The_Ultimate_Fighter:_Latin_America
The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America
UFC mixed martial arts television series and event in 2014
The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America (also known as The Ultimate Fighter: Team Velasquez vs. Team Werdum) is an installment of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)-produced reality television series The Ultimate Fighter. It is the seventh series to be produced primarily for markets outside the United States.
The series was preceded by the launch of UFC's Latin America developmental program in late 2012, where the organization scouted for Hispanic talent.[1] Many of the prospects that were picked from the tryouts spent the following year training in coveted camps — mainly Jackson's MMA — with all expenses paid alongside of $1,200 monthly stipend.[1] Most of them eventually appeared in the first two seasons of the Latin America installment, Yair Rodríguez, Guido Cannetti and Marlon Vera among others.[1]
The series was officially announced by the UFC in April 2014, shortly after Fabrício Werdum defeated Travis Browne to earn a title shot against Cain Velasquez. The coaches will be Velasquez and number-one contender Werdum and the series will culminate with their bout at UFC 180 on November 15, 2014, at Arena Ciudad de México in Mexico City. This season will feature eight featherweight and eight bantamweight competitors, four in each class representing Mexico and Latin America (not including fighters from Brazil, which has its own TUF). Filming began in May 2014 in Las Vegas, Nevada, with the series scheduled to debut in August 2014.[2]
In May 2014, the cast of fighters participating on the show was announced.[3] Eight fighters were chosen for both Team Velasquez and Team Werdum to represent Mexico and Latin America, respectively.