Everything you need to know about The Ultimate Fighter 30

Here’s everything you need to know about The Ultimate Fighter 30.

The Ultimate Fighter is a reality television series that focuses on a house filled with potential UFC fighters. The concept usually revolves around the concept of two coaches, who draft their team from the show’s available talent. The fighters then take on one another in amateur bouts, with the winner usually progressing through the tournament held just for the show.

Usually, the show is anchored by coaches who are set to meet in a fight later on, but that’s not always the case, like in season two, where middleweight champion Rich Franklin and welterweight champion Matt Hughes were coaches. In the 30th season, we’ll see Amanda Nunes and Julianna Pena. Like Franklin and Hughes, both women are champions in different weight classes but are in fact booked for a fight after the show is over. It’s a rematch to their first encounter, where Pena shocked the world with a win over Nunes.

The show is built around up-and-coming fighters for the most part, usually from one or two weight classes. This year will see male heavyweights and female flyweights competing for a contract. Of the men, you’ll see Nyle Bartling, Chandler Cole, Jordan Heiderman, Bobby Maximus, Zac Pauga, Eduardo Perez, Michell Sipe, and Mohammed Usman.

The women will see Chantel Coastes, Claire Guthrie, Juliana Miller, Kaytlin Neil, Kathryn Paprocki, Melissa Odessa Parker, Helen Peralta, and Brogan Walker

The 30th season will begin airing on May 3 and will go live on ESPN+

The Ultimate Fighter is known for its star-making abilities

While there are far more ways to get into the UFC than there were when the show was launched in 2005, it’s still a star-making opportunity. Names like Forrest Griffin, Rashad Evans, Michael Bisping, Ryan Bader, T.J. Dillashaw, Carla Esparza, Rose Namajunas, Robert Whittaker, Kamaru Uzman, Nicco Montano, and current coach Pena have all been on The Ultimate Fighter and gone on to win UFC gold.

So while there are other avenues like Dana White’s Looking for a Fight series, The Ultimate Fighter has a legacy all of its own.