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NEW YORK — They come from all over the globe, spanning Brooklyn to Israel, including far-off locales such as Russia, Nova Scotia, England and Hawaii.
Their diverse backgrounds range from a former Division 1 college football player to a CIA recruiter and include the brother of “The Ultimate Fighter 2” winner.
For these 32 up-and-coming mixed martial arts fighters, there is one goal, to win a six-figure contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Season eight of Spike TV’s “The Ultimate Fighter” premieres September 17 at with 16 lightweights (155 lbs) and 16 light heavyweights (205 lbs) under the watchful eye of the coaches, interim UFC heavyweight champion, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, and former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir.
Each of the 32 contestants must fight his way into the Ultimate Fighter House by winning a preliminary bout that will be featured during the first two episodes (Sept. 17 and 24). The remaining 10 episodes will feature the victorious 16 fighters and their quest for the “Ultimate Fighter” crown.
During the six-week taping of “The Ultimate Fighter: Team Mir vs. Team Nogueira,” these 16 men who survived the prelims endured a grueling regimen of jiu-jitsu, judo, muay Thai, karate, boxing and wrestling. The intense competition between the fighters continues after they leave the gym – at The Ultimate Fighter House. These warriors must live together, knowing that any day they might be forced to fight each other in the UFC octagon.
The two finalists will square off in a live finale December 13 on Spike TV, when the two weight class winners will be declared The Ultimate Fighter and net the aforementioned contract and a cash prize. UFC President Dana White will once again serve as host of the series.
The 32 fighters for “The Ultimate Fighter: Team Mir vs. Team Nogueira” include:
LIGHTWEIGHTS
Jose Aguilar
Age: 25
MMA Record: 17-3-0
Trains With: Grapplers Edge
Location: Las Cruces, NM
Fernando Bernstein
Age: 25
MMA Record: 2-0-0
Location: San Clemente, CA
Junie Allen Browning
Age: 22
MMA Record: 2-0-0
Trains With: Four Seasons Martial Arts
Location: Lexington, KY
Rolando Delgado
Age: 26
MMA Record: 7-3-1
Trains With: Westside Fight Team
Location: North Little Rock, AR
Joseph Duarte
Age: 24
MMA Record: 3-0
Trains With: Unleashed Training Facility / Alliance MMA
Location: San Diego, CA
Efrain Escudero
Age: 22
MMA Record: 10-0-0
Trains With: Southwest Martial Arts
Location: Tempe, AZ
Brandon Garner
Age: 26
MMA Record: 4-1-0
Trains With: Team ROC
Location: Raleigh, NC
David Kaplan
Age: 28
MMA Record: 3-1-0
Trains With: Lloyd Irvin Team
Location: Camp Springs, MD
Eric Magee
Age: 23
MMA Record: 3-1-0
Trains With: South Shore Sport
Location: Rockland, MA
Brian McLaughlin
Age: 23
MMA Record: 5-0-0
Trains With: Team Gracie Tampa
Location: Tampa, FL
Wesley Murch
Age: 25
MMA Record: 4-2-0
Trains With: Trojan Gym
Location: Bristol, UK
Shane Nelson
Age: 24
MMA Record: 11-3-0
Trains With: BJ Penn’s MMA
Location: Hilo, HI
Phillipe Nover
Age: 24
MMA Record: 5-0-1
Trains With: Team Renzo Gracie
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Ido Pariente
Age: 30
MMA Record: 13-4-0
Trains With:
Location: Tel Aviv, Israel
John Polakowski
Age: 26
MMA Record: 3-1-0
Trains With: The Pit
Location: San Luis Obispo, CA
George Roop
Age: 26
MMA Record: 7-3-0
Trains With: Ultima MMA
Location: Tucson, AZ
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT
Ryan Bader
Age: 24
MMA Record: 7-0-0
Trains With: Arizona Combat Sports
Location: Chandler, AZ
Antwain Britt
Age: 29
MMA Record: 4-0-0
Trains With: Bombsquad MMA
Location: Virginia Beach, VA
Jules Bruchez
Age: 30
MMA Record: 3-2-0
Trains With: Ronan Dojo
Location: Lafayette, LA
Charles Diaz
Age: 25
MMA Record: 3-0-0
Trains With: SD Fight Club
Location: San Diego, CA
Lance Evans
Age: 30
MMA Record: 4-2-0
Trains With: TKO MMA
Location: Niagara Falls, NY
Karen Grigoryan
Age: 26
MMA Record: 5-0-0
Trains With: RusFighters Sport Club
Location: Russia
Jason Guida
Age: 30
MMA Record: 26-13-0
Trains With: Hellhouse Gym
Location: Chicago, IL
Ryan Jimmo
Age: 26
MMA Record: 6-1-0
Trains With: Titans MMA
Location: Halifax, Nova Scotia
Kyle Kingsbury
Age: 26
MMA Record: 7-1-1
Trains With: American Kickboxing Academy
Location: Sunnyvale, CA
Tom Lawlor
Age: 24
MMA Record:
Trains With: American Top Team
Location: Oviedo, FL
Ryan Lopez
Age: 25
MMA Record: 5-3-0
Location: Oklahoma City, OK
Vinicius Magalhaes
Age: 23
MMA Record: 2-2-0
Trains With: Team Quest
Location: Temecula, CA
Eliot Marshall
Age: 27
MMA Record: 5-1-0
Trains With: Eastern Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Location: Boulder, CO
Sean O’Connell
Age: 24
MMA Record: 1-0-0
Location: Salt Lake City, UT
Shane Primm
Age: 23
MMA Record: 1-0-0
Trains With: Team Gracie Tampa
Location: Tampa, FL
Krzysztof Soszynski
Age: 30
MMA Record: 16-8-1
Trains With: Team Quest
Location: Temecula, CA — Spike Public Relations
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