Tag: TUF 17

‘TUF 17: Team Jones vs. Team Sonnen’ Cast Features Seasoned Vets, Famous Victims


(Basically, TUF 17 is ‘Eyes Wide Shut,’ with Chael Sonnen playing the Tom Cruise role.)

USA Today/MMAJunkie has released the 28-member cast list for The Ultimate Fighter: Team Jones vs. Team Sonnen (aka TUF 17), which premieres Tuesday, January 22nd on FX. You can check out the full roster after the jump, but here are a few guys you may already know…

Nik Fekete (5-1, LHW): The New Jersey-bred wrestling savant had the dubious honor of becoming the second Bellator fighter to lose via flying inverted triangle choke. Fekete followed up that defeat with a TKO win over Mark Griffin at Bellator 48 in August 2011, but hasn’t competed since then.

Kevin Casey (5-2, MW): Best known as Heidi and Spencer’s BJJ coach, the rapper/grappler (“rappler”?), and Strikeforce vet has earned three of his five victories by first-round rear-naked choke, but has suffered TKO losses to Matt Lindland and Ikuhisa Minowa.

Zak Cummings (15-3, LHW, listed here as “Zach”): A Missouri-based vet who has made appearances in Strikeforce Challengers, Bellator, and MFC, Cummings kicked off his pro career with a 10-0 streak. Since then, he’s been more notable for losing to Tim Kennedy and losing to Ryan Jimmo.

Tor Troeng (15-4, MW): Remember how Dana White said there was one guy in the TUF 17 cast who “scared the living shit out of everyone” and put all his opponents in the hospital? Well, there are unsubstantiated rumors that it might be this guy, a Swedish vet who has won four straight fights since being submitted by Thales Leites at Superior Challenge 6 in October 2010.

Robert McDaniel (20-6, MW): “Bubba” has only gone to decision once in his long career, and 75% of his wins have come by submission. McDaniel holds stoppage wins over Kala Hose, Kyacey Uscola, and Johnny Rees, and is currently on a six-fight win streak.

And now, the full roster…


(Basically, TUF 17 is ‘Eyes Wide Shut,’ with Chael Sonnen playing the Tom Cruise role.)

USA Today/MMAJunkie has released the 28-member cast list for The Ultimate Fighter: Team Jones vs. Team Sonnen (aka TUF 17), which premieres Tuesday, January 22nd on FX. You can check out the full roster after the jump, but here are a few guys you may already know…

Nik Fekete (5-1, LHW): The New Jersey-bred wrestling savant had the dubious honor of becoming the second Bellator fighter to lose via flying inverted triangle choke. Fekete followed up that defeat with a TKO win over Mark Griffin at Bellator 48 in August 2011, but hasn’t competed since then.

Kevin Casey (5-2, MW): Best known as Heidi and Spencer’s BJJ coach, the rapper/grappler (“rappler”?), and Strikeforce vet has earned three of his five victories by first-round rear-naked choke, but has suffered TKO losses to Matt Lindland and Ikuhisa Minowa.

Zak Cummings (15-3, LHW, listed here as “Zach”): A Missouri-based vet who has made appearances in Strikeforce Challengers, Bellator, and MFC, Cummings kicked off his pro career with a 10-0 streak. Since then, he’s been more notable for losing to Tim Kennedy and losing to Ryan Jimmo.

Tor Troeng (15-4, MW): Remember how Dana White said there was one guy in the TUF 17 cast who “scared the living shit out of everyone” and put all his opponents in the hospital? Well, there are unsubstantiated rumors that it might be this guy, a Swedish vet who has won four straight fights since being submitted by Thales Leites at Superior Challenge 6 in October 2010.

Robert McDaniel (20-6, MW): “Bubba” has only gone to decision once in his long career, and 75% of his wins have come by submission. McDaniel holds stoppage wins over Kala Hose, Kyacey Uscola, and Johnny Rees, and is currently on a six-fight win streak.

And now, the full roster…

Dylan Andrews (16-4-1), 32, Gold Coast, Australia (by way of New Zealand)
Kito Andrews (9-2), 34, Sacramento, Calif.
Luke Barnatt (5-0), 24, Cambridge, England
Leo Bercier (7-2), 31, Great Falls, Mont.
Ryan Bigler (9-3), 28, Yona, Guam
Kevin Casey (5-2), Hawthorne, Calif.
Adam Cella (4-0), 27, Fenton, Mo.
Zach Cummings (15-3), 28, Kansas City, Mo.
Andy Enz (6-1), 21, Anchorage, Alaska
Nik Fekete (5-1), 32, Las Vegas
Kelvin Gastelum (5-0), 20, Yuma, Ariz.
Uriah Hall (7-2), 28, New York City (by way of Jamaica)
Collin Hart (4-1-1), 23, Santa Rosa, Calif.
Clint Hester (7-3), 25, Atlanta
Jake Heun (3-2), 25, Salt Lake City
Mike Jasper (6-0), 29, Camarillo, Calif.
Nicholas Kohring (3-0), 22, Valley Springs, Calif.
Robert “Bubba” McDaniel (20-6), 29, Albuquerque, N.M.
Fraser Opie (10-5), 29, Milton Keynes, England (by way of South Africa)
Mike Persons (3-0), 28, Manteca, Calif.
Jimmy Quinlan (3-0), 26, Metheun, Mass.
Scott Rosa (4-1), 26, Sparks, Nev.
Joshua Samman (9-2), 24, Tallahassee, Fla.
Gilbert Smith Jr. (5-1), Colorado Springs, Colo.
Eldon Sproat (3-1), 27, Molokai, Hawaii
Tor Troeng (15-4-1), 29, Umea, Sweden
Eric Wahlin (5-1), 29, Taylorsville, Utah
Timothy Williams (7-1), 26, Millville, N.J.

Keep in mind that this crew will likely be cut down to 16 by the end of the first episode’s elimination round. If you have info to share about any of the other fighters we didn’t cover, please drop some knowledge in the comments section.

Friday Link Dump: Jim Miller Calls Out Maynard, Rousey’s UFC Debut Not Moving Tickets, The 100 Hottest Sports WAGs Ever + More


(We highly recommend Margold’s dystopian sci-fi novel, “A Future Without Kleenex.” Check out 29 more amazing real-life job titles at WorldWideInterweb.)

– Jim Miller Looking to Avenge Losses; Calls out Gray Maynard (BleacherReport)

– Invicta 4: MMA’s All-Female Promotion Tests Pay-Per-View Waters (MMAJunkie)

– New Video Promo For The Ultimate Fighter: Jones vs. Sonnen (Fightline)

– Ronda Rousey Isn’t a Box Office Knockout for UFC 157 Tickets (MMAFighting)

– Check Out Joe Lauzon’s Super Bloody UFC 155 Fight Vlog (MiddleEasy)

– Someone in New York City Voted for Chael Sonnen for President (CageWriter)

– Eddie Alvarez Almost Ready to Say ‘F!@# it’ as UFC and Bellator Contract Negotiations Get Ugly (BloodyElbow)

– 10 Awesome Photos of Head Kicks (FightDay)

– The 100 Hottest WAGS in Sports History (Complex)

– What’s the Right Way to End a First Date? (MensFitness)

– Vince Gilligan Tells Us What To Expect From The ‘Breaking Bad’ Finale (ScreenJunkies)


(We highly recommend Margold’s dystopian sci-fi novel, “A Future Without Kleenex.” Check out 29 more amazing real-life job titles at WorldWideInterweb.)

– Jim Miller Looking to Avenge Losses; Calls out Gray Maynard (BleacherReport)

– Invicta 4: MMA’s All-Female Promotion Tests Pay-Per-View Waters (MMAJunkie)

– New Video Promo For The Ultimate Fighter: Jones vs. Sonnen (Fightline)

– Ronda Rousey Isn’t a Box Office Knockout for UFC 157 Tickets (MMAFighting)

– Check Out Joe Lauzon’s Super Bloody UFC 155 Fight Vlog (MiddleEasy)

– Someone in New York City Voted for Chael Sonnen for President (CageWriter)

– Eddie Alvarez Almost Ready to Say ‘F!@# it’ as UFC and Bellator Contract Negotiations Get Ugly (BloodyElbow)

– 10 Awesome Photos of Head Kicks (FightDay)

– The 100 Hottest WAGS in Sports History (Complex)

– What’s the Right Way to End a First Date? (MensFitness)

– Vince Gilligan Tells Us What To Expect From The ‘Breaking Bad’ Finale (ScreenJunkies)

– 6 Things on the Internet That Are Pissing Me Off This Week (EgoTV)

– Quentin Tarantino Talks About the Time His Mom Banged Wilt Chamberlain (FilmDrunk)

Friday Link Dump: Sonnen vs. Jones TUF Trailer, Tim Kennedy Disses Strikeforce Fighters, BJJ Gets Sexy in New Commercial + More

(“Jon Jones can count on three things: Death, taxes, and Chael Sonnen whippin’ your ass.”/ Video via YouTube.com/UFC)

– Tim Kennedy Takes Shot At Fighters Who Pulled Out Of Strikeforce Bouts (Fightline)

– Dana White on Gay Fighter Liz Carmouche: ‘I Love What She Did’ (MMAFighting)

– Mata Leon’s Sexy New BJJ Kimono Ad (BloodyElbow)

– MMA’s Top 10 ‘Holy S#!t’ Moments of 2012 (BleacherReport)

– Check Out the 20-Second Fight That Almost Ended in a Double KO (MiddleEasy)

– Video: Reshat Mati, 13 Year Old MMA and Boxing Prodigy (FightDay)

– 5 Other Apocalypses That Didn’t Happen (Besides the 2012 Mayan Apocalypse) (EgoTV)

– The Quentin Tarantino Soundboard (Complex)

– 6 Supplements You Shouldn’t Be Skipping (MensFitness)

– The 50 Best Viral Videos of 2012 (WorldWideInterweb)

– RAW COMMENTARY: ‘Muppet Christmas Carol’ (ScreenJunkies)

– Adorable. (Facebook.com/CagePotato)


(“Jon Jones can count on three things: Death, taxes, and Chael Sonnen whippin’ your ass.”/ Video via YouTube.com/UFC)

– Tim Kennedy Takes Shot At Fighters Who Pulled Out Of Strikeforce Bouts (Fightline)

– Dana White on Gay Fighter Liz Carmouche: ‘I Love What She Did’ (MMAFighting)

– Mata Leon’s Sexy New BJJ Kimono Ad (BloodyElbow)

– MMA’s Top 10 ‘Holy S#!t’ Moments of 2012 (BleacherReport)

– Check Out the 20-Second Fight That Almost Ended in a Double KO (MiddleEasy)

– Video: Reshat Mati, 13 Year Old MMA and Boxing Prodigy (FightDay)

– 5 Other Apocalypses That Didn’t Happen (Besides the 2012 Mayan Apocalypse) (EgoTV)

– The Quentin Tarantino Soundboard (Complex)

– 6 Supplements You Shouldn’t Be Skipping (MensFitness)

– The 50 Best Viral Videos of 2012 (WorldWideInterweb)

– RAW COMMENTARY: ‘Muppet Christmas Carol’ (ScreenJunkies)

– Adorable. (Facebook.com/CagePotato)

Obligatory ‘TUF 17? Hype of the Day: Dana White Says One Contestant is “Scaring the Shit Out of Everyone”

(I have no joke prepared. I simply wanted another opportunity to remind you that this was a thing that happened.)

Desperate times call for desperate measures, Nation. And since the ratings for The Ultimate Fighter are nose-diving faster than Charlie Sheen into a silica sandbox, old Dana White has had to step up his obligatory pre-TUF hype a notch. You might recall this from last season’s TUF: Smashes, which Dana declared to be the “CRAZIEST SEASON OF TUF EVER!!!!” in the weeks leading up to it; a claim that — although we cannot refute — we are going to go right ahead and call bullshit on.

So perhaps you should take his recent bit of insider info regarding The Ultimate Fighter 17 with a grain (or a 10-pound bag) of salt. The Baldfather recently told MMAFighting that there is apparently one contestant on the upcoming season so dangerous, so terrifying, that he is “scaring the shit out of” his fellow contestants:

I know you guys are going to call bulls— on me and all that (Ed note: Well, at least he’s honest.). I told you guys, last season of The Ultimate Fighter was the worst season in the history of TUF (Again, props DW). This next season is so awesome and so badass. We have a guy on this season of The Ultimate Fighter, every fight he’s in, someone goes to the hospital.

The whole house is terrified of this guy. F– terrified.


(I have no joke prepared. I simply wanted another opportunity to remind you that this was a thing that happened.)

Desperate times call for desperate measures, Nation. And since the ratings for The Ultimate Fighter are nose-diving faster than Charlie Sheen into a silica sandbox, old Dana White has had to step up his obligatory pre-TUF hype a notch. You might recall this from last season’s TUF: Smashes, which Dana declared to be the “CRAZIEST SEASON OF TUF EVER!!!!” in the weeks leading up to it; a claim that — although we cannot refute — we are going to go right ahead and call bullshit on.

So perhaps you should take his recent bit of insider info regarding The Ultimate Fighter 17 with a grain (or a 10-pound bag) of salt. The Baldfather recently told MMAFighting that there is apparently one contestant on the upcoming season so dangerous, so terrifying, that he is “scaring the shit out of” his fellow contestants:

I know you guys are going to call bulls— on me and all that (Ed note: Well, at least he’s honest.). I told you guys, last season of The Ultimate Fighter was the worst season in the history of TUF (Again, props DW). This next season is so awesome and so badass. We have a guy on this season of The Ultimate Fighter, every fight he’s in, someone goes to the hospital.

The whole house is terrified of this guy. F– terrified. Everybody. I picked this fight, and this guy is lined up with the guy I’m telling you about, and the guy has a nervous breakdown in the house over the weekend. Has a f– nervous breakdown. Freaks out and has a nervous breakdown. This guy scared the living s— out of everyone. It’s awesome.

That’s right, TUF has officially fallen so far that Dana is hyping the episodes where the fights don’t even happen because one of the fighters is too scared. Next week, Pacey and Jen share a kiss at the barnyard dance and Jesse hilariously struggles with a pill addiction.

Now, we’re not going to get into whether or not Dana should find it “awesome” that these fighters are being sent to the hospital on a regular basis. We’re not even going to discuss how sad it is that the president of the UFC would rather trot out this same dog and pony show each year instead of putting Old Yeller down once and for all. Instead, we’d rather like to speculate about the supposed injuries these fighters are being hospitalized with. Based on recent events, we’re going to go with the following: wet locker room floor, salmonella, and of course, air hockey table accident. We swear to God, that last one has a mind of its own and it hates British people.

The list of TUF 17 contestants has yet to be released, but we’ll make sure to keep you updated as details are made available. Until then, we’ll continue to slap a pair of ballroom shoes on this turd and call it a princess.

–J. Jones

Oh, Thank God: ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ Reportedly Moving to Tuesdays


(Nah, that’s cool. It’s not like we need to see the champion’s face or anything. / Image via MMAJunkie)

The Ultimate Fighter‘s year of wandering the Friday-night desert may be coming to a merciful end. Following two seasons on FX in which the show’s viewership went from really bad to straight-up abysmal, a new ad in UFC 360 (formerly UFC Magazine) claims that TUF 17: Team Jones vs. Team Sonnen will debut Tuesday, January 22nd, at 9 p.m. ET. Says MMAJunkie.com:

UFC and FX officials have yet to make an official announcement, however representatives from both companies have since confirmed the change with MMAjunkie.com. UFC President Dana White was a little more coy.

“That day sounds good to me,” White told MMAjunkie.com.

With the new season of TUF slated for Tuesdays, it seems that the UFC and Bellator will avoid an uncomfortable head-to-head scheduling situation. According to recent reports, Bellator’s live events will be returning to Thursdays beginning next month.

TUF 17, which began filming in October, will feature a cast of middleweight fighters to be named shortly. The question is: Will you start watching it again? Before you answer, keep in mind that these guys will no longer be on the show.


(Nah, that’s cool. It’s not like we need to see the champion’s face or anything. / Image via MMAJunkie)

The Ultimate Fighter‘s year of wandering the Friday-night desert may be coming to a merciful end. Following two seasons on FX in which the show’s viewership went from really bad to straight-up abysmal, a new ad in UFC 360 (formerly UFC Magazine) claims that TUF 17: Team Jones vs. Team Sonnen will debut Tuesday, January 22nd, at 9 p.m. ET. Says MMAJunkie.com:

UFC and FX officials have yet to make an official announcement, however representatives from both companies have since confirmed the change with MMAjunkie.com. UFC President Dana White was a little more coy.

“That day sounds good to me,” White told MMAjunkie.com.

With the new season of TUF slated for Tuesdays, it seems that the UFC and Bellator will avoid an uncomfortable head-to-head scheduling situation. According to recent reports, Bellator’s live events will be returning to Thursdays beginning next month.

TUF 17, which began filming in October, will feature a cast of middleweight fighters to be named shortly. The question is: Will you start watching it again? Before you answer, keep in mind that these guys will no longer be on the show.

[VIDEO] Dana White, Jon Jones, and Chael Sonnen Rub Elbows, Answer Fan Questions in MetroPCS Live Chat


(Let’s just say that their Chat Roulette session with fans quickly took a turn for the worse.)

When it was first announced that Jon Jones would be coaching the next season of The Ultimate Fighter opposite Chael Sonnen, then beating him into dust defending his light heavyweight strap against him at the season’s end, the general public reaction seemed to be that of bewilderment. Even those who were quick to defend the pairing didn’t have the cojones to claim that Sonnen had earned a title shot (because how could you), but rather that he stepped up when no one else would and it would make for great television so we should just all STFU. We have officially entered the Rollerball phase of the UFC, people. And although Sonnen made sure to break out the WWE trash-talk in the days following the announcement, if you are expecting all-out verbal warfare on next season’s TUF, you might want to start preparing yourself for disappointment.

Last night, Dana White, Jones, and Sonnen sat down for a 40 minute video chat with fans to answer questions about ranging from the upcoming season of the reality show to what Dana White thinks of Fedor, which was apparently asked by a fan who had been living underground for the past 3 years. After Dana was done berating anyone who had the gall to ask him anything other than how he would describe his perfect Sunday, he called in an uncharacteristically laid back and terrorist beard-free Jones, who was immediately asked how he viewed Sonnen now that the show had begun shooting. His response was surprising to say the least.

Full story and video after the jump. 


(Let’s just say that their Chat Roulette session with fans quickly took a turn for the worse.)

When it was first announced that Jon Jones would be coaching the next season of The Ultimate Fighter opposite Chael Sonnen, then beating him into dust defending his light heavyweight strap against him at the season’s end, the general public reaction seemed to be that of bewilderment. Even those who were quick to defend the pairing didn’t have the cojones to claim that Sonnen had earned a title shot (because how could you), but rather that he stepped up when no one else would and it would make for great television so we should just all STFU. We have officially entered the Rollerball phase of the UFC, people. And although Sonnen made sure to break out the WWE trash-talk in the days following the announcement, if you are expecting all-out verbal warfare on next season’s TUF, you might want to start preparing yourself for disappointment.

Last night, Dana White, Jones, and Sonnen sat down for a 40 minute video chat with fans to answer questions about ranging from the upcoming season of the reality show to what Dana White thinks of Fedor, which was apparently asked by a fan who had been living underground for the past 3 years. After Dana was done berating anyone who had the gall to ask him anything other than how he would describe his perfect Sunday, he called in an uncharacteristically laid back and terrorist beard-free Jones, who was immediately asked how he viewed Sonnen now that the show had begun shooting. His response was surprising to say the least.

Full story and video after the jump. 

From the mouth of the champ:

[Chael’s] actually, he’s not too bad. I thought it was going to be all trash-talk, but he’s actually being pretty decent and pretty classy. So, I think it’s going to make for a great show. 

I actually don’t hate Chael anymore. He’s actually turning out to be OK. I’m not sure if he’s setting me up to really hate him (Dana nods “yes”) but right now, he’s being a pretty decent human.

So you mean to tell me that not only are Bones and DW back to chummy-old-pal status, but so are Bones and Sonnen for the time being?

*Removing episodes 1 and 2 of TUF 17 from my DVR….NOW*

And indeed, once Sonnen enters the room around the 29 minute mark, the two start horsing around and shooting the shit like old high school buddies who bumped into each other at the airport bar. Chael even admits that he thinks Jon is a “pretty nice guy” and jokes with the champ about how delicious the “Jon Jones Special” pizza is at his pizzeria.

We can already hear the peeeewww noise of the TUF 17 ratings making their descent back to earth. You better have some tricks up your massive sleeves, Chael.

–J. Jones