The Ultimate Fighter is finally back with the 31st season’s first episode airing on May 30 on ESPN. The return of TUF will also coincide with the return of the “Notorious” Conor McGregor. The Irishman previously coached against Urijah Faber at TUF 22 in a widely acclaimed season. At TUF 31, McGregor will coach against UFC lightweight Michael Chandler.
And it seems this season will carry a unique theme during its run. Per MMA writer Cole Shelton, TUF 31 will see veterans take on up-and-coming prospects in caged combat. Half of the contestants will comprise fighters who have previously competed in the UFC while the other half will be young prospects on the rise.
Been told by multiple sources that TUF 31 will see half the contestants being UFC veterans who have been cut with the other half being prospects. Theme is vets vs. prospects with McGregor and Chandler as coaches. #TUF31 #UFC
— Cole Shelton (@ColeShelton91) February 8, 2023
“Been told by multiple sources that TUF 31 will see half the contestants being UFC veterans who have been cut with the other half being prospects. Theme is vets vs. prospects with McGregor and Chandler as coaches. #TUF31 #UFC.” wrote Shelton in a Tweet.
This is not the first season of The Ultimate Fighter that is departing from the series’ usual format. TUF 22, coached by Conor and Faber, featured the “Team US vs Team Europe” theme and did great numbers for the UFC. Of course, McGregor and Faber’s rivalry on TUF 22, which has since been squashed, also played a big factor. But it could be argued that the season’s unique format also helped pique fan interest.
Bellator champion Ryan Bader returns to UFC for TUF 31
The current Bellator heavyweight champion, Ryan Bader is slated to come back on the 31st season of TUF. He will serve as the coach for Team Chandler alongside some very accomplished names in combat sports. This was revealed to the world by Bader in a post on his Instagram page.
Bader is a UFC veteran himself, and as the current HW champion in Bellator, will surely bring invaluable expertise and wisdom to Team Chandler. He will join Kill Cliff FC coaches Greg Jones and Jason Strout on Team Chandler. In his UFC career, Bader picked up some impressive wins in the 205 lbs division.
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However, his initial run was derailed by another prospect at the time, Jon Jones. And while there’s no shame in that, Bader unraveled after this loss. He still won against some of the UFC’s elite but every time he was on the cusp of greatness, he would lose. And he would leave the promotion with a 15-5 record, beating Lil Nog once again in his final UFC bout.
Ever since his move to Bellator, Ryan Bader has managed to recapture the essence of what made him such an exciting prospect. He is the Bellator HW champion with a 9-2 record in the promotion. Bader also holds two wins over the legendary Fedor Emilianenko. The most recent of which came at Bellator 290 in Fedor’s final MMA bout.