UFC fans, I am pleased to report that the UFC is finally trying it's hand at the Latin American community as the will finally be hosting a season of the Ultimate Fighter Latin America. This season will feature fighters from various countries in the Latin America region. The show will beginning filming very shortly with May 12th as the estimated date to begin filming. UFC Heavyweight Champion, Cain Velasquez and #1 Contender, Fabricio Werdum are going to be coaching against each other and are expected to face off against each other at UFC 180 in Mexico City, Mexico on November 15. This will be the UFC's first fight card taking place in Mexico in the company's 20 year existence. This TUF season will feature fighters from smaller weight classes as featherweights and bantamweights will compete for a coveted spot in the Ultimate Fighting Championship roster.
The Latin region is a hot bed for talented fighters in combat sports especially boxing. Though boxing is the largest combat sport in Latin America, MMA is growing at a rapid speed and we are beginning to see more Latin fighters competing with the best in the world in MMA. Latin fighters tend to have a in-your-face exiting style that always leaves fans wanting more. If you don't believe me, go watch a Erik Perez, Roger Huerta or Leonard Garcia fight and you'll thank me. I think that this season will be a great move the UFC and will offer more talent for two the UFC's weakest divisions in my opinion. The Featherweight Division has a decent talent pool, but there is nothing exciting about the UFC's bantamweight division if you mention it without the name Renan Barao. Hopefully this season is able to bring two fighters that can give Jose Aldo, Renan Barao and Nova Uniao a run for their money.
I have a great deal of optimism for this season of the Ultimate Fighter and hope that it will be as successful as the Ultimate Fighter Brazil and similar TUF foreign spinoffs. I can't wait to see the title fight between Cain Velasquez and Fabricio Werdum in November. I like the idea of seeing a huge fight between Cain and someone who is as dynamic as he is. Before a loss to dos Santos during his first run, Werdum was so close to a title shot and we could have possibly seen he and Velasquez possible fight earlier in their careers. I feel that Werdum presents probably the biggest challenge to the Heavyweight Champion to date. He has faced hard-hitting strikers such as Junior dos Santos and Cheick Kongo and great wrestlers like Brock Lesner and Ben Rothwell, but he has never faced a fighter with a high-level BJJ pedigree such as Werdum. Not only great jui jitsu is possessed by Werdum, but a scarily improving stand-up game that proved to be too much for a KO artist in Travis Browne. Also it has been about 3 1/2 years since we saw Velasquez face a fighter that is named Junior dos Santos or Antonio Silva and it is refresshing to see him face a new challenge.
I feel that Cain Velasquez can beat Werdum, but I think that he will truly be challenged for the first time in his career as the champion. I am thrilled at the announcement of the new season of TUF and the announcement of the coming title fight in November.
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