UFC FEATHERWEIGHT CHAMPION AND NO. 2 CONTENDER TO COACH MEN’S BANTAMWEIGHTS AND MIDDLEWEIGHTS IN THE RETURN OF ®

Las Vegas – The highly anticipated The Return of The Ultimate Fighter®: Team Volkanovski vs. Team Ortegawill see UFC® champion Alexander Volkanovski and No. 2 contender Brian Ortega coach men’s bantamweights and middleweights competing to make the UFC roster. Following the series, which exclusively debuts Tuesday, June 1 on ESPN+, the two coaches will prepare to square off for the featherweight title at a date that will be determined in the near future.

The Return of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF 29) will feature a dynamic cast of 16 ascending athletes in the men’s (135 lbs.) and (185 lbs.) divisions, who have put everything else in their lives aside for the chance to pursue their UFC dreams.

The entire twelve episode season of TUF 29 will be available exclusively on ESPN+, with one episode dropping each Tuesday beginning June 1. In addition, UFC fans can re-watch all 28 previous seasons of TUF on ESPN+, the industry-leading sports streaming service, with entire seasons premiering on the service each week through the end of May for bingeable viewing.

The Ultimate Fighter is the iconic reality television series that has introduced millions of new and die-hard fans to future UFC champions and top contenders. Those whose careers have been shaped by their participation inThe Ultimate Fighter include: , Forrest Griffin, Rashad Evans, , Michael Bisping, Robert Whittaker, Nate Diaz, , T.J. Dillashaw, Matt Serra, Michael Chiesa, , Kelvin Gastelum, Uriah Hall and many others.

Undisputed UFC featherweight championVolkanovski (22-1, fighting out of Windang, , Australia) is unbeaten in almost eight years, including nine straight wins in the UFC. Volkanovski proved himself as one of UFC’s top pound-for-pound fighters with two title fight victories over , along with dominant performances against Jose Aldo, and . Volkanovski now hopes to experience the same type of success in his first opportunity as a head coach.

Ortega (15-1, fighting out of , Calif.) is determined to make 2021 the year his UFC title dreams become a reality. Two years removed from his first title challenge, Ortega hopes to apply the same skills that helped him defeat the likes of , , and , to foster the careers of future UFC stars.

Below is a full list of competitors scheduled to compete in The Return of The Ultimate Fighter: Team Volkanovski vs. Team Ortega (name, age, professional record and fighting out of):

MEN’S BANTAMWEIGHTS

Daniel Argueta | 27 | 5-0 | , IL

Brady Hiestand | 21 | 4-1 | Spokane, WA

Dustin Lampros | 26 | 5-0 | Deerfield Beach, FL

Vince Murdock | 30 | 11-6 | Sacramento, CA

Mitch Raposo | 22 | 5-0 | Fall River, MA Joshua Rettinghouse | 31 | 16-5 | Spokane, WA

Liudvik Sholinian | 30 | 9-1 | Kiev, Ukraine

Ricky Turcios | 27 | 10-2 | Houston, TX

MIDDLEWEIGHTS

Aaron Phillips | 29 | 5-1 | Kotzbue, AK

Andre Petroski | 29 | 5-1 | Philadelphia, PA

Bryan Battle | 26 | 4-1 | Charlotte, NC

Ryder Newman | 25 | 3-1 | , NV

Tresean Gore | 26 | 3-0 | Decatur, GA

Miles Hunsinger | 30 | 7-0 | Las Vegas, NV

Kemran Lachinov | 30 | 10-3 | West Springfield, MA

Gilbert Urbina | 25 | 6-1 | Rio Grande Valley, TX

*All athletes are subject to change

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UFC® is the world’s premier organization (MMA), with more than 625 million fans and 142 million social media followers. The organization produces more than 40 live events annually in some of the most prestigious arenas around the world, while broadcasting to approximately 900M TV households across more than 175 territories. UFC’s athlete roster features the world’s best MMA athletes representing more than 70 countries. The organization’s digital offerings include UFC FIGHT PASS®, one of the world’s leading streaming services for combat sports. UFC was acquired in 2016 by global entertainment, sports and content company Endeavor, along with strategic investors Silver Lake Partners and KKR. UFC is headquartered in Las Vegas, . For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram and TikTok: @UFC.

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About Pilgrim Media Group

Pilgrim Media Group, headed by Emmy®-winning producer Craig Piligian, produces a diverse slate of unscripted and documentary projects. The company is behind hit series such as: “Ghost Hunters,” “American Chopper,” “Fast N’ Loud,” “My Big Fat Fabulous Life,” “Dirty Jobs,” “Dodgeball: Thunderdome,” the “Street Outlaws” and “Wicked Tuna” franchises, and the World MMA Award-winner “The Ultimate Fighter.” Upcoming projects include “The Ultimate Surfer” for ABC and the Sundance Festival Favorite Award-winning documentary “Giving Voice” for Netflix.