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TUF Latin America 2 Revealed with Kelvin Gastelum and Efrain Escudero

Kelvin Gastelum Admits Ballooning 40 to 50 Pounds Above His Weight Class

Following a highly successful inaugural season, The Ultimate Fighter Latin America is returning for its sophomore fun.

UFC officials on Tuesday unveiled TUF Latin America 2 with Kelvin Gastelum and Efrain Escudero as the coaches. The series is set to begin filming on March 17 in Las Vegas.

The series, which will feature two eight-man teams each comprised of four lightweight and four welterweights, has much to live up to. The first edition of TUF Latin America drew an average of 7 million viewers per episode in Mexico alone, and millions more throughout the other Latin American countries, according to the UFC.

The son of Mexican immigrants, Gastelum was the surprise winner of the seventeenth American installment of The Ultimate Fighter. Uriah Hall was the heavy favorite to win the middleweight tournament, but Gastelum won a split decision in the finale.

Although Gastelum dropped to welterweight after the show's conclusion, he has struggled on the scale, missing weight in two of his last three 170-pound bouts. So it's likely that he'll be competing at 185 pounds in his next UFC bout.

> SEE ALSO: Dana White: Kelvin Gastelum and John Lineker Get No More Chances

“My experience traveling through Latin America and my fight in Mexico City opened my eyes to the incredible talent of this region,” said Gastelum. I'm very excited to have this incredible opportunity to help these fighters realize their dreams.”

Gastelum's counterpart, Escudero, won the eighth season of TUF as a lightweight. Born in Mexico, but now fighting out of Arizona, Escudero is currently in the midst of his third UFC tour of duty. He is 1-1 since returning at UFC Fight Night 51 last September.

“Being one of the coaches of The Ultimate Fighter is something I've always dreamed of,” said Escudero.

Like the first season of TUF Latin America, season two is scheduled to be released through channel 5 of Televisa in Mexico, by the UFC Network, and various other broadcast platforms throughout Latin America.

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