UFC ‘Welcome To The Show’ Press Conference: ATT vs. Blackzilians TUF Announced
The UFC hosted a press conference this afternoon (Saturday February 28th, 2015) featuring many of the top stars from its jam-packed upcoming lineup for 2015:
Perhaps the most relevant piece of news from the presser was the announcement of the speculated-upon overhaul of the long-airing The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) series’ all-new format. According to the presser, the new format will feature members of Florida’s American Top Team (ATT) and the Blackzilians.
TUF 21 has already been filmed in South Florida and will debut on FOX Sports 1 on April 22 with a two-hour episode.
A preview was aired showing the backstory of the bad blood between Blackzilians manager Glenn Robinson and Glenn Lambert, whose camps are only a couple short miles away from each other. For the first time in TUF history, fighters will train at their own gyms with their own coaches rather than being drafted to a team and training together. Each team will consist of eight members who shared a house in the Miami area.
Another first on the show is the fight location, with the bouts taking place at the teams’ respective gyms. The previous week’s winning team will enjoy home field advantage for the next fight, and in another first, the bouts will not be announced until weigh-ins.
Here is a full list of the TUF 21 teams, headlined by former WSOF welterweight champion Steve Carl:
American Top Team:
Marcelo Alfaya (16-7, 1NC) Porto Alegre, Brazil
Steve Carl (21-4), Belle Plain, Iowa
Nathan Coy (14-5), Vallejo, Calif.
Michael Graves (4-0), Toledo, Ohio
Hayder Hassan (6-1), Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Sabah Homasi (8-4), New Brunswick, N.J.
Uros Jurisic (5-0), Ljubljana, Slovenia
Steve Montgomery (8-2), Florence, S.C.
Blackzilians:
Valdir Araujo (14-5), Gama, Federal District, Brazil
Carrington Banks (3-0), Peoria, Ill.
Luiz Buscape (16-5), Joao Pessoa, Paraiba, Brazil
Jason Jackson (4-2), Kingston, Jamaica
Vincente Luque (7-4-1), Westwood, NJ
Andrews Nakahara (4-2-2), Mogi das Cruzes, Sao Paolo, Brazil
Felipe Portela (8-2), Brasilia, Brazil
Kamarudeen Usman (5-1), Auchi, Nigeria
