The Ultimate Fighting Championship has not had its
fill of its flagship reality show just yet.
According to the organization on Thursday, the next season of “The
Ultimate Fighter” is on deck. Season 32, which will feature
featherweights and middleweights, has opened casting. Unlike past
seasons, tryouts will entirely be done remotely, with no physical
sessions until the finalists are picked. Prospective competitors
can apply through this link. The show will air sometime
in June 2024 on ESPN and ESPN+, with the date still to be
determined. The coaches of the teams have not been selected
yet.
This season will follow one that ran from May to August, with teams
captained by Conor
McGregor and Michael
Chandler, for bantamweights and lightweights. The theme of
Season 31 placed former UFC fighters against prospects, and
veterans ran the table to the semifinals with the exception of
Rico
DiSciullo—who lost in the semis to Cody Gibson.
Seven of the eight quarterfinals saw a member of Chandler’s team
prevail, and Brad Katona,
the eventual bantamweight winner, switched teams to give McGregor
another representative. At lightweight, all four of Chandler’s
fighters reached the semifinals, and Kurt
Holobaugh emerged victorious to regain a UFC contract.
The last time middleweights were a division on TUF, Bryan
Battle defeated Gilbert
Urbina to conclude TUF 29. Both of those men have subsequently
dropped down to welterweight since their signing. Featherweights
took center stage last in 2018, on the “Undefeated” season where
every competitor came in with unbeaten records. Katona also won
that season at 145 pounds, while Michael
Trizano earned the split verdict nod over Joe
Giannetti at lightweight.