Ultimate Fighter 11 Cast Announced
Roughly five years ago, Dana White and the Ultimate Fighting Championship dabbled into the world of reality television; introducing a new show in one final effort to try and introduce the sport of Mixed Martial Arts to the mainstream population and to introduce a new crop of young, up-and-comers to the hardcore fanbase. The show was put on Spike TV, on a one season contract, with no guarantees that the program would survive to see a second.
Five years, hundreds of fighters, countless memorable (and not so memorable) moments, new generations of fans, two world champions and Andy Wang and Kimbo Slice filled seasons later, the Ultimate Fighter returns for their 11th season. This season will feature the Middleweight Division, with 28 up-and-coming 185 pounders vying for a six-figure contract with the UFC.
This season will also feature the return of some old friends; a return to their roots.
Returning this season will be the single elimination fight-in tournament, where the 28 middleweights selected for the show will have to fight their way on to the show. The concept, introduced in Season 7, returns by popular demand after being briefly abandoned on Season 10.
Also returning to the show will be a couple of coaching veterans, and old rivals; as Chuck Liddell (who coached opposite Randy Couture in TUF’s initial voyage) and Tito Ortiz (who opposed Ken Shamrock in Season 3– in the most tension filled season to date) return to the coaching “sidelines”. The two will match coaching wits, then in traditional TUF fashion, will square off at a yet to be determined event in what well could wind up being the final dance of each fighter’s career.
Prior to the two UFC legends clashing for the third (and ultimately final) time, a new cast of characters will be introduced to the mainstream world.
Featured in this season’s cast will be the late Steve Irwin’s former bodyguard, a published poet, the manager of an Italian eatery, a snake breeder, “The Kool-Aid Man” and the self professed “Baddest Man In The State of Minnesota”.
The entire cast of The Ultimate Fighter, with brief bios, is listed below.
Source for Bios and Names: www.spike.com
Below is the list of names that will be participating for the contract on The Ultimate Fighter 11.
The Ultimate Fighter Season 11 begins March 31st.
RICH ATTONITO
Hometown: Deerfield Beach, Fla.
Affiliation: American Top Team
Record: 7-3
Age: 32
A 2001 graduate of Hofstra University, Rich Attonito wrestled several different weight classes as a member of the Pride wrestling team, including the 167- and 197-pound divisions. Attonito has been training with American Top Team since he moved to Florida in 2006. He is the strength and conditioning coach for UFC veteran Luigi Fioravanti.
SETH BACZYNSKI
Hometown: Canyon, Ariz.
Affiliation: Apex MMA
Record: 11-5
Age: 28
Baczynski is a training partner to TUF 8 champion Efrain Escudero and TUF 9 alum Santino DeFranco. He is a full-time water inspector for Liberty Water.
CHARLES BLANCHARD
Hometown: Coconut Creek, Fla.
Affiliation: American Top Team
Record: 7-2
Age: 24
A two-time all-state wrester in high school, Blanchard is a single father. He is a jiu-jitsu brown belt as well as a published poet.
JOSH BRYANT
Hometown: Tulsa, Okla.
Affiliation: Absolute Combat Alliance
Record: 10-0
Age: 29
A member of the Absolute Combat Alliance camp in Tulsa, Okla., Josh is the manager of Mazzio’s Italian Eatery in Oklahoma.
CHRIS CAMOZZI
Hometown: Denver
Affiliation: Gumm MMA
Record: 11-3
Age: 22
Camozzi is a freestyle fighter who works as a bouncer in his spare time. Two of his three losses are to TUF alums Jesse Forbes (Season 3) and Jesse Taylor (Season 7).
BRENT COOPER
Hometown: Long Beach, Calif.
Affiliation: Team Oyama
Record: 5-1
Age: 31
Of Sioux Indian descent, Cooper is a pipe liner by day for Shell Oil, and a devastating striker by night, with four of his five wins coming via TKO.
JACEN FLYNN
Hometown: Meridian, Idaho
Affiliation: None
Record: 8-2
Age: 31
Jacen Flynn own wins over UFC veterans Denis Kang and Dean Lister. He is a social worker.
JAMES HAMMORTREE
Hometown: Ocala, Fla.
Affiliation: USA Martial Arts
Record: 4-0
Age: 23
Following one season at Weber International, where he starred on the football team as a linebacker and on special teams, Hammortree left the program in order to become a full-time fighter. He is a one-time high school wrestler and turned professional in 2009.
JOSEPH HENLE
Hometown: Thousand Oaks, Calif.
Affiliation: Big John McCarthy’s MMA
Record: 3-0
Age: 26
Joseph Henle splits time training at Big John McCarthy’s MMA and working as a substitute teacher and wrestling coach. Henle earned his MBA in financial planning from California Lutheran University in ’06. He speaks fluent Japanese.
CHARLEY LYNCH
Hometown: Mound, Minn.
Affiliation: Northway MMA
Record: 6-0
Age: 25
The self-proclaimed baddest man in Minnesota, Charley Lynch owns a 6-0 professional record with zero of his bouts going to decision.
KRIS MCCRAY
Hometown: Dumfries, Va.
Affiliation: Chute Boxe
Record: 5-0
Age: 28
The son of a military father, Kris McCray was raised in Germany, where he excelled on the soccer pitch. In 1999, McCray moved permanently to the United States, where he has served parts of 8 years (6 active, 2 inactive) as a member of the Army Reserve. He has an Associates degree in Social Studies from Northern Virginia Community College.
COURT MCGEE
Hometown: Orem, Utah
Affiliation: Throwdown Elite Fight Team
Record: 9-1
Age: 24
A Brazilian jiu-jitsu artist, Court McGee beat Season 9 runner-up DaMarques Johnson in 2007 by submission. He’s also 2-0 as a pro boxer.
CLAYTON MCKINNEY
Hometown: Orlando, Fla.
Affiliation: Jungle MMA
Record: 4-2
Age: 27
A teammate of Season 8 alum Tom Lawlor at Jungle MMA, McKinney is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt. He supplements his training by working security at a local bar.
KYLE NOKE
Hometown: Albuquerque, N.M.
Affiliation: Jackson’s MMA
Record: 16-4-1
Age: 29
Noke, from Mooloolaba, Australia, is the former bodyguard of “Crocodile Hunter” Steve Irwin. Noke defeated Season 6 alum George Sotiropoulos in June 2005 and current cast mate Kyacey Uscola in September.
VICTOR O’DONNELL
Hometown: Milford, Ohio
Affiliation: Vision MMA
Record: 8-1
Age: 27
O’Donnell suffered his first professional loss in September against cast mate Costantinos Philippou. Before that, he had won eight in a row, seven of which were by submission.
NORMAN PARAISY
Hometown: Coconut Creek, Fla.
Affiliation: American Top Team
Record: 5-1
Age: 23
Norman Paraisy was born and raised Paris. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu artist left France in order to pursue MMA in the U.S. and is now a member of the American Top Team.
COSTANTINOS PHILIPPOU
Hometown: Merrick, N.Y.
Affiliation: Serra-Longo MMA
Record: 5-1
Age: 30
Costantinos Philippou is a former boxer with three professional and over 80 amateur fights on his record. He was born and raised in Greece.
GREG REBELLO
Hometown: Buzzards Bay, Mass.
Affiliation: Sityodtong USA
Record: 9-2
Age: 27
Rebello under the watchful eye of highly regarded coach Mark DellaGrotte. Currently in peak physical condition, Rebello at one time weighed in over 300 pounds before dedicating himself to fitness at 18.
NICK RING
Hometown: Calgary, Canada
Affiliation: B.D.P. Martial Arts
Record: 10-0
Age: 30
Ring returned to MMA in May following a three-year stint away from the sport after suffering a devastating knee injury. In that time, Ring boxed professionally and was 4-1 with three knockouts.
JORDAN SMITH
Hometown: Clearfield, Utah
Affiliation: Throwdown Elite Fight Team
Record: 10-0
Age: 24
A seventh grade teacher, Jordan Smith is a former professional boxer who trains with cast mate Court McGee at Throwdown Elite Fight Team.
BEN STARK
Hometown: Tamarac, Fla.
Affiliation: American Top Team
Record: 3-1
Age: 27
Born and raised a practitioner of the Orthodox Jewish religion until the age of 6, Ben Stark began training with American Top Team in Florida as a sophomore in college. When not at the gym, Stark likes to breed snakes.
LYLE STEFFENS
Hometown: Tucson, Ariz.
Affiliation: Apex MMA
Record: 5-2
Age: 26
Steffens is a firefighter and an EMT and trains with cast member Seth Baczynski.
BRAD TAVARES
Hometown: Las Vegas Affiliation: Tapout Training Center
Record: 4-0
Age: 21
Tavares is the youngest of this season’s cast members. Originally from Hilo, Hawaii, Tavares recently relocated to Las Vegas and trains full-time with Tapout.
WARREN THOMPSON
Hometown: Marietta, Ga.
Affiliations: Team Khunpon/Roberto Traven BJJ
Record: 5-0
Age: 23
Thompson, known as “The Kool-Aid Man,” is a Muay Thai fighter and a volunteer firefighter.
KYACEY USCOLA
Hometown: Sacramento, Calif.
Affiliation: Team Alpha Male
Record: 18-15
Age: 28
Kyacey Uscola joins the cast with 33 professional MMA fights on his record. He trains with WEC star Urijah Faber.
CLEBURN WALKER
Hometown: Keller, Texas
Affiliation: Team Lutter
Record: 9-3
Age: 26
Cleburn Walker is a full-time fighter and an instructor at Team Lutter. He suffered a recent loss via submission to TUF Season 3 alum Jesse Forbes in June.
WOODY WEATHERBY
Hometown: Hudson, N.H.
Affiliations: Renzo Gracie Academy/Micky Ward’s Boxing Gym & Xtreme MMA
Record: 7-3
Age: 27
A former Navy officer, Weatherby currently works full-time as a corrections officer for the Hillsborough County jail in Manchester, N.H.
JAMIE YAGER
Hometown: Los Angeles
Affiliation: Kings MMA
Record: 2-1
Age: 25
A standout varsity letterman in baseball and football, Yager was the 2001 Athlete of the Year at South Pasadena High School in California. He picked up training MMA as a hobby, and went straight from training to the professional ranks in February 2008 as part of BET’s “Iron Ring” show.
Here is the video introducing the TUF 11 cast members:
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