Ultimate Fighting Championship today announced the full 16-man roster for the international version of the show, which is set to debut on Foxtel with the premiere slated to air on Wed., Sept. 19, 2012.
From the press release:
The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) finalists are among the top fighters in both nations' lightweight and welterweight divisions, with the Australian team comprised of representatives from NSW, QLD and WA, while the UK team features fighters from all over England as well as Northern Ireland.
"These guys have definitely made the second international TUF show ‘can't miss' TV," said UFC President Dana White. "Going into this thing, I had no idea just how much the Aussies and the Brits can't stand losing to each other. Now I know."
Premiering Wednesdays at 7:30pm AEST on FX in Australia from September 19, the 13-episode, Australian-produced series follows the selected fighters as they live together in The Ultimate Fighter house, training and competing against eachother for a prized contract with the UFC, culminating with a live three-hour finale in December.
Full 16-man roster for TUF: The Smashes
Team Sotiropoulos, who added: "It's a really diverse group of guys on the team, but the thing that's uniting them is that everyone's motivated and focused. There's a lot of personal and national pride at stake but they're going into the competition with a positive attitude and are really pulling together as a team. I'm very impressed by their maturity."
Lightweights:
Grant Blackler, 23, Sunshine Coast
Patrick Iodice, 19, GoldCoast
Richie Vaculik, 29, Sydney
Ben Wall, 23, Brisbane
Welterweights:
Ben Alloway, 31, GoldCoast
Xavier Lucas, 31, Perth
Manuel Rodriguez, 27, Sydney
Robert Whitaker, 21, Sydney
Team Pearson, who commented: "Having been where they are, I know exactly what the guys are facing. They're taking it all in their stride and, despite being so far from home, they're eager to prove themselves, so morale is high. They each bring unique strengths to the team so the sparks are really going to fly when they meet the Aussies in the Octagon."
Lightweights:
Colin Fletcher, 29, Sunderland
Norman Parke, 25, Bushmills, Nth Ireland
Michael Pastou, 30, Essex
Mike Wilkinson, 24, Leigh
Welterweights:
Luke Newman, 22, London
Bola Omoyele, 30, London
Valentino Petrescu, 30, Essex
Brad Scott, 23, Melksham
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