The UFC will perform tryouts for the third season of its Brazilian reality show, “The Ultimate Fighter,” on Monday, Nov. 11, according to a press release sent over the weekend.

The tryouts will take place at the Windsor Barra Hotel in Rio de Janeiro. Tryouts will be open to middleweights (-84 kg), light heavyweight (up to 93 kg) and heavyweight (up to 120 kg). The coaches of the season are yet to be announced.

All candidates for “The Ultimate Fighter Brazil” should be between 18 and 35 years of age, and have at least three professional MMA fights on a verifiable record with a balance of more wins than losses. Former UFC fighters cannot participate. The applicant shall bear all expenses involving their participation in the first stage of selection, such as lodging, food and transportation.

Entries must be completed by Oct. 9. To register, visit this site: http://br.ufc.com/tuf-application-brasil. Applicants must submit original documents. The selection criteria for the first stage are reserved exclusively to the producer and the UFC.

Where:

Windsor Hotel – Avenida Lucio Costa, 2630 – Barra

Room: TBC

When:

Monday, Nov. 11, 2013

Check-in begins at 8 a.m.

Image used courtesy of MMAWeekly.com.

“The Ultimate Fighter” is going to China.

UFC officials announced over the weekend that the reality show will have a Chinese version, which is seeking featherweight, lightweight and welterweight fighters, according the company’s Chinese website.

Tryouts for the show will be held in Asia on July 21 (Beijing Metropark Lido Hotel), July 25 (Marina Bay Sands in Singapore) and Aug. 3 (Venetian Macao Resort Hotel in Macao).

As with all TUF seasons, there will be a finale to end the inaugural season in China. Macao, according to a report from MMAWeekly.com, will be the location of the finale.

The UFC weigh-ins begin at 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT. You can watch them live in the player above or wait for the archived playback.

They’ve been training partners. But now, Urijah Faber and Scott Jorgensen will meet in the Octagon and headline the Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale scheduled for this weekend.

In the video above, Faber and Jorgensen preview their upcoming fight and talk about their pasts in sparring sessions. Check it out.

LAS VEGAS, NV – JUNE 01: (L-R) Sam Sicilia punches Cristiano Marcello in a Lightweight bout during The Ultimate Fighter Live Finale at the Pearl Theater at the Palms Casino Resort on June 1, 2012 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

With The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale just around the corner, featherweight fighter Sam Sicilia wanted to make sure he was thoroughly prepared for his fight with Maximo Blanco. In an effort to do this, he headed to Arizona’s MMA Lab and worked with UFC lightweight champ Benson Henderson, his coach John Crouch and a group of other skilled fighters.

“I’ve had no easy rounds down here,” Sicilia told GracieMag.com. “It’s a good, positive vibe.”

But before heading to the Lab, Sicilia came from a raw MMA background that led into being a cast member of 15th season of The Ultimate Fighter. He and his teammates practiced what they called “sik-jitsu,” and the fighter explained the roots of that along with a number of other things in the following Q&A with us.

GracieMag: Where did “sik-jitsu” come from?

Sam Sicilia: Actually, it was actually when I first started out of wrestling … I didn’t have anywhere to go with it. A guy that owns a (local) gym, his name’s Rick Little, started it in his basement, pretty much. It was just a bunch of hooligans who wanted to know how to fight. Just a group of guys kind of learning together. Then it got bigger and bigger, and then (Rick) put up fights in the Northwest. He got more money and got a gym. Then came guys like Mike Chiesa, Lyle Beerbohm’s up there, Cody McKenzie. Everybody just trains all around up there. But it was more of a good, tough group of guys … The passion was always there.

Is “sik-jitsu” more of a just a clever name or does it have more to do with your styles?

At first, that’s all everybody wanted to do was grapple. It just what really intrigued us all. So when we got to the gym that’s all everybody wanted to do. That’s what it was based on, but after you train so much you want to see what you can do. Then we started fighting from there, but I think the passion to grapple and watching it is what started that name.

How did your passion help you when you were a cast member of the The Ultimate Fighter Live?

That was my first taste of structured training. We never really had Jiu-Jitsu coaches (before) … so it just really put structure to it. We went in there very raw and soaked up a lot. Our passion was there, we just needed cleaning up in a lot of areas.  They didn’t try to change our style at all, which I liked, but they just added to it — more stuff in our arsenal, really.

So being on TUF helped you grow, correct?

For sure, it was huge. I felt like I plateaued for a while, being really raw and just beating guys I was supposed to. And then once I got there it really shaped me as a fighter.

Being a former cast member, do you think the criticism of TUF’s talent level not being the same as the earlier seasons is fair?

I don’t think so. There are some off seasons, for sure, but I think there’s been some very talented seasons since then. The UFC is always growing, too, so we’re coming out with some pretty tough weight classes. 155 — coming off of that season, I went down after that because I realized these guys have huge frames. They’re not necessarily stronger than me, but they have huge body frames and know how to use their leverage. I think it was Season (14), the year Diego Brandao won, those guys are still all in the UFC … There’s still a lot of guys in the UFC off that show, a lot of talent … I’d say it’s pretty hit or miss, but I wouldn’t say the show as a whole went down.

How has the drop from 155 pounds to 145 pounds helped you?

Like I said, 155 is a pretty congested weight class. There’s a lot of studs there … I was fighting at 155 because I fought so often. When I turned pro, I fought 11 times in a year, and then I got on the show. Now that I fight more elite guys and I have time to lose the weight, it’s just a better move for me … It just made sense.

Do you feel better at this weight class?

Yeah. And I diet down and cut weight right. I do feel better, I’m in shape and feel healthy. So it was a pretty easy move for me. A lot of the 155ers get up to 185 (pounds) and I’ve never weighed that much in my life.

Your next fight is against Maximo Blanco at the TUF 17 Finale. Tell me how you break down that fight.

Well, his last fight with Marcus Brimage wasn’t how he usually fights. He didn’t move around a lot and didn’t really attack like he usually did. If I have to fight him like that, I’ll have to chase him down. I’m just going to keep a tighter defense, which is something we’ve been working a lot on. In his other fights he goes in there and strikes wildly and throws from weird angles. So if he does that, I’m ready for that, too. The key is just staying tight. I’m not going to gas or anything; I’m in shape.

Fighting on Facebook, do you feel like this is a make-or-break fight. Is there more pressure in that?

I definitely feel that pressure. I don’t want to be handed the pink slip. And I don’t want to take any steps backwards in this sport. I’ve been growing and I want to keep competing in it. On the main card, you gotta perform. Win or lose, you gotta go out there and put on a fight. Everybody sees it and that’s how you get fans. But if you go out and lose and don’t perform on the Facebook card, you’re on your way out. It’s been a good kind of pressure, though. It’s a motivating pressure. I think about it when I train. I think (Maximo) does, too. He’ll come out and get after it as well. That’s just something that stays on my mind. I want to stay in the UFC and I’m not done competing here. I got here by being very raw, and I want to continue to grow as a fighter and keep competing.

What would be the most outstanding thing that fans can expect from you in this upcoming fight?

I’m willing to beat him up for 15 minutes, but I’m going to catch him eventually. I see that happening. I’m not going out there looking for the one big shot, but eventually it’s going to happen. I used to be like ‘oh, I hope I catch him or hope I don’t get caught.’ I’m looking forward to 15 minutes of fighting, but if he wants out, I’ll give him a way out.

It’s a good thing UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones started training Jiu-Jitsu at Gracie Barra New Mexico. Soon enough, he’ll avoid getting tapped out by the fighters he coaches on The Ultimate Fighter. Well, he’ll avoid it the next time someone tries it, anyway.

Check out this video of TUF 17 contestant Adam Cella making Jones tap after the champ put down a wager.

Steve Magdaleno (pictured) started his pro career in 2006, but his path started 16 years ago as a teenager. (Photo credit: Sherdog.com)

Online research will show that Steve Magdaleno’s mixed martial arts career started back in 2006. But more accurately, it started 16 years ago when the Southern Californian’s older brother brought home UFC 2 from the video store.

Watching Royce Gracie dominate much larger competition sparked an ever-lasting interest for the then-15-year-old, and there began a career path and passion for MMA. At the time, the sport wasn’t as accepted as it is now. But luckily for Magdaleno, his mom and dad were completely supportive.

“They were fine,” Magdaleno told GracieMag.com, referencing his family’s opinion of the controversial sport. “They saw Royce beating up people and my dad was excited about it.”

A trip to the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu location thereafter sealed the deal. Fast-forward to now, and the fighter prepares to feature in a co-main event for the BAMMA USA promotion, a regional MMA league based in the Greater Los Angeles area.

With a win over Chris Culley at “BAMMA USA: Badbeat 8” on Friday, March 15, Magdaleno can collect his fourth consecutive victory. If he gets by Culley with a submission or knockout, it will also be his fourth straight finish.

Performances and streaks like these bring attention to a fighter in Magdaleno’s position. The attention not only comes from local spectators, but it also has the capability of catching the eyes of larger promotions like Bellator and the UFC.

For Magdaleno, it’s a teenager’s dream to make it to the UFC ranks — a place he briefly experienced as a cast member on the 12th season of “The Ultimate Fighter.”

“I really would like to make it back to the UFC,” the former TUF contestant said. “I’ve been following it for a long, long time. This has always been my dream since I was 15.”

Chad George (pictured) is just one of the important training partners Magdaleno has to back him at PKG Training Center. (Photo by Erik Fontanez for MMAWeekly.com)

And for the last few years, the Jiu-Jitsu black belt has been working on the path to the larger promotions with his training partners at PKG Training Center. The facility, which recently relocated from Culver City, Calif. up the road to Westwood, expanded with its recent move and provided a better training environment, according to Magdaleno.

Training in the new gym with the likes of UFC lightweight Mac Danzig, WEC veteran Chad Goerge and others provide Magdaleno with everything he’s needed to build his current win streak.

“I attribute it mostly to my training partners, first and foremost,” he said, talking about what he owes his last three wins to. “Chad helped me a lot, especially for my first knockout. I was training with him every week, pretty much striking and beating each other over the head for that fight.

“[My team] has helped me a lot.”

The team at PKG keeps Magdaleno active, much like his father did when he was a adolescent in the Los Angeles suburb of Torrance. He said growing up in a family with a Spanish background brewed a culture where the men in the family did things like get together for a Julio Cesar Chavez boxing match on Pay-Per-View.

Now, instead of Chavez in the ring, Magdaleno takes his turn in the combat world. He’s no longer the one siting in front of the TV — he’s a part of it now.

“I’m going against guys with winning records, not tomato cans,” he said. “Being featured in the co-main event for [BAMMA USA] is a great platform to show my skills.”

Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

UFC heavyweight Roy Nelson fully anticipated his originally-scheduled opponent, Shane Carwin, to pull out of their Ultimate Fighter 16 Finale main event, the fighter said on Monday.

Before agreeing to face Matt Mitrione in place of Carwin, Nelson and his camp were convinced the fight would get scraped and they would be forced to train for a different fighter for the Dec. 15 main event in Las Vegas.

“I figured Shane was probably going to pull out of the fight. This is not the first time he’s done it,” Nelson said today on a media call. “I just didn’t know when or where that was actually going to happen.”

Indication to Nelson and his associates that his opponent would withdraw from the fight came during Carwin’s recent appearance on AXS TV’s Inside MMA show, according to Nelson’s manager, Mike Kogan.

“He started hinting, ‘oh, my knee hurts,’ and that kind of gave us the early indication that this dude might just pull out,” Kogan told Graciemag.com on Monday afternoon. “That gave us the initial indication that Shane Carwin isn’t coming through on this fight.”

Kogan went on to say that fighters have injuries all the time, and it’s not common practice to make those injuries public. Airing out what hampers a fighter is the same as inviting an opponent to hit you right where it hurts, the manager said.

In terms of his new opponent, Mitrione, Nelson said that preparation for the fight is far different because of the change in opposition. He pointed to the fact that one fighter fights left-handed while the other right-handed as a glaring contrast in his preparation for the finale.

Nelson also compared his future opponent to that of another UFC heavyweight, saying he’s getting the “white version” of top-ranked contender Alistair Overeem. Preparation for a fight with someone of that caliber leaves one to assume Nelson sees Mitrione as a heavy-handed striker that can finish a fight quickly.

The Ultimate Fighter 16 Finale takes place this Saturday at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.

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Kimbo estreou com vitória pelo UFC. Foto: Josh Hedges

 “Fui criado pela minha mãe, tenho filhos e tento me manter com os pés no chão de todas as formas”, diz. 

O lutador acredita que o tempo no programa de TV serviu para apresentar ao público sua verdadeira faceta. 

“É como quando você é uma criança e dizem para nunca julgar um livro de acordo com a capa. Acho que sou o oposto do que as pessoas pensam de mim. Elas me julgavam antes de me conhecer, mas eu não fui para a casa (casa do UFC) tentando interpretar um papel. O que você vê é real, esteja a câmera ligada ou não. Eu sou um cara de verdade. Meus filhos sabem disso, meus amigos sabem disso, e, depois de me colocarem naquela casa com câmeras ligadas 24 horas por dia, agora os fãs também podem saber disso. O mesmo cara que você vê na rua é o cara que viu no programa. Eu não sou falso”, fala ao site do UFC.