‘The Ultimate Fighter’ tournament cast revealed with flyweight title shot at stake

The stakes will be raised on the new season of “The Ultimate Fighter” for the 16 fighters officially unveiled as the contestants.

While the contestants in the house typically battle for a guaranteed UFC contract, the winner of Season 24 will be granted a flyweight title shot on the season finale card on Dec. 3 in Las Vegas.

The UFC has announced a cast of champions from 16 regional and international organizations on for the upcoming season, which will film in Las Vegas.

Flyweight contenders Joseph Benavidez and Henry Cejudo will coach the opposing teams on the show before meeting in the co-main event of the finale.

Demetrious Johnson currently holds the belt, but was scheduled to defend it at UFC 201 on July 30 in Atlanta. While he was forced to pull out of a scheduled defense against Wilson Reis, it is unknown whether he will put the belt on the line before the “TUF” champion gets the shot in December.

Two of the castmates on the show already have UFC experience. Legacy Fighting Championship champ Damacio Page and Titan Fighting Championship titleist Tim Elliott are a combined 2-7 in the organization.

Other fighters entered in the single-elimination tournament are: Charlie Alaniz (Hex Fight Series), Jamie Alvarez (Absolute FC), Adam Antolin (Tachi Palace Fights), Rolando Candido (Shooto South America), Kaiwhare Kara-France (Bragging Rights), Terrence Mitchell (Alaska FC), Brandon Moreno (World Fighting Federation), Hiromasa Ogikubo (Shooto Japan), Alexandre Pantoja (RFA), Matt Rizzo (Ring of Combat), Matt Schnell (Legacy FC interim), Eric Shelton (Caged Aggression), Yoni Sherbatov (XFFC) and Nkazimulo Zulu (EFC).

Season 24 will debut Aug. 31 on Fox Sports 1.

Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509. Follow on Twitter: @adamhilllvrj