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Liddell and Randy "The Natural" Couture would serve as opposing coaches, drafting fighters onto their teams, who would compete in challenges and fight to stay in the house. White oversaw the operation on and off-screen, his "do-you-want -to-be-a-fucking-fighter" speech becoming an early highlight. The vivacious Ford was the hostess for the challenges. Fighters like Chris Leben, Josh Koscheck and Bobby Southworth provided some controversial moments, while Lodune Sincaid and Diego Sanchez were as quirky as it got. No books, no computers, no television were allowed in the house - just training and 16 guys crawling up the walls in one house. "It sucks, there's no two ways about it," Griffin says. But it made for good television, there was tension, compelling subplots, controversial decisions and entertaining fights. Perhaps most importantly, it humanized the fighters. They were no longer the mindless thugs they had long been colored as - they were real people, trying to make it to the big time and making endless sacrifices along the way. "We wanted people to see what it takes," Couture told HOFN.com in a 2007 interview. "Everybody was taking a gamble. The gamble paid off." To be specific, it paid off on April 9 of 2005. Live from Las Vegas, Spike TV aired "The Ultimate Finale." Sanchez dominated Kenny Florian in the middleweight final, leaving Griffin and Stephan Bonnar to steal the show. But Bonnar and Griffin didn't steal the show - they made history, turning in one of the greatest fights in combat sports history, a flurry of back-and-forth strikes, kicks and knees that never relented. "That was a miracle," White proclaims.  Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell served as coach of Team Liddell, while fellow fighter and then UFC light heavyweight champion Randy Couture coached Team Couture. A miracle in a variety of ways. White and Co. weren't even sure the first season would air. Griffin wasn't sure he would ever fight again before the show even started, much less after a preliminary win on the show left him with a gash over his left eye and an uncertain future on the show. But, as White is quick to point out, ophthalmologist Dr. Gregory Hsu was just as important as anyone in the process, as his phenomenal stitch job ensured Griffin's appearance in the semifinals, where he would set up his bout with Bonnar. "There's so many little pieces of this puzzle," says White, in regards to Hsu's handiwork. The puzzle was completed in a brawl for the ages. Three rounds and 15 minutes of bloody drama ended with Bonnar dropping to his knees and Griffin raising his hands - and a sport's future - having won a razor-thin decision. As the two waged battle against each other, more and more fans tuned in, the ratings rising as the fight raged on. "People were at home going, 'Are you watching this?'" says White of the epic bout that highlighted a telecast viewed by 2.6 million people - more than had ever watched a UFC fight before. Since that night, the action-packed, all-out mixed martial arts masterpiece that was Griffin vs. Bonnar has been called one of the greatest fights of all time and the most important. "Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar are the ones who are responsible for everybody being where they are right now," White says. Right now didn't take long, as the fight's magnitude was felt almost simultaneously. "As soon as that fight happened, [Spike TV officials] pulled us out into the alley and signed that deal," White says. The gamble had cashed in. The UFC had found a home on Spike TV. "We were looking to put a combat sport on the air. It was more or less, how can we put this sport on the air and introduce our core male audience to it," Spike TV Senior Vice President of Sports and Specials Brian Diamond says. "The Ultimate Fighter was the answer."
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