Live from the floor at the UFC Fan Expo, Spike and the UFC officially announced the full cast for The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights, which premieres September 16. Hit the jump for details and exclusive video footage.
Among tons of other cool stuff at the Expo, the UFC is hosting an autograph session with the cast members, so be sure to check back later for all of Spike.com's coverage with the fighters, the fans and of course, the Octagon Girls.
But for now, let's get to business. The talent level this season is higher than ever before and the personalities are, well, heavyweight. From ex-NFL stars to MMA champions and a street fighting phenomenon, the house may literally explode this season (ed. Note: not literally), but it promises to make for some damn good television.
Without further ado:
Zak Jenson - 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 - high school All-American wrestler
Here is a special preview of whats to come for this season:
There are some seriously interesting selections here and immediately standing out among them is Roy Nelson. The former champion could be the most over-qualified fighter to ever enter the house and has to be the odds-on favorite to win this season. He's got a major experience advantage over most of the other guys -he's fought in big matches, on live TV, in front of large crowds. The only others who can really claim the same thing are Wes Sims and Kimbo Slice, but Nelson's resume is still considerably more impressive if you take into account caliber of opponent and timeframe. Nelson was considered one of the top 10 heavyweights in the world before his consecutive losses to Andrei Arlovski and Jeff Monson, but he's still a dangerous striker with deceivingly good jiu Jitsu so he should be walking in as the fighter to beat this season.
Photo Source: Al Bello/Getty Images
