Las Vegas, Nevada (USA) – Seven years after its debut in the United States, in 2005, the first international edition of the famed reality TV show The Ultimate Fighter® begins in Brazil. Co-produced by Brazilian production company Floresta, the inaugural Brazilian version of the show is the first time a TUF series was filmed outside of the United States.
The Ultimate Fighter – Brasil® features UFC legends Wanderlei Silva and Vitor Belfort as the coaches of the first season, which features both the featherweight (145 lbs) and middleweight (185 lbs) divisions. As is standard on this series, the coaches will face-off in a highly anticipated live rematch in June for the grand finale.
The Premiere episode will showcase elimination bouts, narrowing down the initial group of 32 fighters to the final 16 who will move into the TUF house. From there, theywill be split between “Team Vitor” and “Team Wanderlei” and face weekly eliminations until the finale, where a winner from both weight classes will be declared The Ultimate Fighter® and win an international UFC contract.
The highly anticipated Premiere is scheduled to air Sunday night, March 25, on Rede Globo in Brazil after the Big Brother finale. All 13 episodes will first air on Rede Globo in Brazil Sunday nights and then on TUF.tv in the United States and Canada at midnight ET / 9:00 p.m. PT.
The initial 32 contestants, in both the featherweight and middleweight divisions, hail from 15 of the 26 states inBrazil and represent a diverse cross-section of the country including São Paulo (8), Paraná (4), Rio de Janeiro (3), Amapá (2), Santa Catarina (2), Ceará (2), Brasília (2), Rio Grande do Norte (2). Also, the states of Minas Gerais, Roraima, Bahia, Mato Grosso do Sul, Espírito Santo, Amazonas and Paraíba have one representative each.
Although many of the details will be kept under wraps until the Premiere, it has been revealed that a few famous personalities visited the house and training center during the taping. There are special appearances by UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva, UFC Heavyweight Champion Junior Dos Santos, UFC Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo, former UFC Light Heavyweight Champions Lyoto Machida and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.
The series is one of the mostsuccessful sports reality shows in the US, having discovered some of the most talented fighters in the UFC. It has also helped leverage the promotion’s popularity amongst American audiences. The first edition, which had UFC legends Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture as coaches, featured big names such as Diego Sanchez (middleweight winner of that season), Forrest Griffin (light heavyweight winner), Josh Koscheck, Stephan Bonnar and Kenny Florian.
A part last season’s featherweight winner, Diego Brandão, the first Brazilian to ever win the show, other Brazilian fighters have appeared on previous editions. Heavyweight icons Rodrigo “Minotauro” and Dos Santos have been coaches. Minotauro appeared on the eighth edition, which aired in 2008, against former UFC Heavyweight Champion FrankMir. Both winners from that season, light heavyweight Ryan Bader and lightweight Efrain Escudero, were members of “Team Nogueira”. Brazilian fighter Vinicius “Pezão” Magalhães was one of the finalists from that edition, but lost the title to Bader. Dos Santos competed against former champion Brock Lesnar on the 13th season. The Brazilian TUF pioneer was Jorge Gurgel, eliminated on the eighth episode of the second season.
This season’s contenders include:
Flyweight
Name: Alexandre Ramos
Nickname: Sangue
Age: 23 years old
Record: 5-0
Fighting out of: Curitiba (PR)
Features: Single, no kids, Sangue built his career on Brazilian events, like Brave FC, where he made his debut, and also on Brazilian Fight League. Aside from his win via decision over Marcos Bicudo, all his bouts were finished in the first round by submission or knockout.
Name: Rony Mariano Bezerra
Nickname: Jason
Age: 27 years old
Record: 10-3
Fighting out of: Mossoró (RN)
Features: Single dad with two kids, “Jason” won seven of his fights via submission. One of them, over Felipe Sertanejo who now fights in the UFC, via triangle choke. Bezerra also fought Renan Barão, in2006, with a loss via split decision.
Name: Godofredo Pepey
Nickname: None
Age: 24 years old
Record: 8-0
Fighting out of: Fortaleza (CE)
Features: Single, no kids, Pepey teaches Jiu Jitsu and Muay Thai, showcasing his versatility. Six of his wins were by submission and the other two by knockouts.
Name: Marcos Vinicius Borges Pancini
Nickname: Vina
Age: 31 years old
Record: 19-3-1
Fighting out of: Curitiba (PR)
Features: Single, no kids, Vina’s record shows he’s good both standing and on the ground. Six wins by knockout and 13 by submission. None of his wins were decided by the judges.
Name: Anistávio Medeiros
Nickname: Gasparzinho
Age: 23 years old
Record: 12-7
Fighting out of: Natal (RN)
Features: Single, no kids, Anistávio has plenty experience for a 23 year old. Of his 19 bouts, he has two losses over big names like Renan Barão and Willamy Freire.
Name: Johnny Gonçalves
Nickname: Cabeça
Age: 22 years old
Record: 4-0
Fighting out of: Taubaté (SP)
Features: Single, no kids, the student is a specialist in Muay Thai, which he also teaches. Two of his four wins were by knockout. The other ones were by decision.
Name: Hugo Viana
Nickname: Wolverine
Age: 29 years old
Record: 5-0
Fighting out of: Salvador (BA)
Features: Single, no kids, the physiotherapist Wolverine in undefeated in MMA, but yet, as never submitted or knocked out an opponent. All his wins are by decision.
Name: Fernando Duarte Guerra
Nickname: None
Age: 28 years old
Record: 10 -1
Fighting out of: Dourados (MS)
Features: Married, with no kids. Fernando is a physical education teacher. Fighting MMA professionally since 2009, most of his wins (six) were earned by decision.
Name: Rodrigo Damm
Nickname: None
Age: 31 years old
Record: 9-5
Fighting out of: Vila Velha (ES)
Features: Married and father of three kids, Damm is the most experienced flyweight on the show. He fought in big international events, such as Bodog Fight, Sengoku and Strikeforce.
Name: John Teixeira
Nickname: John Macapá
Age: 25 years old
Record: 12-0-1
Fighting out of: Macapa (AP)
Features: Single, no kids, Teixeira began his career with four wins by armbar. He has managed eight victories by submission, two by knockout and three by decision.
Name: Rafael Bueno
Nickname: None
Age: 24 years old
Record: 7-1
Fighting out of: Bragança Paulista (SP)
Features: Single no kids, Rafael is a fighter, but also makes a living as a coach. In his career, he has fought eight bouts, won seven and lost only the last one. He finished five of his fights and knocked out two opponents.
Name: Wagner Campos
Nickname: Galeto
Age: 30 years old
Record: 11-3
Fighting out of: Pinhais (PR)
Features: Married with two kids, Galeto is a pro in MMA since 2006. He likes to fight standing up and has won six fights by knockout. One of his losses was to Jonn Lineker, the Brazilian who recently signed with the UFC.
Name: Peter Noble
Nickname: None
Age: 25 years old
Record: 10-0-1
Fighting out of: Rio de Janeiro (RJ)
Features: Single no kids, Peter Noble is one of the great promises of the famous Brazilian Top Team gym. He has finished all of his fights – with seven knockouts and three submissions.
Name: Fabricio Guerrero
Nickname:
Age: 21 years old
Record: 10-0-1
Fighting out of: Santana (AP)
Features: Single father with a son Fabricio is the youngest fighter in the show. Although he’s just 21 he’s been here for quite some time and proved to be tough in the ring, undefeated, he won ten matches and had one draw.
Name: Lim Dileno
Nickname: None
Age: 27 years old
Record: 7-0
Fighting out of: Manaus (AM)
Features: Single no kids, the fighter and master of Jiu-Jitsu Dileno Lopes honors the tradition of the soft art. Seven of his victories came by submission, showing variations between guillotine (four), rear naked choke (two) and armbar.
Name: Giovanni da Silva Santos Jr
Nickname: Soldado
Age: 24 years old
Record: 10 – 1
Fighting out of: João Pessoa (PB)
Features: Married, with kids, Soldado made his debut in MMA with a loss in 2006. Later he recovered and started a 10 consecutive winning streak, five by knockout, a submission and four by decision.
Middleweight
Name: Sergio Moraes
Nickname: None
Age: 29 years old
Record: 6- 1
Fighting out of: Sao Paulo (SP)
Features: Single father of two kids, Moraes is a four-time Jiu-Jitsu world champion. Of his six career wins, five have been by submission and one by decision. His only loss was to Brett Cooper by knockout, at Jungle Fight 16 in 2009.
Name: Cezar Ferreira
Nickname: Mutante
Age: 26 years old
Record: 4 – 2
Fighting out of: Belo Horizonte (MG)
Features: Married, has a son, Mutante’s last two fights were in the US, with a win over Chaun Sims, and a loss to Elvis Mutapcic. Strong standing up, three of his four wins came by knockout.
Name: Leonardo Mafra
Nickname: Macarrão
Age: 22 years old
Record: 5-0
Fighting out of: Balneário Camboriú (SC)
Features: With an MMA career in southern Brazil, Macarrão has three wins by knockout – all in the first round – and two by decision. Aggressive in his standup game, the Chute Boxe Academy fighter bets on his punch power to win in the Octagon.
Name: Daniel Sarafian
Nickname: None
Age: 29 years old
Record: 7 – 2
Fighting out of: Sao Paulo (SP)
Features: Strong in the ground game, with six of his seven victories won by submission, Sarafian shows a wide range of moves, including guillotine, armbar, and triangle choke. Of his two losses, one was by knockout.
Name: Gustavo Sampaio
Nickname: Labareda
Age: 35 years old
Record: 5 – 1
Fighting out of: Brasília (DF)
Features: Specialist in kickboxing, Labareda is also strong on the ground, getting three of his five wins by submission. He has some international experience, with two wins in two tournaments in Spain.
Name: Fabio Luiz Vital Coast
Nickname: Bolinho
Age: 28 years old
Record: 9-0-1
Fighting out of: Natal (RN)
Features: Undefeated in 10 MMA fights, Bolinho won eight of his 10 fights by decision. Of those, only one was a split decision. He also won by TKO against Nilton Santos, at Platinum Fight in 2009, where he last fought.
Name: Richardson Moreira
Nickname: Monstrão
Age: 27 years old
Record: 3 – 0
Fighting out of: Campinas (SP)
Features: With three wins in three fights, Monstrão has yet to be pushed past the first round. Adding up the time of his three fights, this Team Nogueira athlete has only fought a total of 4 min. 56 sec. Outside the ring, Monstrão is a graduate in Engineering.
Name: Renee Strong
Nickname: None
Age: 24 years old
Record: 7 – 1
Fighting out of: Fortaleza (CE)
Features: With two victories by knockout, two by submission and three by decision, Forte has a good career in MMA. His only loss was by knockout, against Mario Sartori, in IFC, in August 2011. Fighting professionally since 2006.
Name: Joao Paulo de Souza
Nickname: Tuba
Age: 28 years old
Record: 8 – 4
Fighting out of: Curitiba (PR)
Features: With 12 fights on his record, including one at Wembley Stadium in London, Tuba has good experience in MMA. His last five fights went to the judges’ decision, and he lost only the last one to Valentino Petrescu.
Name: Francisco Drinaldo
Nickname: Massaranduba
Age: 33 years old
Record: 10 – 1
Fighting out of: Brasília (DF)
Features: Fighter hired by Jungle Fight, Massaranduba is undefeated in his last four fights. With four knockouts, three submissions and three wins by decision, he only lost to the experienced Yuri Marajó in Jungle Fight 22 in September of 2010.
Name: Thiago Rela
Nickname: None
Age: 22 years old
Record: 3 – 1
Fighting out of: Itatiba (SP)
Features: With his three victories by submission, his only loss in 2010 came when he was submitted by Alvaro Head in a Campinas Fight. His specialty is the rear naked choke, which has won him three bouts.
Name: Charles Maicon
Nickname: None
Age: 33 years old
Record: 8 – 1
Fighting out of: Sorocaba (SP)
Features: Undefeated in his last eight fights, his only loss came in his fighting debut, losing by knockout to Sergio Junior in 2007. After that, he built an eight-win streak by knockout, and all in the first round. His nine fights in the Octagon lasted only 6 min. and 26 sec.
Name: Gilberto Galvão
Nickname: Giba
Age: 28 years old
Record: 17 4 -1
Fighting out of: Balneário Camboriú (SC)
Features: With 11 of his 17 victories by submission, Giba shows he is an expert on the ground. He is strong and also relies on his “ground and pound” to halt his opponents.
Name: Thiago de Oliveira Perpetual
Nickname: Bodão
Age: 24 years old
Record: 8 – 1 -1
Fighting out of: Santo André (SP)
Features: Coming off four consecutive wins, Bodão last six of eight wins have come by knockout. His last – and only – loss was in 2009, to Danilo Pereira, in Full Fight 2 via submission by a rear naked choke.
Name: Samuel Trindade
Nickname: None
Age: 25 years old
Record: 6- 1
Fighting out of: Boa Vista (RR)
Features: With his career built in MMA in Northern Brazil, Trindade had been undefeated in his last six fights, following a loss to Ronys Torres in 2009. He won three fights by submission, one by knockout and two by unanimous decision.
Name: Delson Heleno
Nickname: Pé de Chumbo
Age: 34 years old
Record: 23 – 6
Fighting out of: Teresópolis (RJ)
Features: The veteran Pé de Chumbo is an expert in the ground game winning 12 of his fights by submission. The Jiu Jitsu World Champion had his last fight in November 2011, in the MMA contra a dengue event in Rio de Janeiro.
