Las Vegas, Nevada (Sept. 14, 2012) – Welcome to the End of the Weak. The 16th season of the Ultimate Fighting Championship® organization’s famed reality television show kicked off Friday evening on FX, as 16 of the most talented unsigned welterweight (170 lbs) fighters took their first step towards achieving their dream of receiving a six-figure contractwith the UFC®.
In the exciting two-hour premiere of The Ultimate Fighter® Fridays, viewers were treated to 16 exciting fights, previously taped at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, as 32 fighters vied for a coveted spot on the series. The winners, now official cast members, earned their way into The Ultimate Fighter® house where cameras documented their activity in and out of the Octagon® over a span of six weeks.
The series resumes next Friday, September 20, on FX at 10 p.m. ET/PT (check local listings for Central and Mountain Time) with the second episode of its 12-week run.
Below are the premiere episode match-ups and results:
Dom Waters d. Kevin Nowaczyk – TKO, 1rd, 0:32
Michael Hill d. Lev Magen – TKO, 1rd, 1:27
Bristol Marunde d. George Lockhart – Sub (via guillotine), 1rd, 2:23
Mike Ricci d. Jason South – TKO, 1rd, 1:50
Julian Lane d. Diego Bautista – Unanimous decision
Igor Araujo d. Cortez Coleman – Sub (via triangle choke), 3rd (victory round), 3:16
James Chaney d. Jerel Clark – Sub (via triangle choke), 1rd, 1:30
Cameron Diffley d. Zane Kamaka – Sub (via armbar), 1rd, 1:37
Neil Magny d. Frank Camacho – Unanimous decision
Jon Manley d. Ricky Legere, Jr. – Unanimous decision
Colton Smith d. Jesse Barrett – Unanimous decision
Matt Secor d. Max Griffin – Sub (via triangle choke), 3rd (victory round), 2:55
Eddy Ellis d. David Michaud – Sub (via arm triangle), 2rd, 4:29
Joey Rivera d. Saad Awad – Majority decision
Nic Herron-Webb d. Tim Rubert – Sub (via armbar), 1rd, 4:17
Sam Alvey d. Leo Kuntz – TKO, 1rd, 0:47
A full recap is available at ufc.com.
Following the elimination fights, viewers watched as coach of Team Carwin, former UFC interim heavyweight champion, Shane Carwin and coach of Team Nelson, TUF™ season 10 winner, Roy Nelson selected their teams. The first overall pick was Alvey, chosen by Carwin, while Nelson’s first pick was also a winner by TKO, Waters. Below are the complete team breakdowns (in order of selection):
Team Carwin
(Twitter handles)
Sam Alvey @Smilensam
Bristol Marunde @bristolmarunde
Mike Ricci @MikeyRicci
Neil Magny @neilmagny
James Chaney @jameschaneymma
Eddy Ellis @fasteddyellis
Igor Araujo @igoraraujojj
Matt Secor @secormatthew
Team Nelson
Dom Waters @shonuff89
Michael Hill @mmamike
Cameron Diffley @camerondiffley
Colton Smith @coltonsmithmma
Jon Manley @jonmanleymma
Nic Herron-Webb @NaptimeNic
Joey Rivera @joeyboomboom
Julian Lane @julianlanemma
Photo credit: Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC
