In the aftermath of the writers' strike, as programs become more and more oversaturated with reality shows, something that cannot be scripted is about to hit the prime time television screens of big networks.

CBS, NBC and FOX understand that mixed-martial-arts is the most exciting combat sport, maybe the most exciting sport, certainly the fastest-growing, and that it has immensely diverse roots that make it appealing to everyone in the US and the world. MMA has one foot in the action and sex oriented culture of Hollywood, and the other planted firmly in the gritty day-to-day-ness of being human, and the feeling of hyperreality one gets when confronted with stepping inside the ring or cage.  

Dana White, the president of the UFC, is huge - in terms of media exposure. The figure on top of the hugely popular sport of mixed-martial-arts (MMA), he is brash, outspoken and confident that after this year's wave of fight shows clash with television sets everywhere during US prime-time, his company will remain the heavyweight champion among MMA promotions.

He's more polarizing than Donald Trump, and while right now the Donald could buy him ten times over, it looks like White is the one who's taking American entertainment needs head on. And he won't be doing it with just the 7th season of the very successful Spike-aired 'The Ultimate Fighter' reality show. The UFC has been in talks with the major networks for months, and even though CBS and NBC have already inked deals with EliteXC and Strikeforce, the UFC is still seen as the 800 pound gorilla of MMA. It just so happens that this is a particularly picky gorilla, with serious creative control issues.

Of the hundreds set to fight on the major networks, four fighters in particular have 'cross-over star' written all over them, and they couldn't be more different in their personalities, background, lifestyles and effect on the fans and general public. In the past week, they've all become involved in an unexpected free-for-all of trash-talking that is both prefacing some real upcoming fights, and stirring talks of possible match-ups.

Just off the sets of "Law an Order", Forrest Griffin is challenging for the UFC title at the end of this season's 'The Ultimate Fighter 7'. The self-effacingly funny, good-looking Las Vegas kid who wore his heart on his sleeve all the way to winning the first season of the show is loved by his legions of fans for the way he turns every fight into a slugfest, scrapping with no regard for his own health. Now he's back as a coach, and in this season's finale he will fight the show's other coach, Rampage Jackson, the current UFC Light Heavyweight champion.

While Forrest's image conjures thoughts of a loner, his face resembling Tyler Durden's, with the same jovial spark of insanity in his eyes, Jackson is the charismatic alpha male, at the same time well-traveled party fiend and born-again Christian family man. It's hard to say how he managed to blend the contradictory traits, but it's paying off. There are Rampage shoes, countless radio and television shows request him as a guest, and now he's making a movie with Nick Nolte and Armand Assante. Jackson is the real life "baad man" as portrayed by black action movies since the 70's - playfully violent, smooth and outspoken - and while Rampage does talk a lot about money, it comes across as a parody of contemporary hip-hop culture, one of the recurring themes inside his joke repertoire.

Regarding his future opponent, Jackson pulls no punches: "I like Forrest, but I ain't got to talk sweet to him and hug up on him every time I see him. I know Forrest gets knocked out at practice sometimes; I know Jardine knocked him out real quick and I know my boy 'Sick Dog' almost knocked him out and he wasn't really even punching. He had Forrest wobbly." Rampage continues on a different occasion, "Forrest has a glass jaw and punches like a crackhead".

The last part can't be true - it's a known fact that Forrest knocked out internet street-fighting legend Kimbo Slice in their only training session together. Does that set up a fight between Forrest and Kimbo sometime in the future?

And where does it leave Chuck Liddell, who lost the Light Heavyweight title to Rampage, in what should have been an opportunity for him to avenge an earlier loss to the same man. Liddell feels Forrest, given a potential match-up, wouldn't be ready to handle his (Chuck's) punching power. That means Chuck probably believes Forrest shouldn't be fighting Rampage, and will be destroyed in the final of "The Ultimate Fighter 7". But with two knock-out losses to the current champion, the title Chuck feels belongs to him is currently a step too far.  

Regardless, Chuck Liddell is not out of the picture yet. Far from it, actually. Everyone in America knows him, and everyone loves Chuck, the rugged, taciturn former bartender and football player who was born with bricks for hands. There's something very natural and noble about his laid-back demeanor - like he's the quintessential guy, living the quintessential guy life. In fact, he's so popular that he sometimes finds it hard to focus on the training aspect of MMA. Most men in his position would too, seeing how he can't enter a club or strip-club without having scores of women flocking to him. It's as if someone grabbed America by a corner, gave it a good shake, and all the girls who tumbled into Las Vegas share a common trait: they love Chuck Liddell.

And Chuck Liddell would love to fight anybody. With a bit of sleep and training, he could beat anybody too. Kimbo Slice's presence in MMA irks him. Here's a guy who's been fighting untrained nobodies, and with some clever marketing combined with the amount of time young people spend on Youtube, is suddenly a star in a sport where it's famously hard to get to the top.

"People talk about him like he's the next great thing when he really hasn't done anything. He's been built up because of the Internet and him beating a bunch of guys on the street. I could make some impressive knockout videos too if you let me walk outside and just punch people and knock them out - "hey you, come fight! F***, we can make a highlight reel tomorrow and go round beating people up and talk about it - we could just go up to people and start dropping them - wow!"

Bodyguard of big-time porn producers BangBros, Kimbo presents an image that is in line with the expectations of today's youths, and they love him for it. On the surface, he's a Mr.T for the new millennium, a large black man with a bodybuilder's body, his personality and lifestyle seemingly not going beyond the violence and the sex that his entourage is teeming with. Kimbo is part of a posse, and drives around in a hummer. He lives in Miami. He's been undefeated in street-fights for years. This is the image that has garnered him perhaps hundreds of millions of views on video streaming sites.  

The reality is that of a man raising several children, boys and girls. A man who went to college on an academic scholarship, who takes training seriously these days and is trying to gain respect as an athlete, not a thug. His fans are embracing the image, but Kimbo's biggest challenge will be living up to the expectations imposed by his own fame. Unlike most professionals with only two fights on their records, he is going to be thrown in the cage with the best in his weight class, sooner rather than later. It's something he seems built for, as he possesses the same kind of raw, magnetic energy and aggression that have made Rampage into a star... and a champion fighter. But unlike Chuck and Jackson, he abstains from partying and even sex for months before a fight. So are teenagers idolizing the wrong man?

He has challenged Rampage publicly, only to be amusedly brushed off. They fight in different organizations, and the UFC, Rampage's home, is by far the big dog of the lot. But that could change in the next year, as Kimbo's fights start being aired live on CBS. And when there is enough money to be made, the UFC might be forced to co-promote a bout. For the paying public, this would be a hypnotizing attraction, and although Rampage "loves his brothers", he would certainly be ready for some "black on black crime", as he likes to joke.