Brazilian prospects, get ready. "The Ultimate Fighter" is coming your way.
UFC executives recently announced that Brazilian middleweight and lightweight fighters are invited to an open tryout session on Dec. 14 in Sao Paulo.
Interested fighters must be between the ages of 21 and 35 years old and have at least three professional fights, two of which must be victories.
"The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil" will be produced by Brazilian firm Floresta and air as part of the UFC's broadcast deal with Globo. The series is expected to feature 12 taped episodes in addition to a live finale.
While FUEL TV is expected to air the show in the U.S., UFC president Dana White has yet to officially announce a stateside broadcast partner.
"As technology continues to grow, we have so much more distribution than we used to have," White told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "But we will figure it out so everybody can watch."
Coaches for the Brazilian "TUF" debut have yet to be determined, but White confirmed both will be Brazilian and the entirety of the season will be filmed in Portuguese.
Long a hotbed of MMA fighters, Brazil has often been referred to as the "spiritual home of mixed martial arts." White said he thinks the series' Brazilian debut will produce top prospects.
"We're very excited abut the talent we've got lined up down there already," White said.
"TUF," which debuted on Spike TV in 2005 and quickly became a driving force for the UFC's move into the mainstream, has launched the careers of more than 100 UFC fighters and has produced past champions such as Rashad Evans, Forrest Griffin and Matt Serra. The current 14th season is the first to feature bantamweight and featherweight fighters.
Due to the UFC's landmark seven-year with FOX, FX becomes the new U.S. home of "TUF" in 2012. The show will include live Friday-night fights rather than taped bouts.
For more on the UFC's "TUF: Brazil" tryouts, see br.ufc.com.
Source: "The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil" hosts tryouts in December, series debuts in 2012
