On Thursday, the UFC released the 32-member, coed cast for Season 18 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” which premieres on Sept. 4 on Fox Sports 1 at 10 p.m. ET. The “TUF” house will be comprised of 32 bantamweights – 16 male and 16 female – and coached by bitter rivals Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate.
The women’s cast features a number of tenured veterans, including Shayna Baszler [pictured], Tara LaRosa, and Roxanne Modafferi, to name a few. That trio alone has combined for 72 professional fights. Meanwhile, 16-fight veteran and one-time Bellator competitor Cody Bollinger highlights a male cast that has just 12 total losses among its 16 hopefuls.
The show’s two-hour premiere will include 16 elimination fights to narrow the cast down to the eight men and eight women who will enter the “TUF” house, with the respective winners ultimately earning a six-figure contract with the UFC. Rousey will defend her 135-pound title against Tate in the co-headliner of UFC 168, while the “TUF 18” finale is set to take place on Nov. 30 in Las Vegas.
This season of The Ultimate Fighter was monumental, as we had women as coaches and competitors – fighting and living together with the men – for the first time ever,” UFC president Dana White said in a release. “Obviously the fierce rivalry between Ronda and Miesha is going to get everyone’s attention, but it doesn’t take away from their dedication and success as coaches and the level of talent this season.”
‘The Ultimate Fighter 18' Cast:
Women’s Bantamweights
Shayna
Baszler, 33, Sioux Fall, S.D.
Revelina
Berto, 24, Winter Haven, Fla.
Jessamyn
Duke, 27, Richmond, Ky.
Tonya
Evinger, 32, Lake St. Louis, Mo.
Laura
Howarth, 26, Hove, East Essex, England
Tara
LaRosa, 35, Albuquerque, N.M.
Valerie
Letourneau, 30, La Prairie, CAN
Bethany
Marshall, 25, Newport News, Va.
Sarah
Moras, 25, Kelowna, Canada
Peggy
Morgan, 33, Nashua, N.H.
Gina
Mazany, 25, Seattle, Wash.
Roxanne
Modafferi, 30, Pittsfield, Mass.
Julianna
Pena, 24, Spokane, Wash.
Raquel
Pennington, 24, Colorado Springs, Colo.
Jessica
Rakoczy, 36, Las Vegas, Nev.
Colleen
Schneider, 31, Las Vegas, Nev.
Men’s Bantamweights:
Chris
Beal, 28, Somis, Calif.
Cody
Bollinger, 22, Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.
Louis
Fisette, 23, Winnipeg, Canada
Rafael de
Freitas, 29, Albuquerque, N.M.
Davey
Grant, 27, Bishop Auckland, England
Tim
Gorman, 30, West Des Moines, Iowa
Anthony
Gutierrez, 22, Lee’s Summit, Mo.
Emil
Hartsner, 23, Luberod, Sweden
Josh
Hill, 26, Binbrook, Canada
Chris
Holdsworth, 25, Woodland Hills, Calif.
Patrick
Holohan, 25, Dublin, Irleand
Sirwan
Kakai, 23, Coconut Creek, Fla.
Daniel
Martinez, 28, San Diego, Calif.
Matt
Munsey, 26, Hollywood, Fla.
Lee
Sandmeier, 30, Knoxville, Iowa
Mike
Wooten, 24, Liverpool, England