MCSWEENEY FLIES FLAG FOR UK ON SEASON 10 OF ‘THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER’
 
The Ultimate Fighter 10 starts 11pm on FIVE USA on Saturday 19th September

Following unprecedented success on season nine of The Ultimate Fighter(R), the United Kingdom will once again be well represented when The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights commences this Saturday (September 19) on the FIVE USA channel.

British heavyweight James McSweeney will feature among 15 other heavyweight contenders competing for a six-figure contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship® organization. Described by UFC President Dana White as the ‘most explosive season ever’, The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights promises to be big on talent and big on excitement.

With trash-talking light heavyweight rivals Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson and Rashad Evans installed as team coaches, this season’s rivalry could be the most heated yet.

Included in The Ultimate Fighter house this season are YouTube sensation Kimbo Slice, ex UFC combatants Wes Sims and Mike Wessel, former mixed martial arts champion champion Roy Nelson, as well as former National Football League (NFL) players Marcus Jones, Matt Mitrione, Brendan Schaub and Wes Shivers.

Flying the Union Jack this season will be Londoner McSweeney, determined to follow in the footsteps of last season’s British winners Ross Pearson and James Wilks and, of course, the UK’s first ever TUF champion Michael ‘the Count’ Bisping.

“I watched the previous seasons of The Ultimate Fighter and, to be honest, I was dreading the idea of spending six weeks in a house with 15 other guys,” admits McSweeney. “This season I’m the only English guy in the house and all the others are big Americans with points to prove.

“I’d watched past seasons where the contestants would hang around the house drinking and partying and I just didn’t like the idea of it. I’m not a drinker and I don’t party. I was on the show to build a career for myself, not get legless on booze.

“I was worried that one of the other guys would get in my face and cause an argument, and I’d end up cracking him on the chin.”

McSweeney (3-4) is a former Thai-boxing world champion and is renowned on the UK MMA circuit for his all-action style and vicious kicks. McSweeney is a dangerous striker with always evolving skills.

“I try and stay as aggressive as possible, though I’ve started to calm down a bit now the level of competition has improved,” he explains. “You can’t fight MMA the way I used to fight Thai-boxing. I try to stay patient now, but always look to finish my fights. I never try to grind out a win on points and just coast through the finishing line. I’m always looking to entertain and excite the fans.”

Part of McSweeney’s evolution has been due to his decision to uproot to America and train full-time in New Mexico. Now part of Greg Jackson’s thriving camp of UFC champions and top contenders, McSweeney couldn’t be immersed in a better environment.

“I’ve moved my whole life to America,” he says. “I’ve rented my house out in England and I move back and forth between America and England. I spend two months in New Mexico and then come back to Britain to see my family. It’s completely flipped my whole life around, but that’s how important this sport is to me. I’m following my dream and I won’t stop making sacrifices until that dream is fulfilled.

“I’m training with Rashad Evans, Keith Jardine, Nate Marquardt, Shane Carwin and Georges St. Pierre on a daily basis. You can’t get better training partners than that, no matter which gym you belong to. It’s priceless being able to wrestle with and learn from those guys on a daily basis. We have the best camp in the world and have had more UFC champions from our camp than any other. It won’t be long before we have a UFC champion in every division.”

Since deciding to base himself in America, McSweeney has struck a close bond with former UFC heavyweight champion Evans. As well as training alongside Rashad on the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter, McSweeney also shares a house with the man nicknamed ‘Sugar’.

“Rashad is a man and fighter I look up to,” says McSweeney. “I look up to him because of his ability and because of the way he carries himself outside the Octagon. I know how he treats people and I know about all the charity work he does and how much he helps local kids. He puts back into the community as much as he takes and I really respect that about him.

“We share a house together in New Mexico and we’re close friends. I met him originally when he was preparing to fight Forrest Griffin. I was brought into the camp as a sparring partner and I became part of the team from that point onwards. Rashad and I clicked immediately and he’s a great inspiration and a great help to me.”

McSweeney hopes the knowledge gained from Evans can help him become the fourth Briton to win The Ultimate Fighter, following the successes of Pearson, Wilks and original champion Michael Bisping.

“UFC have taken over the world massively and all roads now lead to the UFC,” says McSweeney. “If there is one industry you want to be a part of as a fighter, it’s the UFC. It’s the highest level of the sport and the fighters stand to make millions. I want to fight the best fighters in the world and, with that in mind, the UFC is the only option.”