The Ultimate Fighter is back for its 33rd season.
The show, which continues on its home on ESPN+, aims to give top prospects a chance to impress the UFC brass in an attempt to earn a contract with the company. The show’s premiere takes place on May 27 and streams live on ESPN+ starting at 8 p.m. ET.
- Roybert Echevarria (10-2, The GOAT Shed, Venezuela)
- Eduardo Henrique (13-2, Maquininha do Futuro MMA, Brazil)
- Alibi Idiris (10-0, Erkin Kush, Kazakhstan)
- Tumelo Manyamala (6-1, Pride Fighting Academy, South Africa)
- Arshiyan Memon (7-0, The Block, India)
- Joseph Morales (12-2, Team Alpha Male, United States)
- Imanol Rodriguez (5-0, Team Blackxicans, Mexico)
- Furkatbek Yokubov (15-4, TKMMAFT, Uzbekistan)
The two favorites out of the flyweights have to be Brazil’s Eduardo Henrique and Kazakhstan’s Alibi Idiris.
Henrique is the LFA Champion who has had a tough strength of schedule with great success. He has a good mix of Muay Thai striking skills and submission ability on the ground. His biggest wins to date come over Contender Series vet Igor Siqueira, his LFA title clinching performance over Cody Davis and his victory over 20-plus fight veteran Denis Araujo.
As for Alibi, he’s the Naiza FC Champion, where he’s established himself as the dominant force with that company. He has an impressive striking arsenal that he mixes quite effectively with his wrestling skills. He has beaten Contender Series vet Erisson Ferreira, showing he’s ready for the next level.
The lone fighter on the show that’s actually fought in the UFC, it’s hard to look at Joseph Morales as a dark horse, but given the strength of the flyweight roster, Morales actually flies under the radar. The Team Alpha Male fighter has gone 3-0 since being released from the UFC, including winning the A1 Combat Championship. He was 1-2 in the UFC during his short tenure, besting Roberto Sanchez while falling to eventual UFC Champion Deiveson Figueiredo and Eric Shelton.
The guy who appears to be the biggest longshot of the bunch is India’s Arshiyan Memon. A fighter with a boxing base, he’s fought his career mostly in the Indian regional scene, which is not exactly the biggest bastion of talent. While he has finished all opponents, he has not faced a very notable opponent yet. There are a number of wrestlers and grapplers on this season that could be a problem for Memon.
Roybert Echevarria is the Anthony Pettis Fighting Championship title holder who is known for his strong striking ability. He’s a Contender Series veteran whose dynamic striking and toughness could be difficult to deal with for his opponents.
Tumenlo Manyamala is likely another longshot on this season. His most impressive performance actually came in a loss to Road to UFC vet Mark Climaco, who Manyamala brought to the limit. He’s a gifted striker who I’d love to see matched up with Echevarria.
Imanol Rodriguez is the least experienced fighter this season, but obviously the UFC likes his potential given his opportunity to fight on this season of TUF. He’s finished all of his fights in the first or second round. He’s coming off the biggest win of his career over respected vet Alberto Trujillo, which he scored in the Fury FC promotion.
Finally, Furkatbek Yokubov really established himself in recent times with a highlight reel knockout of Flavio de Queiroz, who he plastered with a spinning wheel kick. His career has been up and down, but he’s obviously a very dangerous fighter that will be a tough out for anybody on this season.