The Ultimate Fighter Live: A Closer Look at the Cast of 16

Last night was history for The Ultimate Fighter, as the show went live for the first time in its 15-year history.

Another new part of the preliminary fights that Dana White revealed was the fact that the fighters would only get a single five-minute round to win the fight. Of the 16 fights put on, there were eight finishes and eight decisions.

Let's take a closer look at the final cast of 16.

Joe Proctor

Last night's result: defeated Jordan Rinaldi via submission (guillotine choke)

Notable victories: Matt Bessette

Joe Proctor trains with Joe Lauzon in Massachusetts, coming into the show with a 7-1 record. Four of his victories, unsurprisingly, have come by submission, as he won the same way last night.

Last night he beat a very strong opponent in Jordan Rinaldi, so Proctor could be a solid prospect going into the house.

Cristiano Marcello

Last night's result: defeated Jared Carlsten via submission (rear-naked choke)

Notable victories: Oriol Gaset, Dave Kaplan

Marcello is the former jiu-jitsu instructor at Chute Boxe Academy, so he is obviously a high-ranking jiu-jitsu player. Last night, he dominated an Eddie Bravo black belt on the ground, so Marcello could be an early favorite.

Marcello is 12-3, as the PRIDE veteran has won three in a row. Unsurprisingly, he has won nine times by submission.

Sam Sicilia

Last night's result: defeated Erin Beach via knockout (punch)

Notable victories: Charon Spain

In my opinion, in what was a shocker last night, Sam Sicilia knocked out a solid striker in Erin Beach. He goes into the house with a teammate, Mike Chiesa, so if they end up on the same team, they will have familiar training partners.

Sicilia is 10-0, having finished nine of his opponents by knockout or submission. He looks to be well rounded, with good power in his hands and solid submission skills.

Chris Tickle

Last night's result: defeated Austin Lyons via knockout (punches)

Notable victories: Steve Berger, Brian Geraghty

Chris Tickle was impressive last night, showing great power in his punching ability. Tickle has beat two UFC veterans as a professional, so he could be a contender to win it all.

He holds a 7-4 record, with five of his wins coming by knockout. Despite four losses, he hasn't lost since 2009. The Illinois native has shown a chink in his armor in terms of submission, as that is what all of his losses have come by.

Andy Ogle

Last night's result: defeated Jeremy Weafer via unanimous decision

Notable victories: Shay Walsh

Andy Ogle is the lone British fighter that made it into the house last night, fending off a triangle choke for a majority of the round to earn a decision.

Not much was seen last night of the Sunderland native, who holds an 8-1 record. He is on a seven-fight win streak, having finished five of his victories.

Vinc Pichel

Last night's result: defeated Cody Pfister via submission (rear-naked choke)

Notable victories: David "Hello Japan" Gardner

One of the more unknown fighters last night was very impressive, using effective sweeps, great ground and pound (huge elbow opened up a big gash) and a knowledgeable submission game to top Cody Pfister.

Pichel is 6-0 as a professional. Despite the submission win last night, all of his victories have come by knockout. He could be a dark horse in the competition.

John Cofer

Last night's result: defeated Mark Glover via unanimous decision

Notable victories: Harry Johnson

John Cofer trains with Brian Bowles and a bunch of other solid fighters in Georgia, so he will be trained well. He is 7-1, having finished four of his opponents. He seems to be a wrestler with developing skills.

Last night, he won a less-than-impressive decision, but he got the job done with his wrestling. We will have to see if he is a contender as the season unfolds.

Chris Saunders

Last night's result: defeated Chase Hackett via unanimous decision

Notable victories: Todd Willingham (x2)

Last night, a couple of red flags arose with Saunders for me despite looking to be well rounded. His gas tank, for a one-round fight, was questionable, for one thing.

Despite all of that, he won the fight, which is all that matters. He is 9-2 in his career, with five finishes to his name. He is known for a tight guillotine despite his inability to finish the fight with it last night.

James Vick

Last night's result: defeated Dakota Cochrane via split decision

Notable victories: Mike Salazar

Vick might be the tallest fighter in the house, standing at 6'3". We did not get to see much of him last night, as he thwarted off constant takedown attempts from Cochrane.

Vick is young, boasting a 4-0 record. He has finished three of his opponents, so this show may greatly benefit his developing game.

Mike Chiesa

Last night's result: defeated Johnavan Visante via submission (rear-naked choke)

Notable victories: Charon Spain

The man that trains with Sam Sicilia, Chiesa looks like Cody McKenzie, Jr. (he also trains with him). He looked powerful and solid on the ground, so he looks like he will be a force on the show.

He is 7-0, having earned five wins by way of submission. Hopefully he can get on a team with Sicilia, as those two are quite familiar with one another.

Mike Rio

Last night's result: defeated Ali Maclean via unanimous decision

Notable victories: Zach Juusola

Mike Rio is one of the better known guys in the house, known for his fight against Efrain Escudero, which he lost. Rio is a solid ground fighter, with a good chin and solid striking.

Rio is 8-1, having finished seven of his opponents. He is an early favorite, in my opinion, to win the show. "Wolverine" has all the tools to be successful here.

Justin Lawrence

Last night's result: defeated James Krause via knockout (punches)

Notable victories: Max Martyniouk

The biggest surprise of the night came from Justin Lawrence, a young kid who trains out of Black House. He completely destroyed early tournament veteran James Krause with flashy striking.

Training with Black House will definitely benefit Lawrence, who is probably well rounded. Lawrence could be the biggest underdog of the season, but he could advance the furthest out of the supposed "underdogs."

Daron Cruickshank

Last night's result: defeated Drew Dober via unanimous decision

Notable victories: Mike Ricci

Daron Cruickshank might be the most experienced fighter left in the house. Cruickshank pounded Drew Dober for the whole round (to Dober's credit, he kept moving forward).

Cruickshank is 10-2, having knocked out six of his opponents. He has great wrestling and solid striking, so he has to be considered a favorite right now.

Jeremy Larsen

Last night's result: defeated Jeff Smith via unanimous decision

Notable victories: Jeff Fletcher

Jeremy Larsen won an extremely close decision over Jeff Smith last night. He fought off submissions and was close to being tapped by a kneebar. He prevailed, earning his way into the house.

Larsen is 8-2 in his career, finishing five of his adversaries. His only losses have come to UFC veterans Efrain Escudero and Edgar Garcia, so he could be a top talent.

Al Iaquinta

Last night's result: defeated Jon Tuck via unanimous decision

Notable victories: Gabriel Miglioli (X2)

Al Iaquinta passed a solid test last night, beating a solid opponent in Jon Tuck. Iaquinta trains with Matt Serra and Ray Longo, so you know he will be well rounded.

Iaquinta is 5-1-1, with his only loss coming to UFC vet Pat Audinwood. He has finished four of his opponents, three of which by knockout. Iaquinta is another top contender in this competition.

Myles Jury

Last night's result: defeated Akbarh Arreola

Notable victories: Sam Oropeza

Myles Jury, who was supposed to compete in season 13 of The Ultimate Fighter before he tore his ACL, looked solid last night despite being stood up on more than one occasion.

Jury is 9-0, having never left the first round. He is my personal pick to make it to the finale of the show, as he is well rounded, powerful and smart inside the cage.