SEASON BEGINS FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 14 at 9PM ET/PT ON FX
Two-Hour Special Premiere Event to Showcase 16 Elimination Fights
Finale Will Feature Fight Between the Coaches
The field of 32 of the most talented unsigned mixed martial artists in the world has been finalized forTHE ULTIMATE FIGHTER FRIDAYS which begins Friday, September 14, on FX with a special two-hour premiere airing at 9 PM ET/PT.
Similar to the inaugural season of The Ultimate Fighter on FX, this upcoming season will run for 13 consecutive weeks, airing Friday nights at 10 PM ET/PT. The eventual season winner – who will be crowned at the live finale on Saturday, Dec. 15 on FX, will receive a six-figure contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship organization.
As previously announced, former interim UFC heavyweight champion Shane Carwin and top contender and previous TUF winner Roy Nelson serve as coaches this season. The bitter rivals – who have already taken their feud public – will also collide in the eagerly awaited main event of the Las Vegas finale.
The list of finalists who will now attempt to fight their way on the show was trimmed from more than 60 invited fighters; 29 of the 170 lbs welterweight fighters seeking to cash in on the opportunity of a lifetime are from the United States, two are from Canada while one is Brazilian.
On Sept. 14, the season will kick-off with 16 gripping elimination fights. The winners in the elimination round, or “Fight In,” will become official cast members and earn their way into The Ultimate Fighter house in Las Vegas where cameras will document their activity before and after their training and fights. The 16 winners will bedrafted into opposing teams of eight by Carwin and eight by Nelson.
Each team will train at the TUF gym and reside in the TUF house together for the duration of the season. Winners will advance in the tournament until ultimately, one man is crowned THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER.
The Season Premiere cast:
- Bristol Marunde, 30, Las Vegas, Nev.
- Cameron Diffley, 27, Las Vegas, Nev.
- Colton Smith, 25, Fort Hood, Texas via Ankeny, Iowa
- Cortez Coleman, 30, Hugo, Okla.
- David Michaud, 23, Pine Ridge, S.D.
- Diego Bautista, 26, Lakewood, Calif.
- Dom Waters, 23, Santa Rosa, Calif.
- Eddy Ellis, 29, Olympia, Wash.,
- Frank Camacho, 23, Camp Springs, Md.,
- George Lockhart, 29, Atlanta, Ga.
- Igor Araujo, 31, Albuquerque, N.M. via Patos De Minas, Brazil
- James Chaney, 25, Klamath Falls, Ore.
- Jason South, 34, West Jordan, Utah
- Jerel Clark, 23, Reno, Nev.
- Jesse Barrett, 26, Tempe, Ariz.
- Joey Rivera, 32, Tucson, Ariz.
- Jon Manley, 26, Ludlow, Mass.
- Julian Lane, 25, Mansfield, Ohio
- Kevin Nowaczyk, 23, Chicago, Ill.
- Leo Kuntz, 28, Bismarck, N.D.
- Lev Magen, 25, Las Vegas, Nev.
- Matt Secor, 25, South Glens Falls, N.Y.
- Max Griffin, 26, Sacramento, Calif.
- Michael Hill, 25, Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
- Mike Ricci, 26, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Neil Magny, 24, Chicago, Ill.
- Nic Herron-Webb, 22, Anchorage, Alaska
- Ricky Legere Jr., 26, Corona, Calif.
- Saad Awad, 23, San Bernardino, Calif.
- Sam Alvey, 26, Murrieta, Calif.
- Tim Ruberg, 30, Harrison, Ohio
- Zane Kamaka, 23, Klaianae, Hawaii
Many of today’s most recognizable names in MMA have emerged from the TUF series, including, among many others, Rashad Evans, Kenny Florian, Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar. So who will be the champion onTHE ULTIMATE FIGHTER FRIDAYS on FX?
For more show information, bios, videos and photos, visit www.ultimatefighter.com and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter under our new name @TUFonFX or on Facebook.com/TUF
