Las Vegas – The historic 30th season of The Ultimate Fighter®will see UFC® bantamweight champion Julianna Pena and featherweight champion Amanda Nunes go head-to-head as coaches for men’s heavyweights and women’s flyweights competing to make the UFC roster. Following the series, which exclusively debuts Tuesday, May 3 on ESPN+, the two coaches will prepare to square off for the bantamweight title at a date that will be determined in the near future.
The Ultimate Fighter Season 30: Pena vs Nunes will feature a dynamic cast of 16 ascending athletes in the men’s heavyweight (265 lbs.) and women’s flyweight (125 lbs.) divisions, who have put everything else in their lives aside for the chance to pursue their UFC dreams.
The entire twelve episode season of TUF 30 will be available exclusively on ESPN+, with one episode dropping each Tuesday beginning May 3. In addition, UFC fans can re-watch all 29 previous seasons of TUF on ESPN+, the industry-leading sports streaming service.
The Ultimate Fighter is the iconic reality television series that has introduced millions of new and die-hard fans to future UFC champions and top contenders. Those whose careers have been shaped by their participation in The Ultimate Fighter include: Julianna Pena, Kamaru Usman, Forrest Griffin, Rashad Evans, Rose Namajunas, Michael Bisping, Robert Whittaker, Nate Diaz, Tony Ferguson, T.J. Dillashaw, Matt Serra, Michael Chiesa, Al Iaquinta, Kelvin Gastelum, Uriah Hall and many others.
Undisputed UFC bantamweight champion Pena (12-4, fighting out of Chicago, Ill.) returns to The Ultimate Fighter as a coach after winning season 18 in dominant fashion. She will look to teach her team the lessons and skills from her impressive career that has seen her secure victories over Amanda Nunes, Cat Zingano, Nicco Montano and Sara McMann. Pena now aims to show that she can beat Nunes as a coach, as well as a competitor, and build momentum towards their inevitable rematch later this year.
Nunes (21-5, fighting out of Miami, Fla. by way of Pojuca, Brazil) is widely considered to be the greatest women’s mixed martial artist of all time. Despite her historic upset defeat to Pena late last year, Nunes remains confident that she will regain her lost title with a spectacular performance similar to those that earned her wins over Holly Holm, Cris Cyborg and Ronda Rousey. She now plans on adding a successful The Ultimate Fighter season to her renowned resume on the way to exacting revenge over Pena.
Below is a full list of competitors scheduled to compete in The Ultimate Fighter 30: Team Pena vs. Team Nunes (name, age, professional record and fighting out of):
MEN’S HEAVYWEIGHTS
Nyle Bartling | 29 | 6-0 | Unadilla, NE
Chandler Cole | 27 | 8-3 | Coeburn, VA
Jordan Heiderman | 30 | 5-0 | Norfolk, NE
Bobby Maximus | 43 | 5-4 | Salt Lake City, UT
Zac Pauga | 33 | 5-0 | Denver, CO
Eduardo Perez | 27 | 4-1 | Berkeley, CA
Mitchell Sipe | 25 | 5-2 | Bakersfield, CA
Mohammed Usman | 32 | 7-2 | Denver, CO
WOMEN’S FLYWEIGHTS
Chantel Coates | 34 | 2-1 | Leavenworth, KS
Claire Guthrie | 26 | 3-1 | Denver, CO
Juliana Miller | 25 | 2-1 | San Diego, CA
Kaytlin Neil | 30 | 5-4 | Lindon, UT
Kathryn Paprocki | 28 | 3-2 | Denver, CO
Melissa Parker | 35 | 2-1 | Houston, TX
Helen Peralta | 33 | 4-2 | Fairfield, IA
Brogan Walker | 32 | 7-2 | Guam
*All athletes are subject to change
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About UFC®
UFC® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization (MMA), with more than 625 million fans and 178 million social media followers. The organization produces more than 40 live events annually in some of the most prestigious arenas around the world, while broadcasting to nearly 900 million TV households across more than 170 countries. UFC’s athlete roster features the world’s best MMA athletes representing more than 75 countries. The organization’s digital offerings include UFC FIGHT PASS®, one of the world’s leading streaming services for combat sports. UFC is owned by global sports and entertainment company Endeavor, and is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram and TikTok: @UFC.
About ESPN+
ESPN+ is the industry-leading sports streaming service that offers fans in the U.S. thousands of live sports events, original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks and exclusive editorial content from dozens of ESPN writers and reporters. Launched in April 2018, ESPN+ has grown to more than 17.1 million subscribers.
Fans sign up to ESPN+ for just $6.99 a month (or $69.99 per year) at ESPN.com, ESPNplus.com or on the ESPN App (mobile and connected devices). It is also available as part of The Disney Bundle that gives subscribers access to Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu for $13.99/month (Hulu w/ads) or $19.99/month (Hulu w/o ads).
About ESPN
ESPN, the world’s leading sports entertainment brand, features eight U.S. television networks, direct-to-consumer ESPN+, ESPN Radio, ESPN.com, endeavors on every continent around the world, and more. ESPN is 80 percent owned by ABC, Inc. (an indirect subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company) and 20 percent by Hearst.
About Pilgrim Media Group
Pilgrim Media Group, a Lionsgate company headed by Emmy®-winning producer Craig Piligian, produces a diverse slate of unscripted and scripted programming across all platforms. The company is behind hit series and projects like “Ghost Hunters,” “American Chopper,” “Fast N’ Loud,” the “Street Outlaws” and Wicked Tuna franchises, “My Big Fat Fabulous Life,” “Bring It!,” “The Ultimate Fighter” and “High on the Hog.” Among Pilgrim’s feature documentaries are the award-winning films “Soufra” and “Tre Maison Dasan,” now streaming on Hulu and PBS.org, respectively; revelatory profile “The Boy Band Con: The Lou Pearlman Story” for YouTube Premium; and Sundance’s 2020 Festival Favorite Award winner, “Giving Voice.” Global content leader Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF.A, LGF.B) is a majority investor in Pilgrim.
