There had been many rumors that the 25th edition of The Ultimate Fighter would feature contestants from that past, and that has been confirmed today. The newest TUF, which will be coached by bantamweight rivals T.J. Dillashaw and Cody Garbrandt, will take place at 170 pounds and will feature 14 fighters.
Two of the men on the show are former TUF winners, four made the finals of their respective seasons, and one is actually still signed to the UFC and is on a two-fight winning streak.
The biggest name confirmed is probably Joe Stevenson. The TUF 2 winner challenged B.J. Penn for the UFC lightweight title back at UFC 208 and fought in the promotion 16 times, compiling an 8-8 record. He fought twice on the regional circuit in 2016, winning both bouts.
The other TUF winner on the show is Eddie Gordon, who won TUF 19 at middleweight but lost all three of his UFC bouts after that.
The four past TUF finalists that will compete are Ramsey Nijem, Hayder Hassan, Dhiego Lima, and Jesse Taylor. James Krause is the guy that’s still in the UFC.
Here’s a look at the full list of contestants.
Jesse Taylor (30-15, 0-1 UFC – Season 7)
Joe Stevenson (33-16, 8-8 UFC – Season 2)
Gilbert Smith (12-6, 0-1 UFC – Season 17)
Julian Lane (11-6-1, 0-0 UFC – Season 16)
Eddie Gordon (8-4, 1-3 UFC – Season 19)
Dhiego Lima (10-4, 1-3 UFC – Season 19)
James Krause (23-7, 4-3 UFC – Season 15)
Mehdi Baghdad (11-5, 0-2 UFC – Season 22)
Justin Edwards (8-5, 2-5 UFC – Season 13)
Seth Baczynski (19-14, 5-6 UFC – Season 11)
Hector Urbina (17-10-1, 1-2 UFC – Season 19)
Ramsey Nijem (9-6, 4-4 UFC – Season 13)
Hayder Hassan (6-3, 0-2 UFC – Season 21)
Tom Gallicchio (19-9, 0-0 UFC – Season 22)
More News
UFC269: Venezuelan Julianna Peña Submits Brazilian Amanda Nunes, Becomes the new UFC World Champion
Oliveira, Poitier Make Weight for UFC World Title
Hot UFC269: this Saturday Oliveira vs Poirier Ready for War in Las Vegas