Week-in-Review: Meet the TUF 11 Cast

[WTV News]

The world now knows which weapons will be at the disposal of UFC hall of famer Chuck Liddell and longtime rival Tito Ortiz on Season 11 of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series.

Australian Kyle Noke, unbeaten Canadian Nick Ring, Ultimate Warrior Challenge veteran Kris McCray, Team Alpha Male’s Kyacey Uscola and a handful of mixed martial artists that call American Top Team home highlight those who survived the initial selection process. Representatives from Spike TV on Monday unveiled the full 28-member cast. The season will debut March 31 on Spike TV and boasts a new format, which will be introduced to viewers during the first episode.

The full cast for “The Ultimate Fighter 11” follows:



Kyle Noke
Age: 29
Record: 16-4-1

One of the season’s more accomplished competitors, the Australian currently trains at Jackson’s Mixed Martial Arts in Albuquerque, N.M. The 29-year-old holds victories against EliteXC veteran Seth Kleinbeck and “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 6 semi-finalist George Sotiropoulos. A former bodyguard for the late Steve “The Crocodile Hunter” Irwin, Noke fought reigning Bellator Fighting Championships middleweight titleholder Hector Lombard to a standstill in July 2007.



Kris McCray
Age: 28
Record: 5-0

Having cut his competitive teeth inside the Ultimate Warrior Challenge promotion, McCray has finished all five of his opponents inside one round, the last three in less than a minute. Born to a military father, the 28-year-old was raised in Germany and ultimately spent time in the United States Army Reserves. Spawned by the Gold Medal Grappling camp in Woodbridge, Va., McCray last competed in November, when he submitted King of the Cage veteran Marcus Ajian in 45 seconds at a Ballroom Battleground show in Maryland.



Nick Ring
Age: 30
Record: 10-0

Though he missed more than three years with a knee injury, Ring remains a force inside the cage. The unbeaten Brazilian jiu-jitsu brown belt and former Canadian national muay Thai champion has posted three straight first-round finishes since his May 2009 return. Anchored at BDB Martial Arts in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, the 30-year-old was a bronze medalist at the 2008 Fila Grappling World Championships. Ring has secured half of his 10 career victories by submission.



Kyacey Uscola
Age: 28
Record: 18-15

Easily the most experienced of the Season 11 cast members, Uscola has tested himself against some of the sport’s most accomplished fighters, including reigning Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi and top middleweight contender Chael Sonnen. The 28-year-old Rupert, Idaho, native now trains alongside former World Extreme Cagefighting featherweight champion Urijah Faber at Team Alpha Male in Sacramento, Calif. A state wrestling champion in high school who went on to earn All-American honors in college, Uscola has delivered 12 of his 18 career victories by knockout or technical knockout. He holds notable wins against UFC exile Lodune Sincaid and Pride Fighting Championships veterans Jorge Patino and Akira Shoji.



Seth Baczynski
Age: 28
Record: 11-5

Anchored at Apex MMA, Baczynski trains with “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 8 winner Efrain Escudero. The 28-year-old Apache Junction, Ariz., native has secured more than half (eight) of his 11 wins by submission. Baczynski, an International Fight League veteran, has gone the distance only once in 16 career bouts. He has not competed since October, when he submitted Tom Nguyen with a second-round guillotine choke at Wild Bill’s Fight Night 23 in Duluth, Ga.



Jacen Flynn
Age: 31
Record: 8-2

Perhaps the biggest question mark heading into the competition, Flynn has not competed in mixed martial arts in nearly three years. Still, the 31-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt owns noteworthy victories against 2006 Pride Fighting Championships welterweight grand prix finalist Denis Kang and 2003 Abu Dhabi Submission Wrestling World Championships absolute division winner Dean Lister. Flynn has scored seven of his eight wins by submission.



Costantinos Phillippou
Age: 30
Record: 5-1

Phillippou has rattled off five consecutive victories since suffering a split decision loss to the highly regarded Ricardo Romero in his professional debut in May 2008. The former Ring of Combat middleweight champion was born and raised in Greece but now trains under Ray Longo and former UFC welterweight champion Matt Serra. Phillippou, based in Merrick, N.Y., earned a unanimous decision over the previously unbeaten Victor O’Donnell in September.



Charles Blanchard
Age: 24
Record: 7-2

Another in a long line of strong prospects being churned out by American Top Team, Blanchard has rattled off four wins in his past five fights. The 24-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu brown belt put a significant feather in his cap when he defeated recent Bellator Fighting Championships signee “Judo” Jim Wallhead by unanimous decision two years ago. An Ultimate Warrior Challenge and King of the Cage veteran, Blanchard last competed in March 2009, when he outpointed Douglas Lima at a KOTC show in Atlanta.



Chris Camozzi
Age: 23
Record: 12-3

Camozzi bounced back nicely from his loss to banished “The Ultimate Fighter” 7 finalist Jesse Taylor a year ago, posting submission victories against Darin Brudigan and UFC veteran Chad Reiner. Having put down roots at Gumm Mixed Martial Arts in Colorado, the 23-year-old has competed under the Maximum Fighting Championship and Victory Fighting Championship banners. Camozzi has never been knocked out.



Josh Bryant
Age: 29
Record: 10-0

Anchored at the Absolute Combat Alliance, Bryant trains alongside UFC veteran David Heath. The unbeaten 29-year-old has delivered six of his 10 victories by knockout, technical knockout or submission, though four of his past five fights have reached the judges. Bryant last appeared in November, when he knocked out Danny Valimaki at a Heat XC show in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.



Brent Cooper
Age: 31
Record: 5-1

A potent striker, Cooper has posted four of his five wins by technical knockout. The 31-year-old last appeared at a Called Out MMA event in August, when he stopped Daniel Hernandez on first-round strikes. Based at Team Oyama in Irvine, Calif., Cooper sharpened his skills inside the EliteXC and Total Fighting Alliance promotions.



Rich Attonito
Age: 32
Record: 7-3

Attonito will carry a two-fight winning streak into his appearance on “The Ultimate Fighter.” The 32-year-old wrestled collegiately at Hofstra University and now trains at American Top Team, where he serves as the strength and conditioning coach for UFC veteran Luigi Fioravanti. Attonito has not fought since June, when he earned a unanimous decision against the reeling Gregory Babene at an Xtreme Combat Italia show in Rome, Italy.



Cleburn Walker
Age: 26
Record: 9-4

A protégé of “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 4 winner Travis Lutter, Walker has secured all nine of his victories by submission and owns 36-, 37- and 60-second wins. The 26-year-old Mineral Wells, Texas, native last appeared in November, when he succumbed to first-round punches against the once-beaten Mikel Bronzoulis at a Steele Cage MMA event in Frisco, Texas. Walker has yet to go the distance in 13 professional bouts.



Charley Lynch
Age: 25
Record: 6-0

Lynch has finished all six of his opponents, including Pure Combat veteran BJ Lacy, in the first round. The 25-year-old Minnesotan has not competed since September, when he struck Nick Almen into submission in 93 seconds; Almen has lost 11 consecutive fights. The self-proclaimed “baddest man in Minnesota,” Lynch trains with former UFC middleweight champion Dave Menne.



Norman Paraisy
Age: 23
Record: 5-1, 1 NC

The once-beaten Paraisy suffered his only career defeat to one-time UFC middleweight champion Dave Menne inside the Bellator Fighting Championships promotion in April. However, most believe he was ahead in the fight when he succumbed to third-round rear-naked choke from the crafty veteran. Sharpening his skills at American Top Team, the 23-year-old Frenchman has not fought since. Paraisy has also competed under the M-1 Challenge and Cage Force banners.



Court McGee
Age: 24
Record: 9-1

McGee, 24, suffered his only loss to former UFC light heavyweight title contender Jeremy Horn. Based in Orem, Utah, as a member of the Throwdown Elite Fight Team, the former plumber was once pronounced dead following a heroin overdose. He has rattled off two straight wins but has not competed since 2008, when he defeated World Extreme Cagefighting veteran Isidro Gonzalez. McGee also holds a 2007 submission victory over “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 9 runner-up DaMarques Johnson.



Victor O’Donnell
Age: 27
Record: 8-1

The 27-year-old Milford, Ohio, native trains alongside recent Strikeforce signee Roger Bowling at Vision MMA in Cincinnati. O’Donnell holds notable wins against Rafael “Sapo” Natal and UFC veteran Forrest Petz, having finished them both. O’Donnell has not competed since September, when he fell from the ranks of the unbeaten in a unanimous decision loss to Costantinos Phillippou at Ring of Combat 26.



Greg Rebello
Age: 27
Record: 9-2

Rebello once tipped the scales at 300 pounds. The 27-year-old, from Buzzards Bay, Mass., trains under Mark DellaGrotte at the Sityodtong Muay Thai Academy. Rebello has pieced together a streak of seven consecutive victories since December 2005, though he has gone the distance in each of his last three appearances. He fine-tuned his game inside the World Championship Fighting promotion.



Jordan Smith
Age: 24
Record: 10-0

A relative unknown despite his gaudy record, Smith has finished all 10 of his opponents, eight of them inside the first round. The 24-year-old seventh-grade science teacher was born into a military family in the Philippines and now trains with the Throwdown Elite Fight Team in Utah. Smith submitted International Fight League veteran Bristol Marunde with a first-round triangle choke in November.



Ben Stark
Age: 27
Record: 3-1

Based out of Tamarac, Fla., Stark has delivered all three of his wins by submission, though he has not competed in mixed martial arts in nearly three years. The 27-year-old breeds snakes in his spare time and spent time inside Chuck Norris’ World Combat League. “The Hebrew Hammer” has yet to go the distance in four professional appearances.



Warren Thompson
Age: 24
Record: 5-0

A volunteer firefighter who splits his training time between Team Khunpon and Roberto Traven Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Thompson has submitted four of his five opponents inside one round. Based in Marietta, Ga., the 24-year-old last appeared in September, when he submitted Chidi Njokuani, the younger brother of current World Extreme Cagefighting lightweight contender Anthony Njokuani, with a first-round keylock in Atlanta.



Clayton McKinney
Age: 27
Record: 4-2

A Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, McKinney suffered his lone two defeats to UFC veterans Steve Bruno and Danillo Villefort, both of whom train at American Top Team. Five of the 27-year-old’s six professional bouts have ended inside one round. McKinney trains alongside Tom Lawlor at The Jungle MMA and Fitness in Orlando, Fla.



Woody Weatherby
Age: 27
Record: 7-3

Weatherby, a former officer in the United States Navy, now works full-time as a corrections officer for the Hillsborough County Department of Corrections in Manchester, N.H. The 27-year-old trains at Renzo Gracie Jiu-Jitsu of New Hampshire and has delivered more than half (four) of his seven career wins by submission. Weatherby, who owns a victory against current UFC welterweight John Howard, has not fought since his split decision defeat to Dan Keefe at a World Championship Fighting show in June.



Brad Tavares
Age: 21
Record: 4-0

The youngest of the 28 Season 11 invitees, Tavares has finished all four of his opponents as a professional. An Icon Sport veteran, the 21-year-old Hilo, Hawaii, native now trains under Shawn Tompkins at the Tapout Training Center in Las Vegas. Tavares stopped Jonathan Joao on first-round punches at an X-1 event in March. It was the third first-round finish of his four-fight career.



James Hammortree
Age: 23
Record: 4-1

Hammortree, a state wrestling champion in high school, has eight- and five-second knockouts on his resume. However, the 23-year-old Ocala, Fla.-based middleweight has not competed since his submission loss to UFC and Adrenaline MMA veteran John Salter in July. A former college football player, he currently serves as firefighter and EMT with Marion County Fire Rescue.



Joseph Henle
Age: 26
Record: 3-0

Anchored at Big John McCarthy’s Ultimate Training Academy, Henle has submitted two of his first three opponents. The 26-year-old, from Thousand Oaks, Calif., holds a black belt in tae kwon do and remained undefeated with an arm-triangle submission victory against EliteXC veteran Mark Kempthorne in October. “Leonidas” played college football at California Lutheran University.



Lyle Steffens
Age: 27
Record: 5-2

Steffens, a 27-year-old Rage in the Cage veteran, has trained under the legendary Don Frye and now serves as a strength and conditioning coach at Apex MMA. A University of Arizona graduate, he also works as a firefighter and EMT in Tucson, Ariz. Steffens last competed at Rage in the Cage 134 in September, when he stopped Leroy Fornoff on first-round strikes and snapped a two-fight losing streak.



Jamie Yager
Age: 25
Record: 2-1

Still green, the 25-year-old Yager appeared on BET’s “Iron Ring” in 2008. He now trains under former Chute Boxe Academy trainer Rafael Cordeiro at Kings MMA in Huntington Beach Calif. An Art of Fighting veteran, Yager’s only professional defeat came as the result of a disqualification in June.