by King Hazard
On Wednesday, April 16, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fans will get their fill of the UFC’s long-running reality series, The Ultimate Fighter, as FOX Sports 1 showcases the season-ending The Ultimate Fighter Nations Finale live from Quebec City, followed by the two-hour premiere of the hotly anticipated 19th season headlined by former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar and two-division champion BJ Penn.
In the 19th edition of the series, 16 middleweight (185 lbs.) and 16 light heavyweight (205 lbs.) fighters will square off in the most challenging sports tournament on television. The premiere episode will determine the eight men from each division who will successfully move into The Ultimate Fighter house and compete for a Harley-Davidson motorcycle and a six-figure contract with the UFC.
See this season’s newly released promos featuring Frankie Edgar, BJ Penn and the latest cast of Ultimate Fighters.
The successful fighters will be divided into two teams, coached by Edgar and Penn respectively. The series will follow the teams as they live and train together in preparation for their fights. Then, both coaches will settle their score once and for all at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas on Sunday, July 6, in the main event of The Ultimate Fighter 19 Finale.
“Frankie Edgar is a guy who many believed should have fought at 145 pounds but fought at 155 pounds and beat everybody including BJ Penn – twice,” said UFC president Dana White. “This kid went from being a one-dimensional wrestler to having some of the best hands, knockouts and toe-to-toe wars.
“BJ Penn is one of the legends in the sport. He basically built the 155-pound division in the sport and had championship belts at 155 and 170 pounds. I can’t wait to see this third fight.”
The competitors are:
Corey Anderson (3-0), 24, Lincoln, Ill.
Kelly Anundson (6-1), 29, Deerfield Beach, Fla.
Anton Berzin (3-1), 24, Philadelphia, Pa.
Josh Clark (7-2), 29, Richmond, Ky.
Chris Fields (8-4), 30, Dublin, Ireland
Cathal Pendred (13-2), 26, Dublin, Ireland
John Poppie (3-1), 24, Ettrick, Wis.
Doug Sparks (7-2), 31, Bloomington, Ind.
Daniel Spohn (8-3), 29, Columbus, Ohio
Joshua Stansbury (4-2), 29, East Liverpool, Ohio
Matthew Gabel (8-3), 28, Le Mars, Iowa
Lyman Good (15-3), 28, New York, N.Y.
Eddie Gordon (6-1), 29, Uniondale, N.Y.
Jacob Heun (6-3), 26, Coconut Creek, Fla.
Mike King (5-0), 30, Naples, Fla.
Tyler King (7-1), 33, North Attleboro, Mass.
Dhiego Lima (8-1), 33, Sugar Hill, Ga.
Adrian Miles (14-5), 30, Biloxi, Miss.
Tyler Minton (5-1), 26, Johnson City, Tenn.
Todd Monaghan (8-2), 31, Clinton, Iowa
Cody Mumma (5-1), 30, Henderson, Colo.
Ian Stephens (4-0), 25, Ringgold, Ga.
Adam Stroup (5-1), 27, Denver, Colo.
Nordine Taleb (8-2), 32, Montreal, Canada
Hector Urbina (16-8), 26, Coconut Creek, Fla.
Matt Van Buren (6-2), 27, Chula Vista, Calif.
Bojan Velickovic (8-2), 33, Delray Beach, Fla.
Daniel Vizcaya (7-2), 28, Aurora, Ill.
Patrick Walsh (4-1), 25, Stoughton, Mass.
Tim Williams (8-1), 27, Millville, N.J.
Roger Zapata (5-1), 27, New York, N.Y.
The Ultimate Fighter: Team Edgar vs. Team Penn will run for 13 weeks in its regularly scheduled timeslot of 10 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1. Each episode’s winners will advance in the single-elimination tournament, which will culminate in a three-hour finale, live from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas on Sunday, July 6.
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