The Ultimate Fighter 9 To Feature Lightweights, Welterweights
The Ultimate Fighter 9: US vs. UK will feature lightweight (155 pounds) and welterweight (170 pound) fighters.
Open tryouts for the upcoming season of the UFC reality series, which was originally to feature middleweights instead of lightweights, were held this week in the UK with US tryouts set for Monday in Chicago.
In addition to the weight class change, fighters will now be required to have a minimum of three professional fights before they’re eligible to be cast for the series.
UFC middleweight contender Michael Bisping will coach the UK team, while the winner of a January bout between Rich Franklin and Dan Henderson is likely to head the opposing US squad. The coaches are then expected to square off following the season finale.
16 lightweights and 16 welterweights, a total of 32 fighters, will be cast for season 9 and will square off in a preliminary round of bouts with the winners advancing to The Ultimate Fighter house and entering the dual 8-fighter tournaments.
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im now guna go back on my opinion and say i want rich to win this fight, just because ide rather have the count fight rich then hendo, who ever he fights hes guna be underdog but i belive he will have a better chance finishing rich rather then dan, really looking forward to hendo vs rich tho guna be a war, i think it will be a three round fight of the night war with a split going franklins way.
I’m pulling for Franklin against Hendo, but I’m not sure if he can win it. I think either one can beat Bisping, but we’ll see.
HOW COME ON YAHOO THE RANKINGS SHOW FEDOR AS A FREE AGENT
I would like to see Hendo win this fight so he can go in and ko the count seriously tho Bisbing doesnt match up well with either of these two… JohnBoy this shall be the test for Bisbing perhaps thru TUF 9 and the finale he can make me a fan insted of me saying i see his talent yet he hasnt impressed as of yet
Really?? I see Bisping having a better chance against Hendo. I think Rich would eat him alive.
I don’t see Bisping being much cop against either man. If I was to pick one of the two for him to have the best chance against… It would be Franklin. Instead of seeing Bisping move the up ladder before he is ready, I would like to see him get a good feel fighting at this level. Maybe test as many as he can in the division for a year of so, then if successful no one will have any complaints if he was to ask for a shot. He isn’t ready for either man yet.
I’m going completely off topic now…
I WANNA SEE SILVA VS GSP SOMETIME NEXT YEAR. It would have to be at 185 or maybe a catch weight. I don’t see Silva being able nor wanting to get down to 170. In fact forget I was even dumb enough to mention 170.
I emptied the Swear Jar (hey, it makes the girlfriend happy, OK!) out today for a bet on Cote. I got £10 riding on him with odds of 5/1. I know its like betting on a fish to out wrestle a Silver back but there’s a funny smell in the air. Almost a French Canadian smell! haha. I was talking to a Bookie today in town and he has seen the betting coming in for Cote as close as 5/2!!! He has some money riding on him for sure!
YZ, I think it’s because Fedor has a non-exclusive contract with Affliction. M1 would have it no other way. Technically he’s signed with M1, but M1 was formed for the sole purpose of farming out Fedor’s fights. Everything else is just icing on the cake.
So does this mean were going to have to wait tell the end of the season 9, whenever that is, to see Bisping fight again and either Hendo or Franklin after their fight. Screw that!!!
Get actual coaches to coach the fighters like Pat Miletech(spelling?) or the guy who coaches Jardine, Evans, Diego Sanchez, sorry i cant remember his name at this moment. People pay more attention to the drama around the house more than the actual fighting anyway, and keep the actual UFC fighters busy with fights not reality shows.
Bfree, I’ve stated many times that the next TUF should be with actual coaches for example “Crazy” Bob Cook and Jackson or Hackleman not actual fighters
So ya we would have to wait for Bisbing to fight Hendo/Franklin
But hey what do I know
FRANKLIN…hmmm look at his record. BISIPING WOULDNT LAST 2 minutes with SILVA EVER even with a gun. Frankling will beat hendo fo sho.PLus where are the heavyweights for TUF…..? that puzzles me
Franklin over Hendo fo sho huh? I wouldn’t mind seeing some HW’s back on TUF
I for one am tired of all the lightweights. There are lightweghts on this season. Come on there has to be some heavyweights out there. I also thought Franklin was fighting at light heavy now. Why is he going back to middleweight?
@ Kris:
Do you know if Franklin is going to stay at middleweight or move back up in weight after this is done?
Doesn’t matter which one Bisbing fights. He’ll get his ass kicked! He won’t be able to run from either one of these guys like he did with Leben.
I guess I’m in the minority, but I like seeing the fighters try to be coaches. It certainly gives you a different look at them and it is VERY interesting to find out which ones have a future as a coach/trainer when their fighting is done.
Case in point, I think Mir will one day be a fantastic coach. He seems to know when to yell out the advice and how to say it so that his fighters “get it” and can act on it appropriately. Or maybe he just did a good job picking fighters who do listen.
I also thought Griffin was a pretty good coach, as was Serra. Hughes and Jackson, on the other hand, can’t coach for ****.
I think Bisping has the potential to be a great coach. When Jackson brought him in last season he seemed to have a good handle on how to work with the fighters. Admittedly, I only saw him working for a few minutes on film but they seemed to get his instruction better than they ever got Mr. “My car, my face on it” Jackson’s feeble attempts.
Do we really need more lightweights/welterweights????
I would have wanted to see middle/heavy’s go at it this season. As for bisping, he will get destroyed by hendo or rich! I like bisping, but he has not defeated one worthy fighter. He didnt beat hamill, so really his only victory that is worth mention, is leben! And imo, that is not something you would want to brag about. Bisping is given too much credit and praise, again, i am a fan, but he has not proved to be as good as he thinks he is. Until he defeats someone who is considered a top fighter, or close to being at the top, i will consider him over rated!