Watch: UFC release trailer for The Return of The Ultimate Fighter: Team Volkanovski vs. Team Ortega
One of the UFC's most iconic productions, The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) is set to make a comeback. The upcoming season of the show will go on air on June 1 on the ESPN+ network.
The UFC recently dropped the trailer for TUF 29 or The Return of The Ultimate Fighter: Team Volkanovski vs. Team Ortega on their YouTube channel. The trailer pays tribute to the various talents the reality show has brought to the UFC.
The show was discontinued after its last season, which aired on the Fox network in 2018.
The Ultimate Fighter show follows the journey of MMA fighters who live together in a house and compete against each other to earn a UFC contract. These fighters are divided into two teams headed by coaches who fight each other after the season has concluded.
Season 29 of The Ultimate Fighter will feature fighters in the bantamweight (135-lbs) and middleweight (185lb-s) divisions. Reigning UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski and former title challenger Brian Ortega will coach the fighters on the latest season of the reality show.
The pair were expected to fight each other at UFC 260 in March, but the fight was canceled after Volkanovski tested positive for COVID-19. The UFC has kept the matchup intact and both fighters will fight for the 145-lbs belt after the conclusion of TUF 29.
The Ultimate Fighter gave the UFC a lifeline in the mid-2000s
Back in the early 2000s, the UFC was far from the mainstream sport that it currently is. Tagged as 'human cockfighting' by mainstream media and politicians, MMA was a fringe element of the sports world.
The UFC rose to popularity following the Zuffa takeover in 2001. However, the organization incurred huge losses in subsequent years and was on the brink of shutting down. The company ventured into the television market through The Ultimate Fighter to reach out to a wider audience.
Season 1 of the show aired on the Spike TV network in 2005 and went on to become a massive hit. The show's success skyrocketed the pay-per-view numbers for subsequent UFC events and helped the organization gain financial success.
The Ultimate Fighter has produced 11 UFC champions through 28 seasons, which include reigning UFC champions Rose Namajunas and Kamaru Usman, as well as former champions T.J. Dillashaw, Robert Whittaker, and Michael Bisping to name a few.