The Speed Bag: What's even happening with 'The Ultimate Fighter' anymore?

With Season 26 of “The Ultimate Fighter” came some high stakes, and the winner of Friday’s tournament final will make history.

Either Sijara Eubanks or Nicco Montano will be crowned the inaugural UFC women’s flyweight champion in the FS1-televised TUF 26 Finale headliner at Park Theater in Las Vegas. Which is good. It’s great. It’s history.

And yet, it’s still worth asking: What did we get out of this 26th season?

We’ve got one helluva coaches matchup between former Bellator and UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez and former WSOF champion Justin Gaethje. But that highly anticipated showdown isn’t even happening at the TUF 26 Finale, instead taking place Saturday night at the UFC 218 pay-per-view. Basically, you can look forward to this fight without watching a single minute of “TUF 26,” because it’s that awesome on its own.

That leaves us with the show itself and its competitors. And despite the fact that a title was on the line, it wasn’t enough to deliver great ratings. Overall, it just kind of looks like people aren’t into “TUF” anymore in big numbers.

Does the UFC know this, and what does it do? That’s the question.

For more on The Ultimate Fighter 26 Finale, visit the UFC Rumors section of the site.