Details about the debut season of 'The Ultimate Fighter: China' have finally been released.
Just like previous seasons, the Chinese show will feature featherweight and lightweight fighters competing for the title of The Ultimate Fighter. As reported by MMA in Asia, the teams will be coached by Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight Zhang Tiequan and Ao Hailin, a retired fighter from Art of War.
The show's 16 fighters were recently announced with the competitors hailing from China, Canada, Malaysia, and the United States. Hailin put together an undefeated record under the Art of War banner, but retired from active competition in 2009. He's since been running a school called the Ai Hailin MMA Club.
Zhang's involvement is also a bit questionable. He was signed to World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) with high expectations that he'd assist in expanding the UFC into China. Unfortunately, his UFC career was highly disappointing as he amassed a 2-4 record in the UFC and WEC. He also wasn't been booked for a fight in 2013.
Cung Le served as the series' "Dana White," helping keep the fighters focused on the big picture and offering any sort of advice that was needed.
The series debuts in December 7, 2013 on Liaoning Satellite TV. The finale is expected to take place in March at the CotaiArena in Cotai, Macau.