A long rumored international edition of The Ultimate Fighter pitting Australia Vs the UK has been officially announced by the UFC.
The season, dubbed ‘The Smashes’ is set to be filmed in Australia and then aired in the Fall. Tryouts for fighters from both countries will begin in June.
“Australia and the U.K. have a fierce, long-standing rivalry, and where better to settle the score than in the UFC’s Octagon?” the UFC’s Marshall Zelaznik declares in an official press release. “The popularity of MMA has exploded in Australia and the U.K., with gyms opening all over the respective countries. There is an athlete in one of those gyms who hasn’t had the chance to show the world what he can do. ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ is going give to him that opportunity. “We’re going to discover the UFC’s future stars. You can bet on it.”
The UK has been used for a similar format in the past, going up against the U.S in season 9 of TUF, emerging victorious with Ross Pearson being the most notable star to emerge for the Brits.
At this stage it’s not clear how the series will be broadcast given that, much like the ongoing TUF: Brazil series this will be a separate entity from the standard TUF: Live seasons which air on FX. The Brazilian edition airs on television in that region while reaching the rest of the world via the internet, and a similar format is the most likely option here.
