Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) recently announced Season 33 of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF), the promotion’s long-running combat sports reality show, scheduled to premiere on May 27 on ESPN+ and ESPN2. Aspiring fighters competing in the flyweight (125 lbs.) and welterweight (170 lbs.) divisions will compete for a six-figure contract under the tutelage of head coaches Daniel Cormier and Chael Sonnen.
Watch the cast break down their upcoming season during today’s TUF 33 media day, embedded above.
Sonnen previously coached opposite Wanderlei Silva for TUF Brazil.
“I had a hard time with Wanderlei Silva, and it was with the language barrier,” Sonnen told MMA Junkie. “So I had an interpreter, he had an interpreter, and sometimes they didn’t agree and ultimately, they even subtitled the show. Like, communication was a very hard thing. With that said, I think that Wanderlei speaks better English than Daniel. I’m not saying like there’s a literacy issue, and I wouldn’t call Daniel stupid. I like him a lot. But if stupid had a cousin, it would be Daniel Cormier.”
Here is the finalized TUF 33 roster:
FLYWEIGHT
Alibi Idiris (10-0)
Arshiyan Memon (7-0)
Eduardo Chapolin (13-2)
Furkatbek Yokubov (15-4)
Imanol Rodriguez (5-0)
Joseph Morales (12-2)
Roybert Echeverria (10-2)
Tumelo Manyamala (6-1)
WELTERWEIGHT
Alex Sanchez (15-3)
Andrees Binder (10-2)
Danil Donchenko (11-2)
Diego Bianchini (9-1)
Jeff Creighton (11-2-1)
Richard Martins (9-1)
Rodrigo Sezinando (8-1)
Matt Dixon (11-1)
For more on this season of TUF click here.