Approximately a week ago, Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling/MMA Observer released a list of the women rumoured to be members of the The Ultimate Fighter season 18 cast. For whatever reason, I’ve just happened upon this now, and while I see some of the names I expected, there are certainly some surprises amongst the 17 bantamweights.
- Revelina Berto (3-1)
- Peggy Morgan (2-0)
- Colleen Schneider (4-4)
- Jessamyn Duke (2-1)
- Bethany Marshall (4-1)
- Valerie Letourneau (4-3)
- Ashlee Evans-Smith (1-0)
- Gina Mazany (3-0)
- Katie Merrill (1-1)
- Marcia Allen (3-1)
- Tara Larosa (21-3)
- Roxanne Modafferi (15-10)
- Tonya Evinger (11-6)
- Lia Mata’afa (0-0)
- Raquel Pennington (3-3)
- Shayna Baszler (15-8)
- Julianna Pena (4-2)
First off, it’s interesting that there are 17 names on the list. This could possibly be due to the fact that Tara Larosa, one of the “OGs” of women’s MMA, above the age limit. We will have to see as time wears on, though. Additionally, I was surprised to see Montreal’s Valerie Letourneau as the sole Canadian to make the cut. I had expected Kelowna, BC’s Sarah “Cheesecake” Moras to be selected for the cast, due to her personality, previous exposure thanks to Invicta, and her 3-1 record. I was also caught off-guard by seeing Lia Mata’afa and her 0-0 professional record, but the Chris Leben-trained former amateur wrestler could be there as a back-up in the event things with Tara Larosa don’t go as planned. At my personal blog, Stormland Fights, I had layed out some previews and predictions based on who I expected to make the cast, and the aforementioned Larosa was one of the fighters. The other was Roxanne Modafferi, also known as “The Happy Warrior.” She’s a great fighter who hit a rough patch in her career due to injuries, and I’m looking forward to seeing how she’ll rebound on the show. I’m also happy to see the most heavy metal woman in combat sports, Shayna Baszler, and Invicta standout Jessamyn Duke on the roster as well. Now, we just have to sit back and wait for the male cast list, and the announcement of this season’s debut.
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