The Ultimate Fighter Latin America 2 will showcase two former TUF winners as coaches for the show’s much anticipated return. The youngest winner in TUF history, season 17’s Kelvin Gastelum, will coach one team. Opposing him will be the first Mexican-American to win a contract through the show, Efrain Escudero, who won season 8’s lightweight competition.
This season of TUF is dubbed Latin America for a reason, the recruits are from all over the region including representatives from Argentina, Chile, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru and Spain.
Former TUF Winners Clash in season 2 of TUF Latin America
Coach Gastelum has a record of 10-1 with his only loss coming via split decision to Tyron Woodley. His victories range from decisions, TKO’s and submissions. He is becoming a more well-rounded fighter. With a background in wrestling and boxing, Gastelum has shown that he is evolving and proves to be a challenge for anyone he faces in the cage. He puts his heart into all of his fights and has shown no quit in his young UFC career. The contestants that are on his team are in for a treat.
Escudero has a record of 23-9. He is more experienced than Gastelum, but has also had to deal with rebounding from losses, something that Gastelum has not had to overcome in his career. Escudero comes from a wrestling and kickboxing background, but like his opposing coach, has evolved as a fighter, most of his wins coming by decision or submission. Escudero’s team will benefit from his experience, as well as having the knowledge of how to come back from losses. Escudero has heart as well and will no doubt bring his “no quit” attitude with him as he trains and prepares his team for the UFC.
The teams have been divided prior to the start of the show, so the coaches will not have to pick their teams. This means the fighters will not have to fight to get into the house. There will be no risk of injury or early elimination from the tournament. This could also prove to be a bonus for the coaches with this batch of fighters hailing from several different regions. This introduces a broad range of MMA training and environments which can come into play when one is actually trying to determine the skill levels and the validity of the recruits records.
Coach Gastelum is 23 years old, Escudero is 29. We can only hope that these TUF fighters are really here to learn and grow. The contestants range in age from 23 to 33 years old. It creates an interesting dynamic, particularly for some of the older fighters. Will they be able to listen and respect their relatively young coaches? Despite their ages both Gastelum and Escudero know what it takes to win the Ultimate Fighter, and have success in the UFC. If the contestants are smart, they will be ready to listen and learn.
The fighters chosen for this season of Latin America TUF 2 are as follows, in the lightweight division:
César Arzamendia (6-1), 23 yrs. old
Enrique Barzola (10-2), 25 yrs. old
Horacio Gutiérrez (3-1), 24 yrs. old
Oliver Meza (3-0), 28 yrs. old
Jonathan Ortega (7-2-1), 31 yrs. old
Marco Polo Reyes (19-7), 30 yrs. old
Daniel Salas (15-5), 26 yrs. old
Christihian Soto (5-4), 31 yrs. old
In the welterweight division:
Héctor Aldana (5-0), 26 yrs. old
Wilmer Fernández (7-1), 33 yrs. old
Alvaro Herrera (8-3), 29 yrs. old
Enrique Marín (8-2), 28 yrs. old
Kevin Medinilla (5-0), 23 yrs. old
Erick Montaño (9-5), 29 yrs. old
Marco Olano (6-1), 21 yrs. old
Vernon Ramos (3-0), 22 yrs. old
This season of TUF Latin America has many of the ingredients that made previous seasons so strong. While TUF has come in for some criticism in recent years, there is no denying that the early seasons remain both groundbreaking, and entertaining.
TUF Latin America 2 should provide compelling viewing. At the very least, the chosen coaches, and assigned fighters, are interesting enough to peak curiosity. Lets hope this season brings it, as all of the previous seasons of TUF have. TUF Latin America will air on UFC Fight Pass, starting the week of August 26th.
