The next installment of The Ultimate Fighter has been officially announced by the UFC.
The Ultimate Fighter 33 will feature the men’s flyweight and welterweight divisions, the promotion announced via press release on Friday. As with TUF 32, the show will air on ESPN, streaming service ESPN+, and Spanish-language channel ESPN Deportes. Canadian viewers will have access via SportsNet, as well as UFC Fight Pass (also expected to serve international markets).
Coaches for TUF 33 were not announced. Casting opens November 4 and runs through December 13, with the show airing sometime in 2025. This latest season will mark the 20th anniversary of The Ultimate Fighter, with the show’s 2005 run and finale between Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar widely considered a turning point for what was then a struggling MMA promotion.
From 2005 on, the show expanded, often filming two seasons per year. International shows, including several seasons in Brazil, and TUF Nations: Canada vs. Australia followed. After a hiatus from 2018 to 2021, the show has aired a single season per calendar year.
The most recent season of The Ultimate Fighter, its 32nd (discounting international editions), saw Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko serve as coaches. Their coaches’ fight arrived in September at UFC 306, with Shevchenko reclaiming her flyweight title, which she had previously lost to Grasso.
Georges St-Pierre, Brock Lesnar, Ronda Rousey, Conor McGregor, and others have served as coaches on the reality fighting series over the years. Names like Nate Diaz, Ryan Bader, Roy Nelson, Rashad Evans, Michael Bisping, Tony Ferguson, and a host of popular fighters have competed on it.
The Ultimate Fighter 33 applications are available at ufc.com/TUF.
