Season 18 of the Ultimate Fighter (TUF) premiered this past Wednesday night (September 4, 2013) following UFC Fight Night 28: 'Teixeira vs Bader' live from Belo Horizonte, Brazil. This is the first time that the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has had women to compete on the show, vying for the six-figure UFC contract.
The season features eight men and eight women living in a house, hoping to fight at the live Finale on November 30, 2013 in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Mandalay Bay Events center. And the show features one of the UFC's best rivalries, as the teams are coached by UFC women's bantamweight champion, Ronda Rousey, and Miesha Tate.
As far as talent goes, the women's side of the tournament features the far deeper field. Featuring established names like Shayna Bazsler and Roxanne Modafferi, as well as up and coming fighters such as Jessamyn Duke and Julie Pena.
In this episode two preview, it looks like the drama between coaches has already started, as Rousey has decided that first picks, Bazsler and Pena, will be the first official fight of the competition. Bazsler is the early favorite to win the show as she's 15-8 and has faced the better competition in her career.
However, according to this episode 2 preview, this is one of the MOST SHOCKING BATTLES IN ULTIMATE FIGHTER HISTORY! That's either a way to advertise a very close fight or early indication that Pena walks away with her hand raised.
Either way, I know that I'm tuning in next Wednesday on Fox Sports 1.