The Ultimate Fighter Live (TUF 15) will premiere Friday, March 9, on FX with a special two-and-a-half-hour LIVE show starting at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT, and tape-delayed in the Pacific and Mountain time zones at 9 p.m. PT/10 p.m. MT.
TUF 15 will feature 32 lightweight fighters separated into two teams coached by UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz and his nemesis, former WEC featherweight champion Urijah Faber.
TUF 15 will run for 13 consecutive weeks, feature live fights each episode and culminate with a three-hour finale on June 1. Following the premiere episode on March 9, the series will move to its regular time slot on FX at 10 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast) for the remaining 12 weeks.
As part of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s contract with FOX Sports Media Group, FX will air a second 13-week season of The Ultimate Fighter Live this summer. There will be two 13-week seasons of The Ultimate Fighter Live on FX each year for the next seven years. And as always, the fighter who wins each season is granted a six-figure contract with the UFC.
Incidentally, the 13 weeks of taping for The Ultimate Fighter Live is more than twice as long as previous seasons of TUF. Because earlier seasons of TUF on Spike TV were shot months in advance, they were able to cram all of the filming into six weeks.
Chuck Saftler, Executive Vice President, FX Networks, commented on the new TUF LIVE format:
“We believe that Dana, Lorenzo Fertitta and Craig Piligian have come up with exciting new changes to the format of The Ultimate Fighter Live that will expand and grow the series. The fact that the fight at the end of every episode will now be televised live is certain to create a sense of urgency for UFC fans and will make the series even more compelling.”
The 32 fighters competing on this inaugural season of The Ultimate Fighter Live (TUF 15) are as follows:
- Akbarh Arreloa, Chula Vista, Calif.
- Al Iaquinta, Wantagh, N.Y.
- Ali Maclean, Belfast, North Ireland
- Andy Ogle, Tynemouth, England
- Austin Lyons, Cordova, Tenn.
- Brendan Weafer, New York, N.Y.
- Chris Tickle, Bloomington, Ill.
- Cody Pfister, Amarillo, Texas
- Cristiano Marcello, Curitiba, Brazil
- Chase Hackett, Littleton, Colo.
- Chris Saunders, Long Beach, Calif.
- Dakota Cochrane, Omaha, Neb.
- Daron Cruickshank, Wayne, Mich.
- Drew Dober, Omaha, Neb.
- Erin Beach, San Diego, Calif.
- James Krause, Blue Springs, Mo.
- James Vick, Fort Worth, Texas
- Jared Carlsten, Los Angeles, Calif.
- Jeff Smith, Mechanicsburg, Penn.
- Jeremy Larsen, Phoenix, Ariz.
- Joe Proctor, Pembroke, Mass.
- John Cofer, Hull, Ga.
- Johnavan Vistante, Pearl City, Hawaii
- Jon Tuck, Hagtna, Guam
- Jordan Rinaldi, Matthews, N.C.
- Justin Lawrence, Villa Ridge, Mo.
- Mark Glover, Liverpool, England
- Michael Chiesa, Spokane Valley, Wash.
- Myles Jury, San Diego, Calif.
- Mike Rio, Miami, Fla.
- Sam Sicilia, Spokane Valley, Wash.
- Vinc Pichel, Sherman Oaks, Calif.
Coaches Cruz and Faber have fought twice before, each winning once. They will clash for a third time at UFC 148 on July 7 in Las Vegas.