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The hit reality show TUF (The Ultimate Fighter) will be returning soon and the cast of contestants has been revealed.
For the 29th season of TUF, UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski and number one contender Brian Ortega will serve as coaches for the opposing squads. They will lead two groups consisting of bantamweight and middleweight UFC hopefuls.
Daniel Argueta, Brady Hiestand, Dustin Lampros, Vince Murdock, Mitch Raposo, Joshua Rettinghouse, Liudvik Sholinian, and Ricky Turcios were revealed as the bantamweight contestants during the live broadcast of UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs. Gastelum.
Meanwhile, Aaron Phillips, Andre Petroski, Bryan Battle, Ryder Newman, Tresean Gore, Miles Hunsinger, Kemran Lachinov, and Gilbert Urbina will make up the middleweight roster.
TUF 29: Brian Ortega vs. Alexander Volkanovski
UFC featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski was scheduled to defend his title in the co-main event of UFC 260. Unfortunately, the bout had to be canceled after Alexander Volkanovski contracted COVID-19 prior to the pay-per-view event.
While it's unfortunate that his title defense has been nixed due to COVID-19, Alexander Volkanovski said he's excited to compete against Brian Ortega as a TUF coach.
"Very happy with my knowledge and where I'm going with things and the way I feel the fights and my team - the way we go about our fights. I do truly feel like we're levels ahead but again everyone's gonna disagree, everyone's gonna say the same about themselves. We'll see what happens," Alexander Volkanovski told Michael Bisping during a remote interview.
An official rebooking date for a championship bout between Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega has yet to be set, but Michael Bisping hinted that the matchup will likely take place "sometime in the fall" of 2021.
The Ultimate Fighter Season 29 will mark the return of the reality series after nearly three years of absence. Throughout the years, TUF has proven to be an effective feeder system of new talent for the UFC. Forrest Griffin, Rashad Evans and Michael Bisping are some of the notable TUF alumni who went on to win a UFC title.
