Craig Piligian named to UFC Hall of Fame Class of 2025
UFC today announced that Emmy® Award-winning producer and unscripted television pioneer Craig Piligian will be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame’s Contributor Wing as a member of the Class of 2025. The 2025 UFC Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will take place this summer in Las Vegas and will be streamed live on UFC FIGHT PASS.
“Craig Piligian is one of the most influential and respected executives in the history of television,” said UFC President & CEO Dana White. “Craig was instrumental in shaping The Ultimate Fighter into one of the most important unscripted television shows in sports and helping make UFC a global phenomenon. It will be an honor to induct him into the UFC Hall of Fame this summer.”
Born in Detroit, Michigan, Piligian’s television career began in the news sector as an assignment editor at Las Vegas ABC affiliate KTNV. After entering the burgeoning programming domain via his production work in the early 1990’s with Emergency Call and Real Stories of the Highway Patrol, Piligian founded Pilgrim Films & Television (now Pilgrim Media Group) in 1997, and broke new ground as one of the original executive producers of CBS’ iconic competition series Survivor, where he captured a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Non-Fiction Program in 2001.
In 2004, Piligian met with White and former UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta to discuss an unscripted television series aimed at showcasing and promoting the organization’s brand and 16 athletes living together in a house while competing for a six-figure contract with UFC. The show would be called The Ultimate Fighter.
Piligian joined White, Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta III as co-creators of the show, which debuted on January 17, 2005, on Spike TV. Produced by Piligian’s Pilgrim Media Group, the original structure of the show featured one or two weight classes competing in a tournament with two rival head coaches facing off during an upcoming event.
The season one finale made the series a global hit and introduced UFC to fans around the world, as it culminated in the historic finale fight between former UFC light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar. The series is now viewed as an iconic hit that many, including White, credit with revitalizing UFC’s business and the sport of mixed martial arts.
Now, after 32 main seasons, 10 international seasons, and nearly 500 episodes, The Ultimate Fighter has also introduced a wide array of fans – from die-hard to brand new – to UFC and served as a springboard for the careers of numerous fighters who went on to be UFC champions, contenders and stars, including: Kamaru Usman, Tony Ferguson, TJ Dillashaw, Rose Namajunas, Michael Bisping, Nate Diaz, Rashad Evans, and Conor McGregor, who served as a coach during TUF seasons 22 and 31.
During his career, Piligian has served as a producer on more than 140 projects and been associated with some of the most successful television series across a wide range of networks including CBS, ABC, Spike, Lifetime, OWN, CMT, National Geographic Channel, Discovery and more.
Piligian created and produced American Chopper, a reality series that explored the world of custom motorcycle fabrication, and the Emmy-nominated Dirty Jobs, which highlighted numerous challenging professions across the United States. He is also credited with launching several additional successful franchises such as Fast N’ Loud, My Fair Wedding with David Tutera, Wicked Tuna, Street Outlaws, Top Shot, Ghost Hunters, and the NAACP Image Award-winning Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s.
Piligian has also expanded into producing award-winning documentary series and features; celebrity talk shows; scripted content; and sports and eSports projects.
In 2021, Piligian was appointed as the President of Lionsgate Nonfiction Television while simultaneously serving as CEO of Pilgrim Media Group.
Most recently, he was named the Managing Director of Lionsgate’s new Alternative Television Division in January 2024. The new division combined Pilgrim Media Group with eOne, Blackfin, Renegade and Daisybeck Studios unscripted brands.
In 2012, Piligian ranked 18th on “50 Most Powerful List” by The Hollywood Reporter, and in 2015 he was inducted into the Realscreen Hall of Fame. In 2016, Piligian was named the first-ever Producer of the Year by Broadcast & Cable Magazine, and Innovator of the Year by Next TV Summit. He resides in California with his wife, Lucinda.
