UFC Officially Reveals 'The Ultimate Fighter' Season 17 Cast List
Just a little less than two weeks before the debut of The Ultimate Fighter: Team Jones vs. Team Sonnen, the UFC has revealed the full list of fighters who will competing on the show.
USA Today (via MMA Junkie) broke the news on Wednesday, providing the names of 28 middleweights from various corners of the world.
Moreover, the level of talent seems to be a notch above what previous seasons have brought to the reality TV show in recent years. MMA Junkie notes that this season's cast includesย seven undefeated fighters, with over 200 professional MMA victories between all the competitors.
Here are the fighters who will be seen in the season premiere as they go through the elimination rounds to earn a spot into the TUF house. By proxy, they'll also be battling for a chance to be coached by either UFC champion Jon Jones or former middleweight contender Chael Sonnen:
"โข Dylan Andrews (16-4-1), 32, Gold Coast, Australia (via New Zealand)
"
โขย Kito Andrews (9-2), 34, Sacramento, Calif.
โขย Luke Barnatt (5-0), 24, Cambridge, England
โขย Leo Bercier (7-2), 31, Great Falls, Mont.
โขย Ryan Bigler (9-3), 28, Yona, Guam
โขย Kevin Casey (5-2), Hawthorne, Calif.
โขย Adam Cella (4-0), 27, Fenton, Mo.
โขย Zak Cummings (15-3), 28, Kansas City, Mo.
โขย Andy Enz (6-1), 21, Anchorage, Alaska
โขย Nik Fekete (5-1), 32, Las Vegas
โขย Kelvin Gastelum (5-0), 20, Yuma, Ariz.
โขย Uriah Hall (7-2), 28, New York City (via Jamaica)
โขย Collin Hart (4-1-1), 23, Santa Rosa, Calif.
โขย Clint Hester (7-3), 25, Atlanta
โขย Jake Heun (3-2), 25, Salt Lake City
โขย Mike Jasper (6-0), 29, Camarillo, Calif.
โขย Nicholas Kohring (3-0), 22, Valley Springs, Calif.
โขย Robert "Bubba" McDaniel (20-6), 29, Albuquerque, N.M.
โขย Fraser Opie (10-5), 29, Milton Keynes, England (via South Africa)
โขย Mike Persons (3-0), 28, Manteca, Calif.
โขย Jimmy Quinlan (3-0), 26, Metheun, Mass.
โขย Scott Rosa (4-1), 26, Sparks, Nev.
โขย Joshua Samman (9-2), 24, Tallahassee, Fla.
โขย Gilbert Smith Jr. (5-1), Colorado Springs, Colo.
โขย Eldon Sproat (3-1), 27, Molokai, Hawaii
โขย Tor Troeng (15-4-1), 29, Umea, Sweden
โขย Eric Wahlin (5-1), 29, Taylorsville, Utah
โขย Timothy Williams (7-1), 26, Millville, N.J.
Aside from the rivalry between coaches Jones and Sonnen, one of the major points of interest for Season 17 has been Dana White's cryptic stories about one fighter who "terrified" the entire cast during filming.
As White originally told members of the MMA media last December (via MMA Fighting), this same fighter is apparently so dangerous, he sent every single one of his opponents out of the Octagon in the back of an ambulance:
"The whole house is terrified of this guy. F-- terrified. Everybody. I picked this fight, and this guy is lined up with the guy I'm telling you about, and the guy has a nervous breakdown in the house over the weekend. Has a f-- nervous breakdown. Freaks out and has a nervous breakdown. This guy scared the living s--- out of everyone. It's awesome.
"
Fans will likely be tipped off if a fighter is sent to hospital in the first episode, but regardless, the season premiere will kick offย Tuesday, Jan. 22 on FX with a special two-hour episode. In a move to secure better TV ratings, this will be the show's first night moved off of the prior Friday night schedule that was tested earlier last year.




.jpg?w=2560)






