''The Ultimate Fighter: Team Rampage vs. Team Forrest'' was the seventh season of 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) produced
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 ...
'', and premiered on April 2, 2008 on
Spike
Spike, spikes, or spiking may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
Books
* ''The Spike'' (novel), a novel by Arnaud de Borchgrave
* ''The Spike'' (book), a nonfiction book by Damien Broderick
* ''The Spike'', a starship in Peter F. Hamilto ...
, after ''
UFC Fight Night 13
''UFC Fight Night: Florian vs. Lauzon'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 13'') was a mixed martial arts (MMA) event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on April 2, 2008, at the Broomfield Event Center in Broomfield, Colorado, Unite ...
''. Unlike several other seasons which focused on two weight classes, season 7 featured only
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 ...
fighters (171–185 lb).
UFC Light Heavyweight Champion
Quinton Jackson
Quinton "Rampage" Jackson (born June 20, 1978) is an American mixed martial artist, actor and former professional wrestler, who most recently fought in the Bellator MMA. He is a former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion and unified the Pride Middlew ...
starred as a coach, opposite light heavyweight #1 contender
Forrest Griffin
Forrest Griffin (born July 1, 1979) is an American retired mixed martial artist and former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. He was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2013 and currently serves as the Vice President of Athlete Development at the ...
, who coached the opposing team. The two fighters fought for the UFC light heavyweight title after the completion of the series at
UFC 86
''UFC 86: Jackson vs. Griffin'' was a mixed martial arts (MMA) pay-per-view event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on July 5, 2008, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Background
The main event was between Qui ...
at which time Griffin won becoming the new Light Heavyweight Champion.
In a change from previous seasons, season 7 began with 32 fighters arriving at the UFC training center instead of the usual 16. UFC president Dana White told the fighters that over the previous six seasons, he had become fed up with contestants not training and competing as hard as they could, or complaining about various issues on the show. His solution was for the fighters to earn their way into the house by winning a fight before the show even started. The first two episodes were a compilation of the entry fights.
Cast
Coaches
* Team Rampage
**Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, head coach
**Zach Light, wrestling coach
**
Juanito Ibarra, boxing coach
* Team Forrest
**Forrest Griffin, head coach
**Cameron Diffley, jiu jitsu coach
**Mark Beecher, Muay Thai coach
**
Gray Maynard
Bradley Gray Maynard (born May 9, 1979) is an American mixed martial artist who competed in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Between 2008 and 2011, he competed in a noted rivalry with former UFC Lightweight ...
, wrestling coach
Fighters
* Team Rampage
**
C.B. Dollaway
Clarence Byron "C. B." Dollaway (born August 10, 1983) is an American mixed martial artist currently fighting in the Light Heavyweight (MMA), Light Heavyweight division. A professional since 2006, he formerly fought in the UFC and was a finalist ...
,
Matt Riddle
Matthew Fredrick Riddle (born January 14, 1986, in Allentown, Pennsylvania) is an American professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand, but is currently inactive due t ...
, Paul Bradley (*Patrick Schultz),
Dan Cramer
Daniel John Cramer (born October 31, 1985) is an American retired mixed martial artist. A professional from 2009 until 2014, Cramer made his professional debut with the Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC) and was a competitor on SpikeTV's '' T ...
,
Gerald Harris
Gerald Harris (born November 19, 1979) is an American retired mixed martial artist and current high school science teacher, who most recently fought in Bellator. He was a cast member of Spike TV's ''The Ultimate Fighter 7'' and has also compet ...
,
Mike Dolce
Michael “Mike” Dolce (born April 15, 1976) is an American trainer, strength and conditioning coach, weight-cut coach, author, nutrition and fitness expert, and motivational speaker. He is a former mixed martial artist.
Dolce is best known f ...
, Jeremy May, Brandon Sene
* Team Forrest
**
Tim Credeur
Timothy Wallace Credeur II (born July 9, 1977) is a retired American mixed martial artist. He was a cast member of Spike TV's '' The Ultimate Fighter 7'' and was defeated by fellow cast member Jesse Taylor in the semi-finals. He was then brought ...
,
Amir Sadollah
Amir Ali Sadollah ( fa, امیرعلی ﺳﻌدالله, born August 27, 1980) is a retired American mixed martial artist, formerly with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He was the winner of Spike TV's '' The Ultimate Fighter 7''. He has fough ...
,
Jesse Taylor
Jesse Marcus Taylor (born January 2, 1983) is an American professional mixed martial arts (MMA) and 10th Planet Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt fighter currently competing in the Welterweight division. A professional competitor since 2006, he was ...
,
Matt Brown, Cale Yarbrough,
Dante Rivera
Dante Rivera (born August 12, 1984 in Manhattan, New York) is an American retired mixed martial artist. He was a cast member of SpikeTV's '' The Ultimate Fighter 7'' making it to the quarterfinals where he was defeated by Jesse Taylor.
Dante ...
, Nick Klein,
Luke Zachrich
Luke Zachrich (born December 19, 1981) is a retired American mixed martial artist and professional boxer who formerly competed in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship A professional mixed martial arts competitor since ...
''* Bradley was removed on episode 3 due to a contagious disease. He was replaced by Schultz.''
* Fighters Eliminated in or before Entry Round:
** David Baggett, Steve Byrnes, Erik Charles, John Clarke, Josh Hall, Mike Marrello, Prince McLean, Aaron Meisner, David Mewborn, Reggie Orr,
Jeremiah Riggs
Jeremiah Riggs (born December 12, 1982) is an American professional wrestler, and mixed martial artist who competes in the welterweight and middleweight divisions. A professional MMA competitor since 2007, Riggs has made a name for himself mainly ...
, David Roberts, Nick Rossborough, Dan Simmler, John Wood
Others
*Host: Dana White
*Narrator:
Mike Rowe
Michael Gregory Rowe (born March 18, 1962) is an American television host and narrator. He is known for his work on the Discovery Channel series '' Dirty Jobs'' and the series '' Somebody's Gotta Do It'' originally developed for CNN. He hosted ...
Episodes
;Episode 1 – No Posers
* Dana White introduces light heavyweight champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Forrest Griffin as the coaches, and tells the 32 fighters the reason there are so many for this season is because he is tired of posers. White tells them that this season, they will fight to earn the right.
* These four fights are shown in their entirety on the show:
** Mike Dolce defeated Prince McLean by KO (punches) at 1:21 in the first round.
** Cale Yarbrough defeated John Clarke by TKO (punches) at 4:02 in the first round.
** Amir Sadollah defeated Steve Byrnes by submission (armlock) at 2:22 in the second round.
** Jeremy May defeated David Roberts by submission (armlock) at 1:17 in the first round.
*These four fights are shown by highlights and the end result of the fight only:
** C.B. Dollaway defeated David Baggett by TKO (punches) at 1:29 in the first round.
** Dante Rivera defeated John Wood by submission (kimura) at 0:58 in the first round.
** Nick Klein defeated David Mewborn by submission (arm triangle choke) at 3:39 in the first round.
** Paul Bradley defeated Reggie Orr by decision after two rounds.
;Episode 2 – No Losers Here
*These five fights are shown in their entirety on the show:
** Matt Riddle defeated Dan Simmler by KO (punches) at :09 in the second round.
* Simmler's jaw was broken and he was taken away in an ambulance.
** Luke Zachrich defeated Patrick Schultz by submission (rear naked choke) at 2:29 in the first round.
** Tim Credeur defeated Erik Charles by submission (armbar) at 1:00 in the first round.
** Jesse Taylor defeated Nick Rossborough by submission (rear naked choke) at 1:50 in first round.
** Matt Brown defeated Josh Hall by TKO (punches) at 4:57 in first round.
*These three fights are shown by highlights and the end result of the fight only:
** Brandon Sene defeated Aaron Meisner by submission (rear naked choke) at 3:29 in the second round.
** Gerald Harris defeated Mike Marrello by unanimous decision after two rounds.
** Dan Cramer defeated Jeremiah Riggs by unanimous decision after two rounds.
;Episode 3 – The Heebie-Jeebies
* The teams are picked and White flips a coin (blue for Rampage, brown for Forrest). Jackson wins the coin toss and chooses to pick the first fighter, giving Griffin the first fight selection.
* Bradley is removed from the house because of a contagious skin condition, so Patrick Schultz is brought back as his replacement.
* Team Forrest selects Taylor to fight Dolce.
* Jesse Taylor defeated Mike Dolce by submission (rear naked choke) at 1:47 of the second round.
* Team Forrest retains control of the fight selections.
;Episode 4 – Everything to Lose
* Dante Rivera shows disrespect towards Riddle, saying that he will go into retirement if the younger man beats him in a fight.
* Team Forrest selects Credeur to fight Riddle.
* Rivera continues to ridicule Riddle at the house, claiming he has been in his head since they met. Rivera keeps insisting Riddle to bet him $500 that he would not make it out of the first round.
* Tim Credeur defeated Matt Riddle by submission (armbar) at 4:06 of the second round.
* Team Forrest retains control of the fight selections.
;Episode 5 – Chewbacle
* Jackson brings in TUF 3 winner
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 ...
as a guest trainer for his team.
* At the house, Jeremy May pours lime juice in Matt Brown's tobacco, and Brown becomes angry and wants to fight him.
* Team Forrest selects Rivera to fight Sene.
* Dante Rivera defeated Brandon Sene by decision after three rounds.
* After the fight, Jackson loses his temper because he and White thought that Sene should have won the fight for doing more damage than Rivera.
* Team Forrest retains control of the fight selections, choosing Brown to fight May in the next episode.
;Episode 6 – Piece of Meat
* Matt Brown defeats Jeremy May by KO (head kick) at 3:35 of the first round.
* White calls it one of the coolest knockouts he had seen in the history of TUF. Members of both teams wanted Brown to win due to May's behavior in the house.
* Team Forrest selects Zachrich to fight Cramer.
* Griffin's method of letting his members decide who will fight by flipping a coin frustrates Jackson.
* Dan Cramer defeated Luke Zachrich by TKO (strikes) at 1:49 of the second round.
* Team Rampage gains control of the fight selections.
;Episode 7 – Under the Radar
* Team Rampage picks Harris to fight Sadollah.
* Amir Sadollah defeats Gerald Harris by TKO (strikes) at 2:36 of the second round.
* Harris throws a fit in Team Rampage's room and sobs that he put everything on that fight.
* Team Forrest regains control of the fight picks for the final two fights.
* The brown team picks Yarbrough to fight Schultz. This leaves Nick Klein to fight CB Dollaway.
* Cale Yarbrough defeated Patrick Schultz by majority decision after two rounds.
* There was controversy over the decision including demands from Jackson that the fight should go to a third round. This leads to a verbal argument between the coaches ending with Jackson saying he would bet his purse that his fight with Griffin would not go to decision.
;Episode 8 – Mean and Nasty
* Griffin destroys a door after Jackson says he would bet his purse that his fight with him will not go to a decision.
* Griffin pranks Jackson by using a net gun to shoot a net to him while he was sitting on the cage.
* C.B. Dollaway defeated Nick Klein by submission (guillotine choke) at 2:41 in the second round.
* Yarbrough rubs Dollaway and Matt Riddle the wrong way by making fun of them because they had the same sunglasses.
* Sadollah cuts Griffin's hair. After that, Jackson returns the prank to Griffin by soaking him with a water gun.
* After the coaches meet with him, White reveals the quarterfinal matches. They are:
**Jesse Taylor vs. Dante Rivera
**Amir Sadollah vs. Matt Brown
**Dan Cramer vs. Tim Credeur
**C.B. Dollaway vs. Cale Yarbrough
;Episode 9 – Throwing Bombs
* After flipping a coin, it is decided that Griffin will corner both Taylor and Sadollah, meaning that Team Forrest fighters Rivera and Brown will be cornered by Jackson.
* Other fighters in the house wonder why Taylor can eat so unhealthy and drink alcohol so much, and still be more in shape and physically fit than them.
* Jesse Taylor defeated Dante Rivera by unanimous decision after two rounds.
* Amir Sadollah defeated Matt Brown by submission (triangle choke) at 4:09 in the second round.
;Episode 10 – Losers Go Home
* Jeremy May causes more problems for himself by first challenging Matt Brown to a rematch right after his loss. Then he makes insulting and anti-Semitic comments to Jesse Taylor (who is part Jewish) in an attempt to goad the Team Forrest member into hitting him. This would result in Taylor being forced off the show and out of the tournament.
* Tim Credeur defeated Dan Cramer with a submission (heel lock) at 2:10 in the first round.
* The coaches take both teams out one night to Pole Position Raceway to race
go-kart
A go-kart, also written as go-cart (often referred to as simply a kart), is a type of sports car, close wheeled car, open-wheel car or quadracycle. Go-karts come in all shapes and forms, from non-motorised models to high-performance Kart rac ...
s because they have been working so hard and deserved a break.
* When the fighters return from racing go-karts, they begin to drink, and in turn, tear up the house.
* C.B. Dollaway defeated Cale Yarbrough by TKO (strikes) at 2:43 in the first round.
* Jackson is late to the meeting to decide the semifinal matches, so Griffin and White interview the fighters. White's choices are the exact opposite of what Griffin wants for his fighters. Griffin is upset about match-ups since he was "brown-nosing" White all season and especially since was on time for the meeting, and Jackson was not.
* Credeur will fight Taylor in the first semifinal match.
* Dollaway will fight Amir Sadollah in the second semifinal match.
;Episode 11 – Coco is King
* The Coaches' Challenge is held between Griffin and Jackson. They play "Ultimate Fighter"
Horse
The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million y ...
for $10,000.
* The winning coach's fighters were originally to win $1,000 each. White challenges Jackson to make a three-point shot to double the fighter's payouts. Jackson, who claims to be very bad at basketball, makes the three-point shot. As a result, the winning coach's fighters will each receive $2,000.
* Griffin, who played basketball in high school, shoots the ball "like
Larry Bird
Larry Joe Bird (born December 7, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Hick from French Lick" and "Larry Legend", Bird is widely regarded a ...
in his prime," according to Gerald Harris. He wins the challenge, finishing with a one-handed slam dunk that Jackson says he will not even attempt.
* Later that night, the fighters engage in drinking again, and Taylor gets very drunk and deliberately urinates his pants inside of the house. Then he runs around the house and yells at everyone telling them what he just did. He then tries to hold himself underwater, partially drowning himself, in the hot tub because he does not want to get out.
* Semifinal matches will be three five-minute rounds, as opposed to two five-minute rounds (with a third tie breaker if needed) in the previous matches of the season.
* Jesse Taylor defeated Tim Credeur by unanimous decision (30–27, 30–26, 30–26) after three rounds.
;Episode 12 – First Time Ever
* Amir Sadollah defeated C.B. Dollaway in the second semifinal bout by submission (armbar) at 2:50 in the third round.
* Following the taping of the show, Jesse Taylor and four other castmates stay in Las Vegas an extra night. White is given security footage from the
Palace Station Casino showing Taylor kicking out a limousine window. White is also told that Taylor went into the hotel bar and "terrorized" women there. When approached by security, Taylor became belligerent and was yelling that he was a UFC fighter.
* White calls Griffin and Jackson to the training center to show them the video footage and explain the situation. Then Taylor is called in and told that he will be removed from the fight in the finale. White questions Taylor's maturity and worries about how he would act if he really were a UFC fighter. He advises Taylor to return home and get his life together.
* Dollaway and Credeur are flown back to Las Vegas and arrive back at the training center, where they are told about the situation with Taylor. They are invited to fight each other for the chance to replace Taylor in the finale to fight against Sadollah. They agree and are given three weeks to prepare.
* C.B. Dollaway defeated Tim Credeur by unanimous decision after three rounds.
* Both fighters are paid a bonus by White for their performance and Dollaway moves into the finals for a rematch against Sadollah.
Tournament Bracket
''* Taylor was involved in a
series of situations after the taping of the show that resulted in his removal. Dollaway and Credeur were involved in an alternate bout weeks later with the winner replacing Taylor.''
The Ultimate Fighter 7 Finale
''The Ultimate Fighter: Team Rampage vs. Team Forrest Finale'' (also known as ''The Ultimate Fighter 7 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 e ...
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 21, 2008.
Background
Featured were the finals from The Ultimate Fighter: Team Rampage vs. Team Forrest in 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 ...
division as well as a main event between
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 ...
and
Evan Tanner
Evan Lloyd Tanner (February 11, 1971 – September 5, 2008) was an American professional mixed martial arts fighter. He was a former UFC Middleweight Champion and was the first American to win the Pancrase Neo-Blood tournament in Tokyo, ...
. This was Evan Tanner's final fight during his lifetime before his untimely death three months later.
A middleweight bout between
Tim Credeur
Timothy Wallace Credeur II (born July 9, 1977) is a retired American mixed martial artist. He was a cast member of Spike TV's '' The Ultimate Fighter 7'' and was defeated by fellow cast member Jesse Taylor in the semi-finals. He was then brought ...
and Cale Yarbrough was canceled shortly before the event due to Credeur testing positive for
Adderall
Adderall and Mydayis are trade names for a combination drug called mixed amphetamine salts containing four salts of amphetamine. The mixture is composed of equal parts racemic amphetamine and dextroamphetamine, which produces a (3:1) ratio bet ...
which is a banned substance under the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
Results
Bonus awards
Fighters were awarded $20,000 bonuses.
*Fight of the Night: Dustin Hazelett vs. Josh Burkman
*Submission of the Night: Dustin Hazelett
*Knockout of the Night: Drew McFedries
Coaches' Fight
UFC 86: Jackson vs. Griffin was held on July 4, 2008 in
Paradise, Nevada
Paradise is an unincorporated town and census-designated place (CDP) in Clark County, Nevada, United States, adjacent to the city of Las Vegas. It was formed on December 8, 1950. Its population was 191,238 at the 2020 census, making it the fif ...
.
*Light Heavyweight Championship bout: Quinton Jackson (c) vs. Forrest Griffin
:Forrest Griffin defeated Quinton Jackson (c) via unanimous decision (48–46, 48–46, 49–46) after five rounds.
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
*
2008 in UFC
8 (eight) is the natural number following 7 and preceding 9.
In mathematics
8 is:
* a composite number, its proper divisors being , , and . It is twice 4 or four times 2.
* a power of two, being 2 (two cubed), and is the first number of the ...
References
External links
The Ultimate Fighter website*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ultimate Fighter 7, The
2008 American television seasons
Spike (TV network) original programming
2008 in mixed martial arts
The Ultimate Fighter episodes