UFC® TO CROWN NEW CHAMPION AND LAUNCH WOMEN’S FLYWEIGHT DIVISION ON SEASON 26 OF
THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER®
OPEN CASTING CALL SCHEDULED FOR
TUESDAY, MAY 23 IN LAS VEGAS
Las Vegas – A new division will be created and a new champion will emerge from the next season of The Ultimate Fighter®. Women’s flyweights, between the ages of 21-34 with a winning record and at least three professional fights are invited to attend the open casting call in Las Vegas. The season will also be open to females on the current UFC roster that can successfully make 125-pounds throughout the duration of the season. The previous casting call for women’s strawweights and bantamweights as well as male middleweights has been cancelled. The season will begin filming in July and premiere on FS1 later this year.
Applications, which should be completed and brought to tryouts, can be found online at http://www.ufc.com/TUF26. The athletes will be required to grapple and hit pads, so please bring appropriate gear. Applicants will be notified at the end of the day if they have been selected to move on in the casting process. If selected, applicants must be prepared to stay in Las Vegas until Saturday, May 27. All questions can be directed togdefranco@pilgrimstudios.com.
The Ultimate Fighter, which debuted in 2005, has launched the careers of some of the UFC’s most recognizable names and successful athletes. The series has produced six UFC champions including Forrest Griffin, Rashad Evans, Michael Bisping, TJ Dillashaw, Carla Esparza, and Matt Serra.
WHO: 125-pound women
WHEN: Tuesday, May 23 at 8 a.m. PT
WHERE: Palace Station Hotel
2411 W. Sahara Ave.
Las Vegas, NV 89102
UFC BRINGS RISING STARS MICHAEL CHIESA AND KEVIN LEE TO OKLAHOMA CITY, WHILE JOHNY HENDRICKS RETURNS HOME TO FACE TIM BOETSCH
Plus:
BJ PENN vs DENNIS SIVER
(#9) ILIR LATIFI vs (#10) ANTONIO ROGERIO NOGUEIRA
TICKETS FOR UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: CHIESA vs LEE
AT CHESAPEAKE ENERGY ARENA ON SALE MAY 5
Las Vegas – The Octagon® touches down in Oklahoma City for the first time in eight years when top prospectsMichael Chiesa and Kevin Lee clash in the main event of UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: CHIESA vs LEE. In the co-main event, No. 15-ranked middleweight Tim Boetsch enters enemy territory when he meets Oklahoma State alumJohny Hendricks. The action goes down Sunday, June 25 at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Okla. and will air live on FS1.
Riding a three-fight winning streak, No. 7 Chiesa (14-2, fighting out of Spokane Valley, Wash.) makes his first headlining appearance in Oklahoma City. Owner of 10 submission victories – five in under three minutes – Chiesa is primed to make a run to the top of the 155-pound division and his quest starts with Lee (15-2, fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev.). At just 24 years old, Lee may be one of the stars the future in the lightweight division, but he already has 10 UFC® appearances, finishing his last three fights. Hoping to vault into the top 10 of the weight class, Lee will attempt to use whatever it takes to secure the win.
Hendricks (18-6, fighting out of Fort Worth, Texas) looks to defend his home turf when he clashes with Boetsch(20-11, fighting out of Sunbury, Penn.) who hopes to play spoiler in Hendricks’ homecoming. Former welterweight champion Hendricks, returns to the site of his prestigious collegiate wrestling career. He is a four-time NCAA Div. 1 All-American, three-time Big 12 champion and two-time NCAA Div. 1 National Champion wrestler out of Oklahoma State. When he returns to Oklahoma, he’ll be looking to keep his perfect record at 185 pounds intact with a big win over Boetsch. With knockouts in 12 of his wins, Boetsch has the power to end the fight at any given moment and he’ll attempt to use that power to continue his climb up the middleweight rankings.
As the only active member of the UFC Hall of Fame, BJ Penn (16-11-2, fighting out of Hilo, Hawaii) has fought some of the biggest names in MMA history, including Georges St-Pierre, Matt Hughes, Diego Sanchez and Nick Diaz. When he faces off with German finisher Dennis Siver (22-11, 1 NC) he’ll need to use his world class jiu-jitsu to counter Siver’s elite striking. Siver is looking for the biggest win of his career and being able to add a victory over Penn to his resume will do just that. With 14 finishes in 22 pro victories – seven via knockout and seven by submission – Siver has the versatility to win the bout wherever it takes place.
Additional bouts:
- In a battle of top-10 light heavyweights, No. 9 Ilir Latifi (16-5, 1 NC, fighting out of Malmo, Sweden) collides with No. 10 Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (22-7, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
- Two high-level kickboxers jockey for position in the strawweight division when No. 9 Felice Herrig (12-6, fighting out of Crystal Lake, Ill.) meets undefeated No. 15 Justine Kish (6-0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Calif.)
- Former strawweight champion, No. 9 Carla Esparza (12-4, fighting out of Irvine, Calif.) takes on No. 10Maryna Moroz (8-1, fighting out of Volnogorsk, Ukraine) in her quest to get back to the top of the 115-pound division
- Fan favorite Clay Guida (32-14, fighting out of Johnsburg, Ill.) clashes with dynamic finisher Erik Koch(15-4, fighting out of Milwaukee, Wisc.) in a lightweight duel
For the latest information on additional bouts for this event, please visit www.ufc.com. All bouts live and subject to change.
Visit the UFC® Press Portal for information and content to support your UFC coverage.
UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: CHIESA vs. LEE will air live on FS1 at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT on Sunday, June 25 with the prelims kicking off the evening on FS2 at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT and on UFC FIGHT PASS® at 5:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. PT.
Tickets for UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: CHIESA vs. LEE go on sale Friday, May 5 at 10 a.m. CT and are priced at $150, $100, $75, $60 and $50 (prices do not include applicable service charges and handling fees). Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets are also available at Chesapeake Energy Arena Box Office.
