by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States. UFC's first event, UFC 1, took place on November 12, 1993. Each UFC event contains several fight ...
*
2006 in UFC The year 2006 is the 14th year in the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States. In 2006 the UFC held 18 events beginning with, ''UFC Fight Night 3''. Title fights ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ultimate Fighter 3, The 2006 American television seasons 2006 in mixed martial arts The Ultimate Fighter episodes