New York, NY, August 18, 2008 – They come from all over the globe, spanning Brooklyn to Israel, including far-off locales such as Russia, Nova Scotia, England, and Hawaii.  Their diverse backgrounds range from a former Division 1 college football player to a CIA recruiter and include the brother of “The Ultimate Fighter 2” winner. 

For these 32 up-and-coming mixed martial arts fighters, there is one goal, to win a six-figure contract with the preeminent mixed martial arts organization in the world, The Ultimate Fighting Championship.® 

Season eight of Spike TV’s wildly successful original series, “The Ultimate Fighter,” premieres Wednesday, September 17 at 10:00pm ET/PT, with 16 lightweights (155lbs) and 16 light heavyweights (205lbs) under the watchful eye of the coaches interim UFC heavyweight champion, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir.  

Each of the 32 contestants must fight his way into the Ultimate Fighter House by winning  a preliminary bout that will be featured during the first two episodes (Sept. 17 and 24).  The remaining 10 episodes will feature the victorious 16 fighters and their quest for the coveted “Ultimate Fighter” crown.

During the six-week taping of “The Ultimate Fighter: Team Mir vs. Team Nogueira,” these 16 men who survived the prelims endured a grueling regimen of jiu-jitsu, judo, muay thai, karate, boxing and wrestling.  The intense competition between the fighters continues after they leave the gym – at The Ultimate Fighter House.  These warriors must live together, knowing that any day they might be forced to fight each other in the famed UFC Octagon™. 

The two finalists will square off in a live finale Saturday, December 13 on Spike TV, when the two weight class winners will be declared The Ultimate Fighter® and net the aforementioned contract and a cash prize.  UFC President Dana White will once again serve as host of the series.

After each show, Spike.com users will get exclusive extended footage from each episode and an exclusive video leak of the upcoming episode. 

Craig Piligian of Pilgrim Films and Television, Frank Fertitta III, Lorenzo Fertitta, Dana White of Zuffa, LLC, and Kevin Kay of Spike TV are the show's executive producers.   Brian J. Diamond, senior vice president, Sports & Specials, Spike TV is co-executive producer and Christopher Martello is executive in charge of production for Spike TV.  

The 32 fighters for “The Ultimate Fighter: Team Mir vs. Team Nogueira” include:

LIGHTWEIGHTS Jose Aguilar Age: 25 MMA Record: 17-3-0 Trains With:  Grapplers Edge Location: Las Cruces, NM Fernando Bernstein Age: 25 MMA Record: 2-0-0 Location: San Clemente, CA Junie Allen Browning Age: 22 MMA Record: 2-0-0 Trains With:  Four Seasons Martial Arts Location: Lexington, KY Rolando Delgado Age: 26 MMA Record: 7-3-1 Trains With:  Westside Fight Team Location: North Little Rock, AR Joseph Duarte Age: 24 MMA Record: 3-0 Trains With:  Unleashed Training Facility / Alliance MMA Location: San Diego, CA Efrain Escudero Age: 22 MMA Record: 10-0-0 Trains With:  Southwest Martial Arts Location: Tempe, AZ Brandon Garner Age: 26 MMA Record: 4-1-0 Trains With:  Team ROC Location: Raleigh, NC David Kaplan Age: 28 MMA Record: 3-1-0 Trains With:  Lloyd Irvin Team Location: Camp Springs, MD Eric Magee Age: 23 MMA Record: 3-1-0 Trains With:  South Shore Sport Location:  Rockland, MA Brian McLaughlin Age: 23 MMA Record: 5-0-0 Trains With:  Team Gracie Tampa Location: Tampa, FL Wesley Murch Age: 25 MMA Record: 4-2-0 Trains With:  Trojan Gym Location:  Bristol, UK Shane Nelson Age: 24 MMA Record: 11-3-0 Trains With:  BJ Penn’s MMA Location: Hilo, HI Phillipe Nover Age: 24 MMA Record: 5-0-1 Trains With:  Team Renzo Gracie Location: Brooklyn, NY Ido Pariente Age: 30 MMA Record: 13-4-0 Trains With:  Location: Tel Aviv, Israel John Polakowski Age: 26 MMA Record: 3-1-0 Trains With:  The Pit Location: San Luis Obispo, CA George Roop Age: 26 MMA Record: 7-3-0 Trains With:  Ultima MMA Location: Tucson, AZ

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT Ryan Bader Age: 24 MMA Record: 7-0-0 Trains With: Arizona Combat Sports Location: Chandler, AZ Antwain Britt Age: 29 MMA Record: 4-0-0 Trains With:  Bombsquad MMA Location:  Virginia Beach, VA Jules Bruchez Age: 30 MMA Record: 3-2-0 Trains With:  Ronan Dojo Location:  Lafayette, LA Charles Diaz Age: 25 MMA Record: 3-0-0 Trains With:  SD Fight Club Location:  San Diego, CA Lance Evans Age: 30 MMA Record: 4-2-0 Trains With:  TKO MMA Location: Niagara Falls, NY Karen Grigoryan Age: 26 MMA Record: 5-0-0 Trains With:  RusFighters Sport Club Location:  Russia Jason Guida Age: 30 MMA Record: 26-13-0 Trains With:  Hellhouse Gym Location:  Chicago, IL Ryan Jimmo Age: 26 MMA Record: 6-1-0 Trains With:  Titans MMA Location: Halifax, Nova Scotia Kyle Kingsbury Age: 26 MMA Record: 7-1-1 Trains With:  American Kickboxing Academy Location: Sunnyvale, CA Tom Lawlor Age: 24 MMA Record: Trains With:  American Top Team Location: Oviedo, FL Ryan Lopez Age: 25 MMA Record: 5-3-0 Location:  Oklahoma City, OK Vinicius Magalhaes Age: 23 MMA Record: 2-2-0 Trains With:  Team Quest Location:  Temecula, CA Eliot Marshall Age: 27 MMA Record: 5-1-0 Trains With: Eastern Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Location:  Boulder, CO Sean O’Connell Age: 24 MMA Record: 1-0-0 Location:  Salt Lake City, UT Shane Primm Age: 23 MMA Record: 1-0-0 Trains With:  Team Gracie Tampa Location: Tampa, FL Krzysztof Soszynski Age: 30 MMA Record: 16-8-1 Trains With:  Team Quest Location:  Temecula, CA

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