Welterweights, Middleweights Vie for ‘TUF Brazil’ Slots on Dec. 14

The promotion announced the news Saturday, noting that tryouts for the show will take place Dec. 14 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Fighter registration opens online tonight at midnight local time on the UFC’s Brazilian website and lasts 24 hours. Fighters must be at least 21 and no older than 35 years old, and must have at least three professional fights and two wins to be considered.

While the tryouts will be open to 145- and 185-pound combatants, the promotion has not yet made the final call on which weight divisions will be used on the reality series; likewise, the season’s coaches have yet to be announced. The show will be broadcast on Rede Globo, Brazil’s largest television network.

“Let’s find the next Anderson Silva, Jose Aldo or Junior dos Santos,” said UFC President Dana White in an official release. “Right now, in a gym somewhere in Brazil, there is a kid who has not had a chance to show the world what he can do. ‘TUF Brazil’ will give him that chance.”

Traditionally airing in the US on Spike TV, the American version of “TUF” will move to a new home on FX in 2012. According to White, the show will return with an all-new live format. The series is in its 14th season on Spike and is currently featuring featherweight and bantamweight competitors for the first time. Coaches Michael Bisping and Jason Miller will lock horns at the live final on Dec. 3 in Las Vegas.

The initial Brazilian press release for “The Ultimate Fighter” incorrectly indicated that the weight classes would be welterweight and middleweight. This error was corrected in subsequent releases. Sherdog.com updated this article on Nov. 20 with the correct information.