CJENM announced that Season 31 of “The Ultimate Fighter (TUF),” in which UFC superstars Conor McGregor (34, Ireland) and Michael Chandler (37, USA) compete as coaches, will be held for the first time in Korea through tvN SPORTS at 10:00 pm on the 31st. It was announced on the 18th that it would be broadcast.
TUF is a reality program that is considered the gateway to the UFC, and has produced more than 10 champions since its first season in 2005. Champions such as Forest Griffin, Rashad Evans, Michael Bisping, Tony Ferguson, Robert Whitaker, and Kamaru Usman, as well as famous players, have made it to the Octagon through TUF.
This season, 8 fighters each from bantamweight (61.2kg) and lightweight (70.3kg) are divided into ‘Team McGregor’ and ‘Team Chandler’ to hold a tournament. The winner of each weight class will sign a three-year contract with the UFC.
TUF is an opportunity to see the emergence of the UFC’s next generation of stars, but it is the undisputed coach fight that draws fans’ attention in particular. TUF has maintained the tradition of having coaches from both teams face off at the end of the season.
In 2021, Alexander Volkanovski, the current featherweight champion, had a TUF coach competition with Brian Ortega, who drew attention with a confrontation with ‘Korean Zombie’ Chan-Sung Jeong. served as a TUF coach.스포츠토토
Conor McGregor, who is appearing in The Ultimate Fighter this time, is a UFC star from Ireland who has been a featherweight, lightweight, and two-weight champion, and is still considered the most influential fighter among all fighting sports fans beyond the UFC. Michael Chandler, who will compete with McGregor, is a top contender ranked 5th in the lightweight rankings and is called the ‘King of Bellator’, having conquered Bellator, an MMA organization claiming to be a UFC rival. As Chandler has openly stated that he “want to face McGregor”, it is expected that he will take TUF more seriously this season than any other player.
This season of TUF, which is about to air its first broadcast amid keen interest from fans, consists of a total of 12 episodes. Starting with the first broadcast on the 31st of this month, until August 16th, it is scheduled to visit the hometown every Wednesday at 10:00 pm.