The boxing reality series The Contender will be returning for a fifth season after what will have been a decade’s absence from our televisions. Upstart premium cable channel EPIX will become the fourth station to take on the project when it films and airs in 2018.
The Contender first ran on NBC back in 2005 in an effort to capture some of the same success of the UFC’s Ultimate Fighter reality show. That first season featured a handful of fighters who went on to become fairly prominent including Peter Manfredo Jr, Ishe Smith, Alfredo Gomez, and winner Sergio Mora. The ratings didn’t deliver what NBC was looking for, however, and they canceled the show after one season.
ESPN picked it up for another two runs. Season two was contested at welterweight and won by Grady Brewer. That year also featured Cornelius Bundrage and Steve Forbes, both fighters that went on to fight in prominent fights. Season three was won by Sakio Bika over Jaidon Codrington in the finals. That is one of the forgotten great modern fights that should be seen by everyone. Sam Soliman, Paul Smith, and Bryan Vera were also in the competition.
Season four was aired on the then newly rebranded Versus network which has since been rebranded once again to the NBC Sports Network. It was definitely the most forgettable of the four year run. Season winner Troy Ross was a pretty good fighter, but the season didn’t otherwise produce anyone of note. After that, the show was done.
In the press release, EPIX announced that they hope to both film and air the series in 2018. The fighters will live in the same house and train together as well as fight one another in a sixteen man tournament. Other details are still sparse and it does not seem like they have decided on a weight class yet. Earlier rumors about the potential return of the series indicated it would have a $25 million budget, which, if true, might be enough to lure in some decent fighters.
