TUF 18 Finale and the Big Rematch

Saturday night The Ultimate Fighter 18 finale descends upon the Mandalay Bay Events Center and live on Fox Sports One followed by the highly anticipated rematch between coaches Miesha Tate and Ronda Rousey at UFC 168 one month from today.

Just how far along has Women’s MMA come along in the last three years? UFC president Dana White once said we would never see the ladies in the UFC, Invicta Fighting Championships did not exist and only a handful of MMA promotions would even add a ladies fight to their fight cards.

It was the initial clash between Tate and Rousey that put the ladies in the spotlight and began opening up these new doors over the past two years. It was only fitting to see the current season of The Ultimate Fighter featuring these two bitter rivals as coaches and for the first time ever featuring the ladies alongside the men as competitors on the show. In fact, each week the ladies fought, viewership had been higher than weeks when the men fought this season which just goes to show the popularity of all this change in recent years.

After the new Ultimate Fighter is crowned this Saturday the focus will return to Tate and Rousey who will throw down again on December 28th as the co-main event at UFC 168 in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand Garden Arena and live on PPV.

Just like the two fighters, many fans seem to be bitter rivals with everyone having a strong opinion for who they support. Even the experts are starting to make their predictions well in advance before the gloves drop on December 28th.

Enjoy The Ultimate Fighter finale this Saturday as the ladies continue to make history in mixed martial arts and don’t miss the grudge rematch between Miesha Tate and Ronda Rousey one month from today!

TUF 18: Team Rousey vs Team Tate Premieres Tonight

As Bruce Buffer would say, "It's Time!" Season 18 of The Ultimate Fighter premieres tonight on Fox Sports 1 at 10 PM ET. For the first time in the history of the show it will feature the ladies alongside the men. Coached by bitter rivals Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate this might be the most highly anticipated season yet. Click here to watch a short preview and be sure to tune in tonight.

TUF 18 Cast Revealed

For the first time in Ultimate Fighter history the ladies will be featured including sixteen women and sixteen men, all bantamweights and coached by rivals Miesha Tate and Ronda Rousey. With a recent preview and certain fighters missing from social media for six weeks some names were already assumed but now the full cast of The Ultimate Fighter 18 has been officially revealed by the UFC. TUF 18 kicks off on September 4th on the new FOX Sports 1 channel with the finale being targeted for November 30th at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas and the rematch between Miesha and Ronda set for the co-main event at UFC 168 on December 28th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Check out the full cast for The Ultimate Fighter 18 below.

Female Bantamweights:

Shayna Baszler (15-8), 33, Sioux Fall, S.D.   
Revelina Berto (3-1), 24, Winter Haven, Fla.   
Jessamyn Duke (2-0, 1NC), 27, Richmond, Ky.   
Tonya Evinger (11-6), 32, Lake St. Louis, Mo.   
Laura Howarth (4-0), 26, Hove, East Essex, ENG   
Tara LaRosa (21-3), 35, Albuquerque, N.M.   
Valerie Letourneau (4-3), 30, La Prairie, CAN   
Bethany Marshall (4-1), 25, Newport News, Va.   
Sarah Moras (3-1), 25, Kelowna, CAN   
Margaret “Penny” Morgan (2-0), 33, Nashua, N.H.   
Gina Mazany (3-0), 25, Seattle, Wash.   
Roxanne Modafferi (15-10), 30, Pittsfield, Mass./Yokohama, JAP   
Julianna Pena (4-2), 24, Spokane, Wash.   
Raquel Pennington (3-3), 24, Colorado Springs, Colo.   
Jessica Rakoczy (1-3), 36, Las Vegas, Nev.   
Colleen Schneider (4-3), 31, Las Vegas, Nev.
  
Male Bantamweights:

Christopher Beal (7-0), 28, Somis, Calif.
Cody Bollinger (14-3), 22, Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.
Louis Fisette (6-1), 23, Winnipeg, CAN
Rafael Freitas (6-0-1), 29, Albuquerque, N.M.
David Grant (8-1), 27, Bishop Auckland, ENG
Tim Gorman (9-2), 30, West Des Moines, Iowa
Anthony Gutierrez (4-0), 22, Lee’s Summit, Mo.
Emil Hartsner (4-0), 23, Luberod, SWE
Joshua Hill (9-0), 26, Binbrook, CAN
Chris Holdsworth (4-0), 25, Woodland Hills, Calif.
Patrick Holohan (9-0-1), 25, Dublin, IRL
Sirwan Kakai (9-1), 23, Coconut Creek, Fla.
Daniel Martinez (18-4), 28, San Diego, Calif.
Matthew Munsey (4-1), 26, Hollywood, Fla.
Lee Sandmeier (9-0), 30, Knoxville, Iowa
Michael Wootten (6-0), 24, Liverpool, ENG

TUF 18 Preview Featuring Miesha and Ronda

In case you were on another planet for the last few weeks check out this preview of The Ultimate Fighter Season 18 featuring the ladies for the first time ever and coached by bitter rivals Miesha Tate and Ronda Rousey. TUF 18 is set to premier on September 4th on the new FOX Sports 1 channel with the finale being targeted for November 30th at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada and the highly anticipated rematch between Miesha and Ronda set for the co-main event at UFC 168 on December 28th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Click here to gear up for this amazing season with your team, Team Tate or Team Rousey, who is it going to be?

The Ladies Make History at TUF 18 Tryouts

Earlier this week the ladies of MMA made history. For the first time in UFC history the ladies were able to try out for the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter, the 18th installment of this MMA reality show. Both male and female bantamweights will be showcased on this season and will be coached by Ronda Rousey and Cat Zingano with filming to begin soon. This season will debut on September 4th on the new Fox Sports 1 channel at 10 p.m. ET on Wednesdays. Click here to see a short video from the tryouts and click here to see more pictures captured by UFC.