Out with the old, in with the new.
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is bringing a brand new format to its reality television baby The Ultimate Fighter (TUF), which starts season number 15 this Fri., March 9, 2012, at 9 p.m. ET with a 2.5 hour season premiere on its new channel FX.
The best part? It's all the way live, folks.
Indeed, the powers that be dumped the old stale format formerly seen on Spike TV in favor of a fresh new look. That means every Friday night for the next 13 weeks, fight fans will get to see live bouts on FX as fighters attempt to advance to the finals to earn a contract with the world's largest fight promotion.
There's a lot we don't know regarding how things will look with the show's fresh new face, but there's plenty we do know. After the jump are all the details we currently have on TUF 15 and what you can expect this upcoming season:
TUF 15 will feature 32 lightweight contestants vying for the coveted "six-figure contract" under the tutelage of bantamweight coaches (and division rivals) Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber.
Tomorrow night's premiere episode will feature all 16 fights to see who gets in the house. And while we don't know the pairings, we do know all 32 competitors you will see in action. Click here for the entire list.
And yes, it includes Dakota Cochrane, he of gay porn fame (not that there's anything wrong with that).
He may or may not make it into the house, which is still a staple of the show, even with the live format. Again, though, much of what you see will be shot in as close to real time as possible with the fights themselves being live.
Speaking of real time, MMAmania.com is nothing if not durable and we'll adjust to the new live format by bringing you up-to-the-minute coverage of all the fights as they occur. That's right, be sure to make us your home for complete coverage tomorrow night, as we'll have immediate quick results of all 16 fights, as well as a comprehensive recap of all the night's action.
And, of course, at the conclusion of the season, "The Dominator" will put his 135-pound title on the line (again) against "The California Kid" at UFC 148, tentatively scheduled for July 7, 2012, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Get it? Got it? Good.
To stay up to date on all you need to know on TUF 15 click here.