Three weeks from today, The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 5 season will debut on SpikeTV at 10 p.m. EST.
It’s perhaps the most anticipated edition of the reality series to date. That’s due primarily to the new format, as well as the coaches, former UFC champions BJ Penn and Jens Pulver.
Today, the UFC issued a press release about the upcoming show, which will feature 16 lightweight (155 lb.) fighters “from around the world.”
Here’s a snip:
“Sixteen of the best up-and-coming mixed martial artists in the lightweight division (155lbs) from around the world will be featured in Season 5 of Spike TV’s hit original series, “The Ultimate Fighter,” premiering Thursday, April 5 at 10:00 PM, ET/PT. Former UFC Lightweight Champion Jens Pulver and former UFC Welterweight Champion B.J. Penn will serve as coaches.”
There’s not much in the way of new news here, especially if you read this blog often or check out our TUF 5 archive. However, it does confirm the contestants that were leaked last week and posted right here.
SpikeTV.com already has a dedicated TUF 5 section up and running, which includes fighter bios and a vague trailer. In addition, the official UFC TUF 5 Web site will launch tomorrow, March 16.
Rest assured that we will be covering the program episode-by-episode, blow-by-blow. In fact, Jesse Holland will be penning a weekly column on Thursday nights/Friday mornings about each show.
The column will include recaps and give you guys and gals a nice spot to share your thoughts and opinions — just one more thing to look forward to.
2 Comments »
“Sixteen of the best up-and-coming mixed martial artists in the lightweight division”
“But he’s now close to 30, married and with a family, and hasn’t competed in years, but may be the best athlete in the bunch.”
Why hasn’t one of the main picks of the best up-and-coming mma competed in years. Now that mma is so mainstream you would think the first picks for tuf would be athletes who have proved themselves in terms of full contact fights, and training work ethic, I have trouble beliving there arent thousands of guys working there asses off to be the best somewhere who could go in instead of a 30 year old married guy with kids. It really makes me wonder if UFC does have the best fighters on the TUF shows or not
Well maniac, one of the contestants has already beaten the coach…i think is fair to say there is defiantely some of the best up and comers…plus the tall guy will make for good tv, thats all…..theres 16 of these guys for shit sake, not all of them will make it to the ufc anyway, so the shows the show