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TUF 9 casts pit U.S. vs. U.K

Yahoo Sports

The ninth season of "The Ultimate Fighter," which premieres on April 1 on Spike TV, will feature a unique twist.

While the concept will continue to be two teams of fighters competing against each other while coached by a high-profile UFC fighter, producers made one significant change. This time, there are 16 fighters (eight welterweight and eight lightweight) representing the United Kingdom who are fighting against 16 from the U.S.

"In all the past seasons of the show, we had these little cliques form and everyone developed a strong team identity," UFC president Dana White said. "But this season, it's crazy. With country versus country, the whole team thing goes crazy. It's wild."

Here is a look at the 32 cast members who will compete on the show. The survivors in each weight class will meet to be declared "The Ultimate Fighter" in the live finale June 20 in Las Vegas.

U.S. welterweights

• Ryan Biglar (2-1): Biglar, 24, is a jiu-jitsu fighter originally from Guam who represents the Cobra Kai in Las Vegas.

• Ray Elbe (20-11): A Muay Thai fighter, the 25-year-old Elbe has spent the last three years working on his game in Phuket, Thailand. The most notable man he's faced was Renato Verissimo, who knocked him out in 2003.

• Christian Fulgium (6-2-1): A wrestler, Fulgium represents the Gladiator camp in Lafayette, La.

• DaMarques Johnson (13-6): Johnson took up MMA training while in the military. Training out of Elite Performance in Salt Lake City, Johnson once faced former World Extreme Cagefighting welterweight champion Brock Larson, who submitted him in a 2005 bout.

• Kevin Knabjian (10-3-1): A wrester from Eastern Illinois University, the same school that produced UFC star Matt Hughes, the one-time WEC fighter trains at Gilbert Grappling in Chicago.

• Mark Miller (10-4): A Muay Thai fighter also based in Chicago, Miller trains at Dino Costeas MMA and Toro Muay Thai.

• Jason Pierce (9-0): A one-time collegiate soccer player, Pierce trains with the vaunted Miletich Fighting Systems camp in Bettendorf, Iowa.

• Kiel Reid (8-1): A native of Bettendorf, Reid also trains with Miletich, whose experience includes a 2004 fight against UFC veteran Luigi Fiorvanti.

U.S. lightweights

• Paul Bird (4-1): A striker, Bird trains at Des Moines (Iowa) MMA. He has fought in the Midwest Cage Championships promotion.

• Santino DeFranco (13-4): A wrestler and jiu-jitsu specialist, DeFranco has experienced fighting in the now-defunct International Fight League. He also helped coach Efrain Escudero, the TUF 8 winner.

• Jason Dent (19-9): A submission specialist, Dent runs his own gym in Mentor, Ohio, GriffonRawl MMA Academy. He is a UFC veteran who has losses to Roger Huerta and Gleison Tibau.

• Cameron Dollar (4-1): Dollar trains in Colorado Springs, Colo., and is a former teammate of TUF alums Cory Hill and Noah Thomas.

• Tom Hayden (4-0): A submission fighter, Hayden is trained by popular UFC veteran Jorge Gurgel in West Chester, Ohio.

• Waylon Lowe (5-2): Lowe, 28, also fights for Gurgel.

• Josh Souder (7-2): A member of Team Prodigy, Souder has faced castmate Jason Dent in 2005, losing by TKO.

• Richie Whitson (4-0): A native Alaskan who trains with Team Quest in Temecula, Calif., Whitson is a heavy-handed striker.

• U.S. coach Dan Henderson: A two-time Olympic wrestler, Henderson is the only man to have simultaneously held two weight-class championships in PRIDE. He was the organization's light heavyweight and middleweight champion and is one of the top fighters in the UFC.

U.K. welterweights

• Dean Amarasinghe (4-1): A grappler from Nottingham, England, Amarasinghe trains at Rough House Gym.

• James Bateman (2-1): A striker, Bateman trains at Grimsby NHB in Grimsby, England.

• David Faulkner (2-1): A member of the Wolfslair team that features U.K. coach Michael Bisping and UFC star Quinton Jackson, Faulkner is a submissions expert.

• Tommy Maguire (5-2): The 20-year-old Maguire is a striker who works with the Tsunami Gym in Wisbech, England.

• Che Mills (7-2): A tall welterweight at 6-foot-2, Mills works with ex-UFC fighter Mark Weir's Range Fighting Gym.

• Nicholas Osipczak (3-0): Osipczak trains in London with Pancrase UK. He's finished all of his fights in the first round.

• Alex Reid (10-9-1): Reid, 33, trains in London with the London Shoot Fighters. He's faced notable opponents such as Murilo Rua, Tony Fryklund, Dave Menne and Jorge Rivera.

• James Wilks (5-2): Trained by veteran Eric Paulson in Orange County, Calif., the 30-year-old Wilks is a striker.

U.K. lightweights

• James Bryan (3-1): A striker, Bryan, 25, is from Somerset, England.

• Dan James (3-0): A striker from Swansea, Wales, he's finished two of his three pro bouts.

• Gary Kelly (2-1): A striker, the 25-year-old Kelly trains alongside Bisping and Jackson at Wolfslair in Liverpool, England.

• Jeff Lawson (13-2): A submission fighter with 12 finishes, Lawson trains with Team Bulldog in Dorset, England.

• Ross Pearson (9-3): A striker, Pearson trains at Sunderland Jiu-Jitsu & MMA Club in Sunderland, England.

• Martin Stapleton (5-1): A Muay Thai fighter, Stapleton is a product of Quannum Combat Arts.

• A.J. Wenn (7-2): A well-rounded fighter from the Tsunami Gym, Wenn is from Cambs, England.

• Andre Winner (9-2-1): Winner is a member of the Rough House team in London and is coming off a loss and a draw in his two fights prior to appearing on the show.

• U.K. coach Michael Bisping: Bisping was the light heavyweight winner on Season 3 of "The Ultimate Fighter." He has gone on to become one of the world's top middleweights. His only loss was a disputed decision to current UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans.