Full cast revealed for Ultimate Fighter: Latin America as filming gets underway
The first ever edition of The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America is already in full swing with filming for the new series already underway in Las Vegas.
UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez will coach opposite No. 1 contender Fabricio Werdum as a cast of featherweights and bantamweights will vie for a spot in the UFC by way of The Ultimate Fighter.
"Iâve been waiting 15 years for this," UFC president Dana White said in a release on Tuesday. "Passion for fighting is unrivaled in Latin America. Itâs part of their history and their culture. Thereâs a lot of potential in this seasonâs cast and I know theyâre going to bring it every fight. Adding a little extra rivalry -- pitting Mexico versus the rest of Latin America - doesnât hurt either."
The new cast of fighters was revealed on Tuesday with teams for both Velasquez and Werdum being filled by a varied mix of talent between veterans and newcomers.
Here are the full list of fighters featured on The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America
The cast of TUF: Latin America
Team Velasquez
Bantamweight
Marco Beltran (5-2), 27, Morelia, Mexico
Henry Briones (13-4), 33, Tijuana, Mexico
Alejandro Dominguez (22-6), Tlatenango, Mexico
Jose Quinonez (10-1), Tlatenango, Mexico
Featherweight
Gabriel Benitez (16-4), 25, Tijuana, Mexico
Masio Fullen (6-4), 27, Guadalajara, Mexico
Yair Rodriguez (2-1), 22, Parral, Mexico
Rodolfo Rubio (12-6), 27, DF, Mexico
Team Werdum
Bantamweight
Guido Cannetti (5-1), 34, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Fredy Serrano (1-0), 34, Bogota, Colombia
Bentley Syler (5-0), 31, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia
Marlon Vera (5-1), 22, Guayaquil, Ecuador
Featherweight
Humberto Brown (4-4), 29, Panama City, Panama
Leonardo Morales (4-0), 21, Managua, Nicaragua
Diego Rivas (5-0), 22, Temuco, Chile
Alex Torres (1-1), 25, Bogota, Colombia
The teams will compete with each other over the course of 12 weeks before a champion is eventually crowned in each weight division. The new show will air in the United States on the UFC's digital network, UFC Fight Pass, with international broadcasts airing on the following networks: Argentina: CN5, Bolivia: Red Uno, Mexico: Channel.5, Nicaragua: Channel 13, Panama: NexTV, Paraguay: Telefuturo and Uruguay: Channel 10. The season will premiere on these Networks the week of August 18, though dates and weekly episodes will vary per country. Viewers should check their local listings for further information.
Following the season, the coaches will also do battle at UFC 180: Velasquez vs. Werdum taking place on Saturday, November 15 at the Arena Ciudad de Mexico in Mexico City, Mexico.
The new series -- The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America -- will begin airing in August
