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“THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER:
HEAVYWEIGHTS” CAST IS ANNOUNCED FEATURING NOTABLE FIGHTERS KIMBO
SLICE, FORMER IFL CHAMPION ROY NELSON, FORMER UFC CONTENDER WES SIMS
AND FOUR FORMER NFL PLAYERS
Rampage Jackson And Rashad Evans To Coach The 16 Heavyweights Vying
For A Six-Figure Contract With The UFC
Premieres Wednesday, September 16 at 10pm ET/PT on Spike TV
Spike press release-
New York, NY, July 10, 2009 – In what will literally be the biggest
season ever of “The Ultimate Fighter” on Spike TV, the 10th season
of the groundbreaking series, premiering Wednesday, September 16 at
10:00pm, will showcase 16 of the best unsigned heavyweight mixed
martial arts fighters in the world. Featuring former UFC light
heavyweight champions “Suga” Rashad Evans and Quinton “Rampage”
Jackson as coaches, season 10 marks the only installment to include
only the heavyweight weight class (206+ lbs).
“The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights” includes a list of notable
athletes with impressive and diverse pedigrees including four former
NFL players, UFC veterans, a former IFL heavyweight champ, and a
highly-publicized former EliteXC fighter who gained prominence
through his non-sanctioned bouts on YouTube.
The cast includes:
* Zak Jensen – standout wrestler at Augsburg College
* Marcus Jones – former 1st round NFL draft pick who had a six-year
career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
* Scott Junk – Division II All-American football player at Southwest
Oklahoma State and fought in UFC 76.
* James McSweeney – former international kickboxing and Muay Thai
champion
* John Madsen – defeated Brock Lesnar in a high school wrestling
match
* Matt Mitrione - played for New York Giants and Minnesota Vikings
* Roy Nelson – former IFL Heavyweight Champion
* Demico Rogers – high school football and wrestling star
* Brendan Schaub – played for Buffalo Bills and Arena Football’s
Utah Blaze
* Darrill Schoonover – decorated Army veteran
* Wes Shivers – former member of the Tennessee Titans and Atlanta
Falcons
* Wes Sims - fought two heated battles with former UFC champ Frank
Mir at UFC 43 and UFC 46
* Kimbo Slice – former EliteXC heavyweight contender and YouTube
sensation
* Abe Wagner – played linebacker at Michigan Tech and has a degree
in mechanical engineering
* Mike Wessel – UFC veteran and former strength and conditioning
coach at University of Arkansas
* Justin Wren – All-American high school wrestler
During the six-week taping of “The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights,”
these 16 men endured a grueling regimen of jiu-jitsu, judo, Muay
Thai, karate, boxing and wrestling. The intense competition among
the fighters continues after they leave the gym – at the Ultimate
Fighter House. These warriors must live together, knowing that any
day they might be forced to fight each other in the famed UFC
Octagon™.
The two finalists will square off in a live finale Saturday,
December 5 on Spike TV, when the winner will be declared “The
Ultimate Fighter” and net the six-figure contract and a cash prize.
UFC President Dana White will once again serve as host of the
series.
After each show, Spike.com users will get exclusive extended footage
from each episode and an exclusive video leak of the upcoming
episode.
Craig Piligian of Pilgrim Films and Television, Frank Fertitta III,
Lorenzo Fertitta, Dana White of Zuffa, LLC, and Kevin Kay of Spike
TV are the show's executive producers. Brian J. Diamond, senior vice
president, sports & specials, Spike TV is co-executive producer and
Christopher Martello is executive in charge of production for Spike
TV.
Spike TV is available in 98 million homes and is a division of MTV
Networks. A unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), MTV Networks is one
of the world's leading creators of programming and content across
all media platforms. Spike TV's Internet address is
www.spike.com and for up-to-the-minute and archival press
information and photographs, visit Spike TV's press site at
http://www.spike.com/press.
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