The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) isn’t done with its flagship reality show. That’s right, they’re not full up yet.
The organization announced on Thursday that the next season of “The Ultimate Fighter” is on the horizon. We’re talking about Season 32 here, folks. It’s gonna feature featherweights and middleweights, and they’ve already kicked off the casting process.
But here’s the twist: unlike previous seasons, tryouts are going to be entirely remote. No physical sessions until they’ve picked the finalists. If you’re a prospective competitor, you can apply through this link. The show’s set to air sometime in June 2024 on ESPN and ESPN+, but the exact date? Still up in the air. And the coaches? They haven’t been selected yet.
This upcoming season is following one that ran from May to August. Teams were led by Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler, for bantamweights and lightweights. The theme for Season 31 was a face-off between former UFC fighters and prospects. The veterans dominated, making it to the semifinals with the exception of Rico DiSciullo, who lost in the semis to Cody Gibson.
In the quarterfinals, seven out of eight wins went to Chandler’s team. Brad Katona, the eventual bantamweight winner, switched teams to give McGregor another representative. In the lightweight category, all four of Chandler’s fighters made it to the semifinals, and Kurt Holobaugh came out on top, securing a UFC contract.
The last time middleweights were featured on TUF, Bryan Battle beat Gilbert Urbina in TUF 29. Both of these guys have since dropped down to welterweight. Featherweights last took the spotlight in 2018, during the “Undefeated” season where every competitor had an unbeaten record. Katona also won that season at 145 pounds, while Michael Trizano snagged a split verdict win over Joe Giannetti at lightweight.