As promised, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will be using The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 28 combat sports reality show to help find the next big thing at women’s featherweight, so that reigning division queenpin, Cris Cyborg, actually has someone in her own weight class to fight.
Joining the cast of 145-pounders will be eight male heavyweight combatants. So with both divisions representing the highest you can go for both sexes, it’s no surprise to learn that season 28 will be referred to as “Heavy Hitters.”
Here’s the compete line up:
FEMALE FEATHERWEIGHTS
Leah Letson | 25 | 4-1 | Milwaukee, WI
Larissa Pacheco | 23 | 11-2 | Belem, Brazil
Marciea Allen | 36 | 7-2 | Wood Dale, IL
Pannie Kianzad | 26 | 9-3 | Copenhagen, Denmark
Bea Malecki | 26 | 2-0 | Stockholm, Sweden
Julija Stoliarenko | 25 | 4-2-1 | Kaunas, Lithuania
Katharina Lehner | 28 | 7-1 | Cologne, Germany
Macy Chiasson | 26 | 2-0 | New Orleans, LAMALE HEAVYWEIGHTS
Ben Sosoli | 28 | 6-2 | Melbourne, Australia
Maurice Greene | 31 | 5-2 | St. Cloud, MN
Michel Batista | 34 | 4-0 | Miami, FL
Juan Francisco Espino Diepa | 37 | 8-1 | Las Palmas, Spain
Justin Frazier | 28 | 10-2 | Cave City, AR
Anderson Da Silva | 31 | 3-0-1 | Sao Paulo, Brazil
Przemyslaw Mysiala | 35 | 22-9-1 | Maidenhead, England
Josh Parisian | 28 | 7-2 | Brighton, MI
UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker coaches against top 185-pound contender and fellow TUF champion Kelvin Gastelum with their championship showdown expected to take place before the end of the year, depending on the timeline of “The Reaper’s” healing hand.
TUF 28 debuts Aug. 29 with the live finale taking place on Nov. 30 at The Pearl inside Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada.