The Ultimate Fighter returns for its 31st Season with a cast of eight UFC veterans and eight promotional newcomers set to be coached by Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler. Find everything you need to know about TUF 31 before the season begins on 30 May below.
Read our recap of The Ultimate Fighter 31: Team McGregor vs. Team Chandler Episode 5 here.
What is The Ultimate Fighter?
The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) is a reality television series created by the UFC that typically involves 16 fighters from two weight classes who live together while competing in an elimination tournament where the winner receives a ‘six-figure’ UFC contract. Each season is also coached by two UFC fighters who, after going head to head as coaches on the show, usually compete in a fight of their own following the TUF Finale.
Debuting in 2005, the first season of TUF has been credited by Dana White and a host of other experts as saving the UFC, which was near bankruptcy at the time, and propelling the sport into the mainstream. The Ultimate Fighter 1, coached by two of the sport’s biggest stars at the time, Randy Couture and Chuck Liddell, ended with an all-time classic between future Hall of Famers Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar.
The two men went to war for three rounds, with Griffin coming out victorious in a fight that could have gone either way. Nearly two decades later, the bout is still lauded as one of the greatest fights of all time and possibly the most impactful. Griffin and Bonnar would both go on to have highly successful careers, with Griffin even winning the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship. On the same card, Diego Sanchez beat Kenny Florian to win the TUF 1 Middleweight tournament.
The Ultimate Fighter has produced numerous future World Champions, including Griffin, Rashad Evans, Michael Bisping, Matt Serra, Ryan Bader, Tony Ferguson, Julianna Pena, Carla Esparza, Kamaru Usman, Nicco Montano, Robert Whittaker, Yair Rodriguez, T.J. Dillashaw, and Rose Namajunas, and other stars such as Nate Diaz, Roy Nelson, Matt Brown, and Kenny Florian.
Find our preview of some of the best UFC fights to look forward to in June here.
Who Will Fight and Coach on The Ultimate Fighter 31?
The Ultimate Fighter 31 will be coached by former UFC Featherweight and Lightweight Champion Conor McGregor and former Bellator Lightweight Champion Michael Chandler, who will likely face off in the Octagon themselves later this year.
McGregor has coached TUF before when he coached Season 22 across from Urijah Faber in one of the most entertaining seasons of all time. He will likely bring his acclaimed coaching staff from SBG Ireland to assist him, including John Kavanagh and Owen Roddy. Chandler enters TUF for the first time and has brought along a star-studded team of assistants, including Robert Drysdale, Jason Strout, Greg Jones, and TUF winner and Bellator Heavyweight World Champion Ryan Bader.
The Ultimate Fighter 31 will feature competitors in the Bantamweight and Lightweight divisions, with the Season themed around redemption, meaning competitors are split between veterans who have already fought in the UFC and prospects looking to earn their first UFC contract. Notable veterans competing in the season include TUF 27 winner Brad Katona, Timur Valiev, Jason Knight and Roosevelt Roberts. Find the full cast below.
Bantamweights:
- Hunter Azure (10-3-0, 2-2-0 UFC)
- Rico DiSciullo (11-2-0)
- Cody Gibson (19-8-0, 1-3-0 UFC)
- Mando Gutierrez (8-2-0)
- Brad Katona (12-2-0, 2-2-0 UFC)
- Timur Valiev (18-3-0, 2-1-0 UFC)
- Carlos Vera (12-3-0)
- Trevor Wells (8-3-0)
Lightweights:
- Lee Hammond (5-0-0)
- Kurt Holobaugh (19-7-0, 0-4-0 UFC)
- Austin Hubbard (15-6-0, 3-4-0 UFC)
- Nate Jennerman (16-5-0)
- Jason Knight (23-7-0, 4-5-0 UFC)
- Aaron McKenzie (11-2-1)
- Landon Quinones (7-1-1)
- Roosevelt Roberts (12-3-0, 4-3-0 UFC)
What is Road to UFC? Find Everything You Need to Know Before Season 2 here
Where and When Can You Watch The Ultimate Fighter 31?
The Ultimate Fighter 31 will air over a 12-week period beginning Tuesday, 30 May, in the United States, with one episode airing each week for a total of 12 episodes. The episodes will be available to watch live on ESPN, with on-demand streaming on ESPN+. In Australia, the first episode will air Wednesday, 31 May, at 12:30pm AEST and can be watched on ESPN and Kayo.
When Will Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler Fight?
As with nearly every other season of The Ultimate Fighter, TUF 31 coaches Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler are expected to compete against one another following the end of the TUF season. While no date has yet been made official, the bout is expected to take place later in the year, likely in a November or December PPV.
The Ultimate Fighter 31 Results
Quarterfinal Bouts
Roosevelt Roberts (12-3-0, 4-3-0 UFC) def. Nate Jennerman (16-5-0) via KO, Round 1
Read our recap of The Ultimate Fighter 31: Team McGregor vs. Team Chandler, Episode 1 here.
Cody Gibson (19-8-0, 1-3-0 UFC) def. Mando Gutierrez (8-2-0) via KO (Flying Knee), Round 1
Read our recap of The Ultimate Fighter 31: Team McGregor vs. Team Chandler Episode 2 here.
Austin Hubbard (15-6-0, 3-4-0 UFC) def. Aaron McKenzie (11-2-1) via Unanimous Decision
Read our recap of The Ultimate Fighter 31: Team McGregor vs. Team Chandler Episode 3 here.
Timur Valiev (18-3-0, 2-1-0 UFC) def. Trevor Wells (8-3-0) via Unanimous Decision
Read our recap of The Ultimate Fighter 31: Team McGregor vs. Team Chandler Episode 4 here.
Brad Katona (12-2-0, 2-2-0 UFC) def. Carlos Vera (12-3-0) via Unanimous Decision
Read our recap of The Ultimate Fighter 31: Team McGregor vs. Team Chandler Episode 5 here.
Kurt Holobaugh (19-7-0, 0-4-0 UFC) def. Lee Hammond (5-0-0) via Submission (Guillotine), Round 2
Read our recap of The Ultimate Fighter 31: Team McGregor vs. Team Chandler Episode 6 here.
Jason Knight (23-7-0, 4-5-0 UFC) def. Landon Quinones (7-1-1) via Submission (Triangle Choke), Round 1
Rico DiSciullo (11-2-0) def. Hunter Azure (10-3-0, 2-2-0 UFC) via KO, Round 2
Semifinal Bouts
Austin Hubbard (15-6-0, 3-4-0 UFC) def. Roosevelt Robert (12-3-0, 4-3-0 UFC) via Split Decision
Brad Katona (12-2-0, 2-2-0 UFC) def. Timur Valiev (18-3-0, 2-1-0 UFC) via Split Decision
Kurt Holobaugh (19-7-0, 0-4-0 UFC) def. Jason Knight (23-7-0, 4-5-0 UFC) via TKO, Round 2
Cody Gibson (19-8-0, 1-3-0 UFC) def. Rico DiSciullo (11-2-0) via Submission (Arm-Triangle Choke), Round 1
TUF Finals: UFC 292
Lightweight Final: Austin Hubbard (15-6-0, 3-4-0 UFC) vs. Kurt Holobaugh (19-7-0, 0-4-0 UFC)
Bantamweight Final: Brad Katona (12-2-0, 2-2-0 UFC) vs. Cody Gibson (19-8-0, 1-3-0 UFC)
UFC 292: Aljamain Sterling vs. Sean O’Malley Fight Card, Start Times and Live Streams
One response to “Everything You Need to Know About The Ultimate Fighter 31: Team McGregor vs. Team Chandler”
Gonna be such a long wait