TUF: Brazil

Canada and the Philippines' loss will apparently be Brazil's gain.

UFC president Dana White, who has long teased an international version of "The Ultimate Fighter" today said a Brazilian edition of the long-running reality series is "a done deal" and will debut in the near future.

And while White insists the company has not yet confirmed when it will return to Brazil for a live event, he said the UFC is actively working on booking "as many (events) as we possibly can."

"It's a huge market for us," White said of Brazil. "It's incredible down there. We're going to do as many as we possibly can."

White, who revealed the plans following Thursday's pre-UFC 137 presser in Las Vegas, said multiple recent reports tying the promotion to an early 2012 event in Brazilian cities Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and Brasilia were premature and that while UFC co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta recently traveled the country in search of potential hosts, contracts are still in the works.

"Still working on it," White told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "There's just so much. You guys know from being around the sport so long how crazy this thing is and how crazy we've been. This time period right now from like two months ago to the end of this year is insane.

"There's just so many things to do and so much juggling and so much work that needs to be done. It's been crazy. We're working on it right now."

So while the details of the UFC's return to Brazil following a highly successful UFC 134 event this past August remain unclear, White said the South American nation does hold claim to at least one bragging right: The country will soon host the first-ever international version of "The Ultimate Fighter."

"The first international 'TUF' will be in Brazil," White said.

But what about Canada or the Philippines, two other countries that had been linked to hosting the first international version of the show?

"We're doing all those, too," White said. "This one just got done really fast."

White said a host city for the Brazilian version of "TUF" has yet to be determined but will, of course, air in Brazil. However, White said the international editions of the show will also likely air in the U.S.

"What we're talking about is the other ones that air in other countries, we're trying to figure out how we can air them on FUEL TV," White said. "We'll probably air them on FUEL TV.

"If you're a UFC fan, you want FUEL TV. FUEL TV is going to be loaded with all kinds of incredible UFC programming, including live fights and live fights from other countries."

lame

KingsOwn19 wrote:

lame

lame why?

Anything related to TUF is lame in King's mind.

Best place to do it

http://mmajunkie.com/news/26215/the-ultimate-fighter-brazil-hosts-tryouts-in-december-series-debuts-in-2012.mma
Brazilian prospects, get ready. "The Ultimate Fighter" is coming your way.

UFC executives recently announced that Brazilian middleweight and
lightweight fighters are invited to an open tryout session on Dec. 14 in
Sao Paulo.

Interested fighters must be between the ages of 21 and 35 years old and
have at least three professional fights, two of which must be victories.

"The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil" will be produced by Brazilian firm
Floresta and air as part of the UFC's broadcast deal with Globo. The
series is expected to feature 12 taped episodes in addition to a live
finale.

While FUEL TV is expected to air the show in the U.S., UFC president
Dana White has yet to officially announce a stateside broadcast partner.

"As technology continues to grow, we have so much more distribution than we used to have," White told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "But we will figure it out so everybody can watch."

Coaches for the Brazilian "TUF" debut have yet to be determined, but
White confirmed both will be Brazilian and the entirety of the season
will be filmed in Portuguese.

Long a hotbed of MMA fighters, Brazil has often been referred to as the
"spiritual home of mixed martial arts." White said he thinks the series'
Brazilian debut will produce top prospects.

"We're very excited abut the talent we've got lined up down there already," White said.

"TUF," which debuted on Spike TV in 2005 and quickly became a driving
force for the UFC's move into the mainstream, has launched the careers
of more than 100 UFC fighters and has produced past champions such as
Rashad Evans, Forrest Griffin and Matt Serra. The current 14th season is
the first to feature bantamweight and featherweight fighters.

Due to the UFC's landmark seven-year with FOX, FX becomes the new U.S.
home of "TUF" in 2012. The show will include live Friday-night fights
rather than taped bouts.

bobbitt15 wrote:

Best place to do it

BHAHAHAHA! awesome sig man

good choice... do we get to see the fight after the season?

I dig it as long as it is on fuel or fx.

Them as coaches is fine, the idea of them fighting afterwords is just idiotic

Flash forward to whenever the hell this fight happens, Wand being unconscious within minutes and then being asked to retire by Dana. Baller

It makes me worried for Wand, but it makes sense. Belfort is still a few wins away from another title shot. This is a nice rematch for 2 legends. Plus this prolongs Wand's career by coaching TUF instead of just booking another fight.

I'm not worried for Wanderlei anymore than I am for Belfort.

Great for the show and just terrible for a fight. Wand face down in 20 seconds bank on it.

facepalm

now they are going to lame up Belfort and Wand?

^^^
Violaion

http://mmajunkie.com/news/26936/tuf-brazil-features-featherweights-and-middleweights-tourney-finals-on-ppv.mma?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+mmajunkie+%28MMAjunkie.com+Feed%29

Quote :

RIO DE JANEIRO – The first international edition of "The Ultimate Fighter" reality series, "TUF: Brazil," will feature featherweight and middleweight competitors.

MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) today confirmed the plans with Marshall Zelaznik, the UFC's managing director of international development, at a pre-UFC 142 press conference in Rio de Janeiro.

The finals of the tournament, as well as the coaches' fight between Vitor Belfort and Wanderlei Silva, then will be part of a major June pay-per-view card.

That event is expected to take place in Brazil, possibly in Sao Paulo. A likely title fight and rematch between UFC middleweight champ Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen (if he can get by Mark Munoz later this month at UFC on FOX 2) also could be part of the card.

According to Zelaznik, filming for "TUF: Brazil" begins next month in the country. The show then airs on Globo in Brazil and on FUEL TV in the U.S. As with our "TUF" seasons, the fighters compete in a tournament format, and the winners are guaranteed UFC contracts.

Each division features 16 fighters to start, and an elimination episode will narrow the field down to eight fighters in each bracket, who will then move into a "TUF: Brazil" house. The organization will not disclose the location of either the house or the training facility.

"TUF," which debuted on Spike TV in 2005 and quickly became a driving force for the UFC's move into the mainstream, has launched the careers of more than 100 UFC fighters and has produced past champions such as Rashad Evans, Forrest Griffin and Matt Serra. While all seasons to date have filmed in Las Vegas, the UFC is planning additional international editions of "TUF" in Canada, Australia, the Philippines and the U.K.

RIO DE JANEIRO – The first international edition of "The Ultimate Fighter" reality series, "TUF: Brazil," will feature featherweight and middleweight competitors.

MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) today confirmed the plans with Marshall Zelaznik, the UFC's managing director of international development, at a pre-UFC 142 press conference in Rio de Janeiro.

The finals of the tournament, as well as the coaches' fight between Vitor Belfort and Wanderlei Silva, then will be part of a major June pay-per-view card.

That event is expected to take place in Brazil, possibly in Sao Paulo. A likely title fight and rematch between UFC middleweight champ Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen (if he can get by Mark Munoz later this month at UFC on FOX 2) also could be part of the card.

According to Zelaznik, filming for "TUF: Brazil" begins next month in the country. The show then airs on Globo in Brazil and on FUEL TV in the U.S. As with our "TUF" seasons, the fighters compete in a tournament format, and the winners are guaranteed UFC contracts.

Each division features 16 fighters to start, and an elimination episode will narrow the field down to eight fighters in each bracket, who will then move into a "TUF: Brazil" house. The organization will not disclose the location of either the house or the training facility.

"TUF," which debuted on Spike TV in 2005 and quickly became a driving force for the UFC's move into the mainstream, has launched the careers of more than 100 UFC fighters and has produced past champions such as Rashad Evans, Forrest Griffin and Matt Serra. While all seasons to date have filmed in Las Vegas, the UFC is planning additional international editions of "TUF" in Canada, Australia, the Philippines and the U.K.

missed that, delete this thread please

Lorenzo Fertitta @lorenzofertitta Reply Retweet Favorite · Open
I just watched one of the best fights I've ever seen. #TUFBRAZIL it's gonna be a sick season.
Retweeted by UFC

bobbitt15 wrote:

Lorenzo Fertitta @lorenzofertitta Reply Retweet Favorite · Open
I just watched one of the best fights I've ever seen. #TUFBRAZIL it's gonna be a sick season.
Retweeted by UFC

Dana or Lorenzo post this before ever TUF season.

http://mmajunkie.com/news/27804/the-ultimate-fighter-brazil-cast-unveiled-with-32-featherweights-and-middleweights.mma
The fighters competing in the first-ever international edition of "The Ultimate Fighter" have been revealed.

"TUF: Brazil," which features UFC notables Vitor Belfort and Wanderlei Silva as coaches, streams in the U.S. on UFC.com (simultaneously as it debuts March 25 in Brazil on Globo) and airs on FUEL TV (air times TBA).

A total of 32 featherweights and middleweights take part in the competition-reality series, the winners of which earn UFC contracts.

As with the recently debuted 15th U.S. edition of the reality show – "TUF: Live," which debuted this past Friday on U.S. – "TUF: Brazil" features an elimination round of fights. All winners of the those fights become official cast members. They then compete in the two tournaments, which are the focus of the reality show's regular-season run.

While most of the fighters are veterans of the Brazilian scene and largely undiscovered talent (in North America), there are a few notables, including featherweight Rodrigo Damm, a former Strikeforce and World Victory Road/Sengoku fighter, and 10-time IFL veteran Delson Heleno. However, notable Hacran Dias (20-1), one of the country's top prospects, isn't on the list.

The full list of "TUF: Brazil" fighters (courtesy globoesporte.com) includes:

Featherweights

Alexandre Ramos (5-0)
Rodrigo Damm (9-5)
Rony Mariano Bezerra (10-3)
Godofredo Pepey (8-0)
Marcos Vinicius Borges Pancini (19-3-1)
Medeiros Anistavio (12-7)
Johnny Goncalves (4-0)
Medeiros Anistavio (5-0)
Fernando Duarte Guerra (10-1)
John Teixeira (13-0-1)
Rafael Bueno (7-1)
Wagner Campos (11-3)
Pedro Nobre (10-0-1)
Fabricio de Assis Costa da Silva (14-1)
Dileno Lopes (8-0)
Giovanni da Silva Santos Jr. (10-1)

Middleweights

Sergio Moraes (6-1)
Cezar Ferreira (4-2)
Leonardo Mafra Teixeira (5-0)
Daniel Sarafian (7-2)
Gustavo Sampaio (5-1)
Richardson Moreira (3-0)
Fabio Luiz Vital da Costa (9-0-1)
Renee Forte (7-1)
Joao Paulo de Souza (8-4)
Francisco Drinaldo (10-1)
Thiago Rela (3-1)
Charles Maicon (8-1)
Gilberto Galvao (19-4-1)
Thiago de Oliveira Perpetuo (8-1-1)
Samuel Trindade (6-1)
Delson Heleno (23-6)

Silva vs. Belfort, as well as the two tourney finals, are slotted to fight at UFC 147. The event takes place in June in either Rio de Janeiro or Sao Paulo. Fellow Brazilian and middleweight champ Anderson Silva headlines the event opposite Chael Sonnen.

Unlike "TUF: Live," "TUF: Brazil" uses the show's traditional format in which all content, including the in-house drama and fights, is pre-taped. The show currently is in production.

[youtube][/youtube]

I see some strong prospects in the FW division...too bad they have to suck now.