The Ultimate Fighter, Nebraska-style

Just like Steven Tyler (before his less-than-graceful fall from a stage), after a brief end-of-summer hiatus, I’m back in the saddle again. And, of course, by “in the saddle,” I mean, “writing blogs on blogger,” which doesn’t explain why I smell of livestock and leather.

Although early September generally isn’t a time when most Nebraskans put away their sunblock and dig out mittens and chapstick, this year seems to be ushering us into the fall season faster than usual. So today, rather than posting about some outdoorsy activity that will cause you to smell bad (which is what I usually do), I thought I'd somewhat shift gears and highlight some fall television programming for those of you who enjoy watching sports when the weather gets a little cooler.

If you like this...








...then you should probably check out this season's The Ultimate Fighter, a reality television show where a number of contestants are sequestered in a house in Las Vegas while they fight one another elimination-style in an effort to win a contract with the UFC, or Ultimate Fighting Championship. Phew, what a sentence!

For one thing, this looks to be a great season, as one of the sport's most notorious fighters, Kimbo Slice, will be competing.



























The show, which features all heavyweights this season, will also showcase a few former NFL'ers, as well as Roy "Big Country" Nelson, the International Fight League's champ.

But even cooler is the fact that Abe "Hurricane" Wagner, who trains and fights out of Omaha's own Mid America Martial Arts, will also be appearing on the show.



For a sneak preview of the 10th season of The Ultimate Fighter, check here. Finally, a reason for us Omahans to tune in and root for a local boy. You know what I'll be doing on Thursday nights this fall...