Conor McGregor and Urijah Faber have reportedly had their share of run-ins. They will have plenty more opportunities to clash when they coach against each other on the 22nd season of The Ultimate Fighter.
UFC officials on Monday announced the full cast for the venerable reality show’s latest go-around, featuring 32 MMA lightweights from around the United States and Europe.
The UFC announced the move in an email to media members, and it was subsequently covered by outlets including MMA Junkie.
This season, the program will feature a Team USA vs. Team Europe format. Faber will coach the Americans, comprising the following roster:
Andreas Quintana (8-1)
Austin Springer (8-0)
Billy Quarantillo (6-1)
Brandon Ricetti (7-1)
Brennan Sevin (7-1)
Chris Gruetzemacher (12-1)
Jason Soares (8-0)
Johnny Nunez (5-1)
James Jenkins (8-1)
Jason Gonzalez (9-2)
Julian Erosa (14-2)
Mike Flach (7-1)
Ryan Hall (4-1)
Thanh Le (4-1)
Tim Welch (12-5)
Tom Gallicchio (19-8)
McGregor, a native of Dublin and currently the UFC’s interim featherweight champion, will coach the European squad, including:
Artem Lobov (11-10-1)
Abner Lloveras (19-7-1)
David Teymur (3-1)
Djamil Chan (19-2)
Frantz Frank Slioa (4-0)
Marcin Wrzosek (10-2)
Martin Delaney (10-1)
Martin Svensson (14-5)
Mehdi Baghdad (11-3)
Mohamed Grabinski (10-1)
Paulo Boer (10-1-1)
Sascha Sharma (8-2)
Saul Rogers (10-1)
Sean Carter (10-1)
Thibault Gouti (10-0)
Vladimir Sikd (10-0)
Faber and McGregor will not fight after the season’s conclusion, as is the typical custom. Instead, McGregor is scheduled for a title unification bout with lineal champ Jose Aldo.
McGregor famously defeated Faber teammate Chad Mendes—who was fighting on short notice—at UFC 189 earlier this summer.
The USA vs. Europe format may be the UFC’s latest attempt to spark The Ultimate Fighter, a long-running show that has been dogged of late by accusations that it has become stale and repetitive. In the previous season, the show pitted two famous camps, American Top Team and the Blackzilians, against each other.
The ratings may also be boosted by the presence of McGregor, who may be the most famous MMA fighter in the world outside of Ronda Rousey.
The final TV ratings will help determine whether or to what extent these tactics will succeed.
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