Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) today revealed the cast of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 17: "Team Jones vs. Team Sonnen," set to make its season premiere on Jan. 22, 2013 at 9 p.m. ET on FX Channel, featuring UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones and unlikely division number one contender Chael Sonnen as head coaches.
Here are the 28 middleweights who will join them:
Dylan Andrews (16-4-1), 32, Gold Coast, Australia (by way of New Zealand)
Kito Andrews (9-2), 34, Sacramento
Luke Barnatt (5-0), 24, Cambridge, England
Leo Bercier (7-2), 31, Great Falls, Mont.
Ryan Bigler (9-3), 28, Yona, Guam
Kevin Casey (5-2), Hawthorne, Calif.
Adam Cella (4-0), 27, Fenton, Mo.
Zach Cummings (15-3), 28, Kansas City, Mo.
Andy Enz (6-1), 21, Anchorage
Nik Fekete, 32, Las Vegas
Kelvin Gastelum (5-0), 20, Yuma, Ariz.
Uriah Hall (7-2), 28, New York City (by way of Jamaica)
Collin Hart (4-1-1), 23, Santa Rosa, Calif.
Clint Hester (7-3), 25, Atlanta
Jake Heun (3-2), 25, Salt Lake City
Mike Jasper (6-0), 29, Camarillo, Calif.
Nicholas Kohring (3-0), 22, Valley Springs, Calif.
Robert McDaniel (20-6), 29, Albuquerque
Fraser Opie (10-5), 29, Milton Keynes, England (by way of South Africa)
Mike Persons (3-0), 28, Manteca, Calif.
Jimmy Quinlan (3-0), 26, Metheun, Mass.
Scott Rosa (4-1), 26, Sparks, Nev.
Joshua Samman (9-2), 24, Tallahassee, Fla.
Gilbert Smith Jr. (5-1), Colorado Springs
Eldon Sproat (3-1), 27, Molokai, Hawaii
Tor Troeng (15-4-1), 29, Umea, Sweden
Eric Wahlin (5-1), 29, Taylorsville, Utah
Timothy Williams (7-1), 26, Millville, N.J.
Which one of these 185-pound monsters is responsible for putting his "terrified" opponents in the hospital? We'll find out in less than two weeks.
Following the conclusion of TUF 17, Jones will put his 205-pound title on the line against Sonnen at the UFC 159 pay-per-view (PPV) event from the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ, on April 27, 2013. Until then, they'll have to settle for daily duty as leaders of the new school, including the always-entertaining "coach's challenge."
Click here to see the latest TUF 17 video promo. For more on "Jones vs. Sonnen" at UFC 159 click here.