Here we go again, with another season of the seemingly endless Ultimate Fighter series. This one is featuring fourteen middleweights, and coached by the reigning UFC lightheavyweight champion Jon Jones and his next challenger Chael Sonnen. As has been the case in most recent seasons, the show starts out with 28 fighters facing off in the first episode, with the winners moving into the ‘TUF’ house and the losers going home.
Some notable facts, thus far:
- Sweden’s Tor ‘The Hammer’ Troeng is the only Top 50 ranked fighter on the season, head and shoulders above the remaining pool.
- Only fourteen fighters are in the house instead of the usual sixteen; two of the first-round losers will be brought back in ‘wildcard’ spots.
- Most of the preliminary matchups were won by the higher ranked fighter (11/14)
- There is a much more even distribution of ranked fighters among the two teams than in Season 16 (which was ultimately won by the unranked Colton Smith)
After the fights are over, coaches pick their teams, and here’s how they stack up:
All rankings are approximate as-of Episode 1 airing.
[#41 MW] Tor Troeng [Team Sonnen]
Episode 1: defeated [#238 MW] Scott Rosa by submission
[#67 LHW] Robert McDaniel [Team Jones]
Episode 1: defeated [NR] Ryan Bigler by TKO
[#137 MW] Zak Cummings [Team Sonnen]
Episode 1: defeated [NR] Nik Fekete by TKO
[#146 MW] Dylan Andrews [Team Jones]
Episode 1: defeated [#205 MW] Tim Williams by decision
[#159 MW] Josh Samman [Team Jones]
Episode 1: defeated [#258 MW] Leo Bercier by TKO
[#160 MW] Uriah Hall [Team Sonnen]
Episode 1: defeated [#171 MW] Andy Enz by decision
[#179 MW] Kevin Casey [Team Sonnen]
Episode 1: defeated [NR] Eldon Sproat by submission
[#215 WW] Gilbert Smith [Team Jones]
Episode 1: defeated [NR] Jerel Clark by submission
[#246 MW] Clint Hester [Team Jones]
Episode 1: defeated [#114 LHW] Frasier Opie by decision
[#253 MW] Luke Barnatt [Team Sonnen]
Episode 1: defeated [NR] Nicholas Kohring by decision
[#347 MW] Jimmy Quinlan [Team Sonnen]
Episode 1: defeated [NR] Mike Persons by TKO
[NR] Adam Cella [Team Jones]
Episode 1: defeated [#181 HW] Jake Heun by submission
[NR] Collin Hart [Team Jones]
Episode 1: defeated [NR] Mike Jasper by submission
[NR] Kelvin Gastelum [Team Sonnen]
Episode 1: defeated [#203 WW] Kito Andrews by decision