Brisbane to host Ultimate Fighter: Australia vs England

http://www.foxsports.com.au/other-sports/brisbane-to-host-knockout-ufc-show/story-e6frf56c-1226249001616

Brisbane will host a unique UFC event late this year that will be broadcast worldwide and pump millions of dollars into the city's economy.

Queensland's pioneering UFC fighter Kyle Noke (19 wins, five losses) will be among the show's headline acts and will probably fight England's star welterweight Michael Bisping, arguably the most hated man in mixed martial arts (MMA).

The 11,000-capacity Brisbane Entertainment Centre at Boondall will host the event in October, November or December.

Exactly who will fight on the card is undecided, but the show will feature the finale of the 15th season of The Ultimate Fighter reality series.

That series will be dubbed "The Smashes" and pit 16 Australian fighters against 16 British fighters across two different weight classes to decide the best combat nation.

The UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) is the world's premier MMA promotion.

MMA is the fastest-growing sport in the world and allows athletes from various fighting backgrounds to compete against each other in an eight-sided cage.

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Brisbane is the second city in Australia to host a UFC event, with Sydney holding its third show in early March.

UFC's director of international development Marshall Zelaznik said Brisbane's soaring MMA scene ensured it would be the company's next Australian destination.

"Brisbane was always right in our face as a city to host an event because we know how passionate the fans here are," Zelaznik said.

"Fifteen per cent of tickets for our Sydney events are bought by people in Brisbane.

"I think Queenslanders who are not really familiar with our sport will be surprised how big the UFC is.

"The Brisbane event will have the same amount of global television exposure as Melbourne's Australian Open.

"We don't know exactly who will be fighting, except that obviously we would want Kyle (Noke), being a Queenslander.

"The UFC is a family event. I've been taking my son to UFC shows since he was four."

Noke was raised on the Sunshine Coast and was Steve Irwin's bodyguard for several years.

He said the Brisbane show would be perfect for a fight against Bisping, the brash Brit who at Sydney's UFC show last year spat on his opponent after knocking him out.

"I would love to fight Bisping, but either way I will be fighting on that card. I'll do anything to make that happen," Noke said.

Zelaznik said he was confident the Brisbane card and The Ultimate Fighter series would be televised across the nation on free-to-air television after holding negotiations with major networks this week.

http://mmajunkie.com/news/29648/ross-pearson-george-sotiropoulos-will-coach-tuf-australia-vs-u-k-.mma
The second international edition of the UFC's popular reality series, "The Ultimate Fighter," now has its coaches.

"The Ultimate Fighter: Australia vs. U.K.," which will begin taping soon for fall episodes, will feature George Sotiropoulos and Ross Pearson as coaches. UFC president Dana White announced the coaches on FUEL TV following Wednesday's UFC on FUEL TV 4 event in San Jose, Calif.

Pearson (13-6 MMA, 5-3 UFC) will coach the fighters from the U.K. Sotiropoulos (14-4 MMA, 7-2 UFC) will coach the Aussie fighters. Both are coming off losses. Pearson in June lost a second-round TKO to Cub Swanson. Sotiropoulos has not fought in more than a year after being knocked out by Rafael Dos Anjos at UFC 132 – his second straight loss after seven straight wins in the UFC.

UFC officials on Wednesday night confirmed to MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that Sotiropoulos and Pearson will fight at the season's conclusion in a lightweight fight. Pearson, the Season 9 winner of "The Ultimate Fighter," recently dropped from 155 to featherweight, where he has gone 1-1.

The series will feature fighters from Australia against fighters from the United Kingdom, the first national rivalry for the show since "TUF 9," which pitted the U.S. against the U.K. with coaches Dan Henderson and Michael Bisping. This will be the second international edition of "TUF" after "TUF Brazil" earlier this year.

Also dubbed "TUF: Smashes" as an homage to an old cricket rivalry between the U.K. and Australia, the series will be broadcast on FX in Australia this fall, UFC officials recently announced.

There is no word on possible broadcast plans in the U.S. The first season of "TUF: Brazil" had episodes shown online each week after airing on Globo in Brazil. FUEL TV then began airing episodes for U.S. viewers in June.

For more on "The Ultimate Fighter: Australia vs. U.K.," stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.

They should've made it Hector Lombard vs Michael Bisping for the next title shot.

freakzilla wrote:

They should've made it Hector Lombard vs Michael Bisping for the next title shot.

Ding ding ding ding

Quote :

Englands star Welterweight

Bisping should face Stann next.

http://www.mmamania.com/2012/9/5/3293181/the-ultimate-fighter-tuf-smashes-full-cast-announced-for-sept-19
While heavyweight hurlers Shane Carwin and Roy Nelson are settling their differences on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 16 on FX, Australia and the United Kingdom will be going to war under the tutelage of George Sotiropoulos and Ross Pearson.

It's TUF: Australia vs. U.K . -- The Smashes!

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) today announced the full 16-man roster for the international version of the show, which is set to debut on Foxtel with the premiere slated to air on Wed., Sept. 19, 2012.

From the press release:

Quote :

The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) finalists are among the top fighters in both nations' lightweight and welterweight divisions, with the Australian team comprised of representatives from NSW, QLD and WA, while the UK team features fighters from all over England as well as Northern Ireland.

"These guys have definitely made the second international TUF show ‘can't miss' TV," said UFC President Dana White. "Going into this thing, I had no idea just how much the Aussies and the Brits can't stand losing to each other. Now I know."

Premiering Wednesdays at 7:30pm AEST on FX in Australia from September 19, the 13-episode, Australian-produced series follows the selected fighters as they live together in The Ultimate Fighter house, training and competing against eachother for a prized contract with the UFC, culminating with a live three-hour finale in December.

Full 16-man roster for TUF: The Smashes after the jump.



Team Sotiropoulos, who added: "It's a really diverse group of guys on the team, but the thing that's uniting them is that everyone's motivated and focused. There's a lot of personal and national pride at stake but they're going into the competition with a positive attitude and are really pulling together as a team. I'm very impressed by their maturity."

Lightweights:
Grant Blackler, 23, Sunshine Coast
Patrick Iodice, 19, GoldCoast
Richie Vaculik, 29, Sydney
Ben Wall, 23, Brisbane

Welterweights:
Ben Alloway, 31, GoldCoast
Xavier Lucas, 31, Perth
Manuel Rodriguez, 27, Sydney
Robert Whitaker, 21, Sydney

Team Pearson, who commented: "Having been where they are, I know exactly what the guys are facing. They're taking it all in their stride and, despite being so far from home, they're eager to prove themselves, so morale is high. They each bring unique strengths to the team so the sparks are really going to fly when they meet the Aussies in the Octagon."

Lightweights:
Colin Fletcher, 29, Sunderland
Norman Parke, 25, Bushmills, Nth Ireland
Michael Pastou, 30, Essex
Mike Wilkinson, 24, Leigh

Welterweights:
Luke Newman, 22, London
Bola Omoyele, 30, London
Valentino Petrescu, 30, Essex
Brad Scott, 23, Melksham