CHICAGO – Once upon a time, “reality” television was exactly that. While the genre now seems to feature as much scripted drama as actual reality, UFC President Dana White said one chilling incident proves that his new series doesn’t follow those lines.

“The guy was going to be a star on the show, was going to be one of the guys, and I’ve known this guy for 25 years,” White explained. “He’s an absolute character. He came out of Cus D’Amato’s camp. He trained with those guys and everything else. He had his own gym. He put on his own fights.

“The night before we’re starting to shoot, he stabbed a guy. He’s off the show. See you later.”

White and “The Ultimate Fighter” producer Craig Piligian are behind the boxing-focused series “The Fighters,” which documents a series of up-and-coming fighters in South Boston. The two executives and longtime boxing instructor Peter Welch shared the story at a media screening of the debut episode.

According to an official release, the eight-part series “documents the daily struggles, personal relationships and epic training sessions as the fighters prepare for the fight of their lives – where only one will overcome the odds and emerge victorious. Every week, these three rounds will help decide not only their fates, but also the fate of boxing in Southie.”

The show debuts tonight at 9 p.m. ET on Discovery Channel.

Meanwhile, White returns to his primary role as UFC boss at Saturday’s UFC on FOX 10 event, which takes place at Chicago’s United Center.

To see the full, 26-minute Q&A with White, Piligian and Welch, see Video: Dana White, Craig Piligian, Peter Welch preview ‘The Fighters’