The Ultimate Fighter 16 - Discussion, Rumors & Results

[Keithlewis]

HEAVYWEIGHTS SHANE CARWIN AND ROY NELSON TO COACH UPCOMING SEASON OF THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER ON FX - FILMING STARTS SOON FOR SEPTEMBER PREMIERE


The Ultimate Fighting Championship organization is proud to announce the coaches for the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter are interim UFC heavyweight champion Shane Carwin and top heavyweight contender Roy ‘Big Country’ Nelson.

Taping for the show’s second season on FX will begin in early August, with the debut episode slated to air in September.

UFC President Dana White said: “This is going to be a very interesting dynamic between these two heavyweights. They both have huge punching power and great chins but, outside of the Octagon, they couldn’t be more different. These two have been going at it on social media for a while and don’t seem to like each other very much, but they are going to be seeing a lot of each other during this series and I guarantee it’ll make for great TV.”

“Working with Dana White, Lorenzo Fertitta and Craig Piligian on the first season of The Ultimate Fighter on FX was one of the highlights of my professional career," said Chuck Saftler, Executive Vice President, FX Networks. "I'm thrilled to be able to continue this working relationship, and I'm extremely confident we’re going to make season two the best possible viewing experience for UFC fans.”

Carwin, 12-2 in his mixed martial arts career, is unquestionably one of the hardest one-shot punchers in the entire sport. He knocked out the likes of Christian Wellisch, Gabriel Gonzaga and Frank Mir en route to winning the interim UFC heavyweight title in 2010. Now fully healthy after back surgery, the former NCAA Division II champion asked for the chance to coach the next generation of UFC stars on the longest-running sports reality TV series in the world.

“I’m very excited to get this opportunity. Coaching TUF is something I asked for and really wanted to do,” said Carwin. “I see myself being an MMA coach when my own career is over and can’t wait to start working with my Grudge Training team to help the next generation of UFC stars achieve their dreams.

“I also asked to coach against Roy Nelson. The fans know how I like to conduct myself both in and out of the Octagon, and I respect every fighter, coach, official and fan in the UFC. But I cannot respect a man like Roy Nelson - because he shows no respect himself. He is a keyboard warrior who doesn’t have the guts to talk trash to my face, but now he’s going to have to be in the same room, the same gym and finally the same Octagon as me.

“I know I am a better fighter and trainer than he is. I will prove I’m a better trainer in TUF and then, when we fight, I will hit him harder than anyone has ever hit him and teach him some respect.”

Roy Nelson, 17-7 in his MMA career, has been called one of the toughest fighters in any division. Already an experienced campaigner when he entered The Ultimate Fighter house in 2009, ‘Big Country’ defeated Kimbo Slice and Brendan Schaub to become the season 10 TUF champion, before going on to knockout Stefan Struve, Mirko Cro Cop and, most recently, Dave Herman. Nelson is the fifth TUF champion to return to the series as a coach, following Forrest Griffin, Rashad Evans, Michael Bisping and Matt Serra.

Las Vegas native Nelson said: “When I found out I was going to be a TUF coach I was like ‘Wow me!’ When I found out I was coaching against Shane Carwin I was so happy to get a chance to compete against this guy. As for being in the same room as him, I try not hang out with people that make me feel icky on the inside but, to coach TUF, I will make an exception.

"Shane Carwin can think he is the better fighter and coach, but I will do my best and try to represent the Average Joe and show my team that, with hard work, you can walk away a winner against any fighter."

In other TUF news, filming for The Ultimate Fighter: Australia vs UK - the Smashes starts in Sydney, Australia this Monday with coaches George Sotiropoulos and Ross Pearson.

[broncofan]

Dope! and if the two coaches actually fight this time I am taking Nelson.

[Keithlewis]

[Keithlewis]

[Keithlewis]

[Keithlewis]

FIELD FINALIZED FOR THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER FRIDAYS; SEASON BEGINS FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 14 at 9PM ET/PT ON FX



Two-Hour Special Premiere Event to Showcase 16 Elimination Fights; Finale Will Feature Fight Between the Coaches



The field of 32 of the most talented unsigned mixed martial artists in the world has been finalized for THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER FRIDAYS which begins Friday, September 14, on FX with a special two-hour premiere airing at 9 PM ET/PT.

Similar to the inaugural season of The Ultimate Fighter on FX, this upcoming season will run for 13 consecutive weeks, airing Friday nights at 10 PM ET/PT. The eventual season winner – who will be crowned at the live finale on Saturday, Dec. 15 on FX, will receive a six-figure contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship® organization.

As previously announced, former interim UFC heavyweight champion Shane Carwin and top contender and previous TUF winner Roy Nelson serve as coaches this season. The bitter rivals – who have already taken their feud public - will also collide in the eagerly awaited main event of the Las Vegas finale.

“Carwin and Nelson are two guys who just can’t stand each other and Roy and I haven’t exactly seen eye to eye either - he’s been a nightmare for me to work with on this show with all his stupid BS,” said UFC president Dana White.

Chuck Saftler, Executive Vice President, FX Networks said, “We feel that the rivalry between these two guys is going to create a season filled with fireworks and high drama, and we already know we can count on Dana White, Lorenzo Fertitta, Craig Borsari and Craig Piligian to bring the highest quality product to UFC fans, so we couldn’t be more pumped about the upcoming season.”

The list of finalists who will now attempt to fight their way on the show was trimmed from more than 60 invited fighters; 29 of the 170 lbs welterweight fighters seeking to cash in on the opportunity of a lifetime are from the United States, two are from Canada while one is Brazilian.

On Sept. 14, the season will kick-off with 16 gripping elimination fights. The winners in the elimination round, or “Fight In,” will become official cast members and earn their way into The Ultimate Fighter house in LasVegas where cameras will document their activity before and after their training and fights. The 16 winners will be drafted into opposing teams of eight by Carwin and eight by Nelson.

Each team will train at the TUF gym and reside in the TUF house together for the duration of theseason. Winners will advance in the tournament until ultimately, one man iscrowned THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER.



The Season Premiere cast:

Bristol Marunde, 30, Las Vegas, Nev.

Cameron Diffley, 27, Las Vegas, Nev.

Colton Smith, 25, Fort Hood, Texas via Ankeny, Iowa

Cortez Coleman, 30, Hugo, Okla.

David Michaud, 23, Pine Ridge, S.D.

Diego Bautista, 26, Lakewood, Calif.

Dom Waters, 23, Santa Rosa, Calif.

Eddy Ellis, 29, Olympia, Wash.,

Frank Camacho, 23, Camp Springs, Md.,

George Lockhart, 29, Atlanta, Ga.

Igor Araujo, 31, Albuquerque, N.M. via Patos De Minas, Brazil

James Chaney, 25, Klamath Falls, Ore.

Jason South, 34, West Jordan, Utah

Jerel Clark, 23, Reno, Nev.

Jesse Barrett, 26, Tempe, Ariz.

Joey Rivera, 32, Tucson, Ariz.

Jon Manley, 26, Ludlow, Mass.

Julian Lane, 25, Mansfield, Ohio

Kevin Nowaczyk, 23, Chicago, Ill.

Leo Kuntz, 28, Bismarck, N.D.

Lev Magen, 25, Las Vegas, Nev.

Matt Secor, 25, South Glens Falls, N.Y.

Max Griffin, 26, Sacramento, Calif.

Michael Hill, 25, Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada

Mike Ricci, 26, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Neil Magny, 24, Chicago, Ill.

Nic Herron-Webb, 22, Anchorage, Alaska

Ricky Legere Jr., 26, Corona, Calif.

Saad Awad, 23, San Bernardino, Calif.

Sam Alvey, 26, Murrieta, Calif.

Tim Ruberg, 30, Harrison, Ohio

Zane Kamaka, 23, Klaianae, Hawaii



Many of today’s most recognizable names in MMA have emerged from the TUF series, including,among many others, Rashad Evans, Kenny Florian, Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar.

So who will be the champion on THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER FRIDAYS on FX?

[Keithlewis]

[Keithlewis]

http://www.ufc.com/news/Meet-the-TUF-16 ... ane-Carwin


The Colorado KO King is back. Maybe not in the way you would have initially expected, but Shane Carwin’s return to active duty as a coach on season 16 of The Ultimate Fighter (which premieres on FX this Friday night at 9pm) after being sidelined by injury for over a year is a welcome one, and no one is more amped up than he is.

“I’m a competitor at heart, so these surgeries and all that have definitely taken a little bit of a toll, so I’m definitely excited to get back and hopefully all the problems with my spine are taken care of,” said Carwin, a former interim UFC heavyweight champion. “I’m working with a great strength and conditioning coach in Loren Landow, and he’s helping me keep my core strong, my body mechanics right and being posteriorly correct and doing all the right things to try to keep that back healthy.”

And as he runs his team of hopefuls through the ringer with the help of assistant coaches ranging from Nate Marquardt, Duane Ludwig, and Trevor Wittman to Pat Barry, Leister Bowling, and Landow, to prepare them to compete for a life-altering contract with the UFC, he also has a little pot of gold waiting for him at the end of the rainbow in the form of a fight at the season finale on December 15th against opposing TUF 16 coach Roy Nelson, who won’t exactly be on Carwin’s Christmas card list this year.

“There’s no hiding it – we have a strong dislike for each other,” said Carwin. “I think we’re on opposite ends of the spectrum on how we handle ourselves, and I dislike Roy. (Pauses) I just don’t like the guy and I’ve got nothing to say to him. He tries to paint himself as this average guy, and he’s not. He’s never had a normal job. I grew up blue collar, and I work extremely hard just to live.”

Which brings up an interesting point heading into this season: Carwin’s dual life as a full-time professional fighter and a full-time engineer in his native Colorado has been well-documented. How was he able to escape to Las Vegas for six weeks of taping?

“I had to go before the board and talk to them and explain to them what was going on,” said Carwin, “and I’m out here working on a remote desktop. What this has taught me is just being out here and being here with my coaches and just training full-time is that I am missing some of the aspects, so there are some things I have to reevaluate myself as a fighter. I think I miss the recoup time and the rest time that a lot of these other fighters get and I think that might be contributing to my injuries.”

But as famed boxing trainer Cus D’Amato once said “people who are born round don’t die square,” and you get the impression that Carwin is one of those people who will never sit still, who always needs something stimulating him physically or intellectually.

“There’s a plan,” laughs the 37-year old. “We all have to have goals and where we see ourselves in the future, and that’s how we succeed. You just can’t go living day to day with no plan in your life. So when I reach the age about 45, I plan on picking up fly-fishing and other sports, and I’d like to try and make it into some competitive golf tournaments when I get older too. I’ve found a love for the golf game, and just picking that up and working with a guy that was on the tour back in the day, Mark Cook, so there are lots of opportunities to be competitive at other things when I get older in life.”

All retirement plans aside though, Carwin still has plenty of fight left in him. 4-2 in the UFC with knockout wins over Frank Mir and Gabriel Gonzaga, he was thisclose to winning the undisputed heavyweight crown against Brock Lesnar in July of 2010 before gassing out and getting submitted in the second round. A layoff of nearly a year followed due to injury, and though he lost to soon-to-be champion Junior dos Santos in June of last year, he courageously went the distance with “Cigano” before losing a unanimous decision. And to think, he did it all while working full-time and raising a family. It’s a key lesson that he will be able to impart to his team on TUF, as many young prospects, if not all of them, have to juggle day jobs with their fighting careers until they make the big time.

“Definitely,” said Carwin. “And they can see that it’s possible (working and fighting), so it’s not a viable excuse for them to use. In anything that’s life that, you have to tell them that you’ve got to prioritize what you want in life. If work provides for your family or just you and gives you the basic needs in life, and fighting is what you dream of doing, there’s no reason you can’t do both.”

Carwin’s done it, and at the highest level of the game; so much so that he was brought in to coach the next generation of MMA stars on TUF. Yet despite his graciousness with the media over the years and his ease when the spotlight is on him, having cameras following him for six weeks did take some getting used to.

“It was difficult at first, but you get used to it,” he said. “You’re right, I’m not a guy that seeks out fame. I love the sport and I love to work hard and I’m passionate about these kids and being able to coach them and hopefully teach them some professionalism in the sport and in life as well.”

It all starts Friday night.

Oh yeah, there’s also that little Carwin vs. Nelson thing going on too.

“We’re polar opposites and that’s what you’re gonna see,” said Carwin. “You’re gonna see someone who takes the sport very seriously and professionally, and another guy that’s an ass clown.”