The Ultimate Fighter 10
The Ultimate Fighter season 10 kicks off following the conclusion of UFC Fight Night 19 on Wednesday, September 16 on Spike TV. This season features 15 Heavyweight MMA fighters that are competing for a six figure UFC contract that is awarded to the winning Heavyweight at the conclusion of the final fight. TUF season 10 is expected to be one of the most successful and most viewed Ultimate Fighter seasons yet and most of that can be attributed to the big name celebrity MMA fighters such as Kimbo Slice and the two coaches, Rashad Evans and Rampage Jackson. This season’s contestants include a number of former NFL players, MMA Fighters, and one bad ass street fighting celebrity.
After 250 plus Heavyweight fighters tried out, only 15 made it to the final cut and all accepted an offer to compete on the show. The clear and away favorite to win this season is the street fighting you-tube celebrity Kimbo Slice. UFC president Dana White said that the only way Kimbo Slice gets into the UFC is by winning a contract through the Ultimate Fighter. Kimbo is determined to prove that he is a legitimate fighter and has his eyes on the UFC contract awarded at the end of the show.
Kimbo Slice TUF 10 Coach Revealed by UFC **Spoiler**
8/11/09 – In a recent video, shown both online and on Spike TV, the UFC inexplicably reveals who will be coaching Kimbo Slice in the upcoming The Ultimate Fighter 10 reality show. I looked all over the net and nobody else seems to have noticed the video editing mistake. If you want to know which TUF 10 team Kimbo is on, click here Kimbo Slice TUF 10 Coach Revealed
Episode 1 –
The first episode of the Ultimate Fighter 10 was highlighted by rediculous antics from coach Rampage Jackson, a couple heated run ins between the coaches, and one hell of a blood bath first fight of the season. Teams were selected, fighters moved into the house, and the coaches evaluated and trained the new fighters. The teams were chosen and are as follows:
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The first fighters, Jon Madsen and Abe Wagner, were selected to square off in the first elimination fight after Rampage chose the match up. Rashad was very excited after hearing the match up Rampage chose because it pitted Rashad’s most talented wrestler against a tall and clumsy Jiu Jitsu guy Abe Wagner.
From the very start of the first round Jon Madsen shot on Abe Wagner, and scored a take down. He never looked back. Madsen mounted Wagner and connected with a punch and elbow combination that split Wagner’s right temple open. Blood just flowed out of the open wound and caused serious problems for Abe Wagner, as he was hurt and had no chance of getting to his feet. The first round finished off where it started, and the second round saw more of Madsen displaying his takedown abilities. After every restart, Madsen would instantly shoot for Abe’s legs and mid-section and take him to the mat for a little ground and pound.
Round 2 ended and Dana White came out and announced the verdict:
Jon Madsen won via unanimous decision over Abe Wagner.
The next episode of Ultimate Fighter 10 airs on Wednesday, September 23 at 10 PM ET, and should be another entertaining hour of television. Are you anticipating the first Kimbo fight as much as I am? Watch episode 2 next week and find out.
The Coaches
Former UFC Light Heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson coaches his team opposite of another former UFC Light Heavyweight champion Rashad “Suga” Evans. The feelings these two share about one another is bad and there is definitely a little bad blood between the two. They met in the octagon following one of Rampage’s recent fights and had a brief exchange of shit talking to each other and a rivalry was born. The two will face off against each other to settle their beef at the conclusion of TUF 10. Their fight is tentatively scheduled for UFC 107 that will take place in Rampage’s stomping ground, Memphis, TN.
The Fighters
The most well known and anticipated fighter for this season is obviously Kimbo Slice. Everyone is waiting to see if Kimbo actually has what it takes to hang with guys of his size and skill level.
Kimbo Slice
6′ 2″ and 235 lbs
3-1 MMA record
Fighting Out Of : Miami, Florida
Background: Kimbo is originally from Nassau, Bahamas and moved to Miami, Florida where he lives today. He is the youtube street fighting internet sensation, and was reffered to by Rolling Stone as ‘ The King of Web Brawlers.’
Roy ‘Big Country’ Nelson
6′ 0″ and 265 lbs
13-4 MMA record
Fighting Out Of : Lion’ Den
Background: Roy has some experience in the ring and poses probably the biggest threat to Kimbo’s chances of winning. He is a former IFL Heavyweight champion but is coming off two losses to established MMA veterans Jeff Monson and Andre Arlovski.
Darrill Schoonover
6′ 2″ and 220 lbs
9-0 MMA record
Fighting Out Of : Fighter’s Forge Combat , Copper Cove, Texas
Background: Darrill is a young (24 yrs old) fighter with a lot of upswing. He is undefeated in his pro and amatuer MMA records and has won a pro boxing fight as well. He is a former US Army serviceman and ranked third for combatives. He is the former XFC, freestyle cagefighting, and TAMMA champion. He is my sleeper pick this season.
Justin Wren
6′ 3″ and 265 lbs
10-1 MMA record
Fighting Out Of : Fort Worth, Texas
Background: Nicknamed “The Viking”, Wren is a two-time highschool national champ in Greco Roman wrestling, and was a 5x all american wrestler at Iowa State. Justin trains with MMA fighter Travis Lutter in Fort Worth, Texas.
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Brendon Shaub
6′ 6″ and 240 lbs
4-0 MMA record
Fighting Out Of : Greg Jackson’s Fighting Camp
Background: Brendan is the 2008 Colorado Golden Glove HW champ and BJJ Absolute Advanced Grand Champ. He has been training primarily with UFC great Shane Carwin and played football for the Colorado Buffaloes and briefly with the Buffalo Bills. He should be a top contender to win this season.
Marcus Jones
6′ 6″ and 260 lbs
4-2 MMA record
Fighting Out Of : Gracie Camp, Tamp Bay, FL
Background: Marcus is a former NFL defensive end for the Tampa Bay Bucs, where he played six seasons for the team and had a successful career. He was an all american defensive tackle for North Carolina, and was drafted in the first round of the 1996 NFL draft. He currently trains with Rob Kahn at Gracie Tampa camp.
Wes Sims
6′ 10″ and 260 lbs
20-11 MMA record
Fighting Out Of : Lancaster, Ohio
Background: Wes is nicknamed “The Project” and “The Whole Show” and trains with Team Hammer House. He is well known in the MMa world for his DQ at UFC 43 by stomping Frank Mir’s head.
Abe Wagner
6′ 4″ and 260 lbs
6-1 MMA record
Fighting Out Of : Omaha, Nebraska
Background: Abe is nicknamed “The Hurricane” and is a former VFC heavyweight champion. He idolizes Mirko Cro Cop and fights with a similar style.
Zak Jensen
6′ 5″ and 265 lbs
7-3 MMA record
Fighting Out Of : Hopkins, MN
Background: Zak wrestled at Augsburg college in MN, and now trains with Gorilla Combat. He is a former Brutaal Heavyweight Champion and recently pulled out of a fight against Justin Wren to make sure he was healthy for TUF 10.
Matt Mitrione
6′ 3″ and 265 lbs
0-0 MMA record
Fighting Out Of : Springfield, IL
Background: Matt is a former NFL player and played DT for the Vikings, 49ers, and Giants. Matt is nicknamed “Meathead” and cuts weight down from 300 lbs. He currently trains with MMA veteran Jake O’Brien.
Wes Shivers
6′ 7″ and 265 lbs
0-1 Pro MMA record
Fighting Out Of : Brandon, Mississippi
Background: Wes is a late replacement for Rex Richards and fought his only pro MMA fight as a superheavyweight. He is 6-o as an amatuer fighter and trains with Team Hammer Hill. He is a former NFL player and played for the Atlanta Falcons.
Mike Wessel
6′ and 250 lbs
6-1 MMA record and 0-1 in the UFC
Fighting Out Of : Littlerock, Arkansas
Background: Wessel is a former strength coach at the Univ of Arkansas and is a former pro football player. He is nicknamed “The Juggernaut” and his only loss was in MMA was a fight he took in the UFC, where he lost via TKO. He trains out of Westside MMA with Roli Delgado and Matt Hamilton.
Scott Junk
6′ 1″ and 265 lbs
6-2 MMA record
Fighting Out Of : Hilo, Hawaii
Background: Scott is nicknamed “Punk Haole” and he is a former MFC Heavyweight champion. He is a former UFC fighter and is being given a second chance to make it into the UFC.
Jon Madsen
240 lbs
2-0 MMA record
Fighting Out Of : South Dakota
Background: He is a well known and experienced collegiate wrestler who now trains MMA with Matt Hughes and the HIT squad.
James McSweeny
6′ 4″ and 230 lbs
3-4 MMA record
Fighting Out Of : New Mexico
Background: McSweeny is from the UK and now fights out of New Mexico with Greg Jackson’s Fight Camp. He has a 20-4-2 K-1 record and he used to train with the likes of Alistair Overeem.
Demico Rogers
4-0 MMA record
Fighting Out Of : Washington
Background: Demico training in wrestling at Ring Sports United in Washington and has been training in MMA for nearly 3 years. He is coached by Mark Messer and has won 3 Jiu-Jitsu tournaments and 1 pankration title.