[The HOFF]

Despite beginning with 28 cast members instead of the customary 32, "The Ultimate Fighter: Team Liddell vs. Team Ortiz" is expected to use a 32-slot tournament. Sources close to the show tell MMAjunkie.com at least two opening-round losers, who otherwise would be eliminated from the show, will earn a spot on the cast thanks to their impressive showings in the losing efforts.

Over the course of the 12-week season, two finalists will be left standing. As MMAjunkie.com reported last month, the TUF 11 Finale, a live-event conclusion to the season, is expected to take place June 19 in Las Vegas.

UFC president Dana White also has hinted at some additional tweaks to the format but won't divulge any of the details.

[The HOFF]

RICH ATTONITO
Fighting out of: Deerfield Beach, FL/American Top Team
Record: 7-3
Age: 32
A 2001 graduate of Hofstra University in Long Island, N.Y., Rich Attonito wrestled several different weight classes as a member of the Pride wrestling team including the 167-pound and 197-pound. divisions. Attonito has been training with American Top Team since he moved to Florida in 2006. He is the strength and conditioning coach for UFC veteran Luigi Fioravanti.

SETH BACZYNSKI
Fighting out of: Canyon, AZ/Apex MMA
Record: 11-5
Age: 28
Training partner to "TUF" alumni Santino DeFranco (season nine) and Efrain Escudero (season eight) at Apex MMA in Arizona, Seth Baczynski is a fulltime water inspector at Liberty Water.

CHARLES BLANCHARD
Fighting out of: Coconut Creek, FL/American Top Team
Record: 7-2
Age: 24
A two-time All-State wrestler in high school, this single father is a jiu-jitsu brown belt and a published poet.

JOSH BRYANT
Fighting out of: Tulsa, OK/Absolute Combat Alliance
Record: 10-0
Age: 29
A member of the Absolute Combat Alliance camp in Tulsa, Okla., Josh Bryant sports a perfect 10-0 professional mixed martial arts record. When not training, Bryant works as a manager for Mazzio's Italian Eatery in Oklahoma.

CHRIS CAMOZZI
Fighting out of: Denver, CO/Gumm MMA
Record: 11-3
Age: 22
Camozzi is a freestyle fighter from Denver that works as a bouncer in his spare time. Two of his three losses are to "TUF" alumni Jesse Forbes (season three) and Jesse Taylor (season seven).

BRENT COOPER
Fighting out of: Long Beach, CA/Team Oyama
Record: 5-1
Age: 31
Of Sioux Indian descent, Cooper is a pipeliner by day for Shell Oil and a devastating striker by night with four of his five wins coming via TKO.

JACEN FLYNN
Fighting out of: Meridian, ID/No camp
Record: 8-2
Age: 31
Jacen Flynn possesses an 8-2 mixed martial arts record that includes wins over UFC vets Dennis Kang and Dean Lister. Away from the octagon, he is a social worker.

JAMES HAMMORTREE
Fighting out of: Ocala, FL/USA Martial Arts
Record: 4-0
Age: 23
Following one season at Weber International, where he starred on the football team as a linebacker and on special teams, Hammortree left the program in order to become a full-time firefighter in Ocala, Fla. The former high school wrestler owns a 4-0 professional record with all four of those bouts taking place in 2009.

JOSEPH HENLE
Fighting out of: Thousand Oaks, CA/Big John McCarthy's MMA
Record: 3-0
Age: 26
Joseph Henle splits time training at Big John McCarthy's MMA and working as a substitute teacher and wrestling coach in Thousand Oaks, Calif. Henle earned his MBA in financial planning from California Lutheran University in 2006. He speaks fluent Japanese.

CHARLEY LYNCH
Fighting out of: Mound, MN/Northway MMA
Record: 6-0
Age: 25
The self-proclaimed baddest man in Minnesota, Charley Lynch owns a 6-0 professional record with zero of his bouts going to decision.

KRIS MCCRAY
Fighting out of: Dumfries, VA/Chute Boxe
Record: 5-0
Age: 28
Son of a military father, Kris McCray was raised in Germany, where he excelled on the soccer pitch and garnered All-Europe honors in high school. In 1999, McCray moved permanently to the U.S., where he has served parts of eight years (six active, two inactive) as a member of the U.S. Army Reserve while also finding time to earn his associate's degree in social studies from Northern Virginia Community College .

COURT MCGEE
Fighting out of: Orem, UT/Throwdown Elite Fight Team
Record: 9-1
Age: 24
A Brazilian jiu-jitsu artist out of Orem, Utah, Court McGee beat "The Ultimate Fighter: United States vs. United Kingdom" runner-up DaMarques Johnson in 2007 by submission.

CLAYTON MCKINNEY
Fighting out of: Orlando, FL/Jungle MMA
Record: 4-2
Age: 27
A teammate of "TUF" (season eight) alumnus Tom Lawlor at Jungle MMA, Clayton McKinney is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt who supplements his training by working security at a local bar in Orlando.

KYLE NOKE
Fighting out of: Albuquerque, NM/Jackson 's MMA
Record: 16-4-1
Age: 29
Kyle Noke, from Mooloolaba, Australia, is the former bodyguard of "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin. Currently training with Jackson 's MMA in New Mexico, Noke defeated "TUF" (season six) alum George Sotiropoulos in June 2005 and current castmate Kyacey Uscola this past September.

VICTOR O'DONNELL
Fighting out of: Milford, OH/Vision MMA
Record: 8-1
Age: 27
Hailing from Milford, Ohio, O'Donnell suffered his first professional loss this past September against cast mate Costantinos Philippou. Before that, he had won eight contests, seven by submission.

NORMAN PARAISY
Fighting out of: Coconut Creek, FL/American Top Team
Record: 5-1
Age: 23
Norman Paraisy was born and raised Paris, France. The 5-1 Brazilian jiu-jitsu artist left France in order to pursue MMA in the States and is now a member of American Top Team.

COSTANTINOS PHILIPPOU
Fighting out of: Merrick, NY/Serra-Longo
Record: 5-1
Age: 30
Costantinos Philippou is a former boxer with three professional and more than 80 amateur fights on his record. The 30-year-old server from Merrick, N.Y., was born and raised in Greece. He currently trains out of the Serra-Longo camp.

GREG REBELLO
Fighting out of: Buzzards Bay, MA/Sityodtong USA
Record: 9-2
Age: 27
Greg Rebello trains fulltime at Sityodtong USA in Massachusetts under the watchful eye of Mark DellaGrotte. Currently in peak physical condition, Rebello at one time weighed in more than 300 pounds before dedicating himself to fitness at the age of 18.

NICK RING
Fighting out of: Calgary, Canada/B.D.B. Martial Arts
Record: 10-0
Age: 30
Nick Ring returned to MMA in May 2009 following a three-year stint away from the sport after suffering a devastating knee injury. In that time, Ring boxed professionally to the tune of a 4-1 record with three knockouts.

JORDAN SMITH
Fighting out of: Clearfield, UT/Throwdown Elite Fight Team
Record: 10-0
Age: 24
A seventh-grade teacher by day, Jordan Smith is a former professional boxer that trains with fellow cast member Court McGee at Throwdown Elite Fight Team.

BEN STARK
Fighting out of: Tamarac, FL/American Top Team
Record: 3-1
Age: 27
Born and raised a practitioner of the Orthodox Jewish religion until the age of 6, Ben Stark began training with American Top Team in Florida as a sophomore in college. When not at the gym, Stark picks up shifts at "The Original Fat Cats" music club and also finds time to breed snakes.

LYLE STEFFENS
Fighting out of: Tucson, AZ/Apex MMA
Record: 5-2
Age: 26
Lyle Steffens is a firefighter and an EMT in Tucson, Arizona. He trains with fellow cast member Seth Baczynski at Apex MMA.

BRAD TAVARES
Fighting out of: Las Vegas, NV/TapouT
Record: 4-0
Age: 21
At 21, Brad Tavares is the youngest of this season's cast members. Originally from Hilo, Hawaii , Tavares recently relocated to Las Vegas and trains fulltime with TapouT

WARREN THOMPSON
Fighting out of: Marietta, GA/Team Khunpon/Roberto Traven BJJ
Record: 5-0
Age: 23
Warren Thompson, aka "The Kool-Aid Man," is a Muay-Thai fighter from Marietta, Ga. The volunteer firefighter splits his training in Atlanta between Team Khunpon and Roberto Traven BJJ.

KYACEY USCOLA
Fighting out of: Sacramento, CA/Team Alpha Male
Record: 18-15
Age: 28
Kyacey Uscola joins the cast with 33 professional MMA fights on his record. He trains with Team Alpha Male and Urijah Faber out of Sacramento.

CLEBURN WALKER
Fighting out of: Keller, TX/Team Lutter
Record: 9-3
Age: 26
Born and raised in Texas, Cleburn Walker is a fulltime fighter and instructor at Team Lutter. He suffered a recent loss via submission to TUF (season three) alumnus Jesse Forbes this past June.

WOODY WEATHERBY
Fighting out of: Hudson, NH/Renzo Gracie/Mickey Wards Boxing Gym & Xtreme MMA
Record: 7-3
Age: 27
The former U.S. Navy officer currently works fulltime as a corrections officer for the Hillsborough County jail in Manchester, N.H . Weatherby rotates his training between two gyms: Renzo Gracie Academy in Derry, N.H., and Mickey Wards Boxing Gym & Xtreme MMA.

JAMIE YAGER
Fighting out of: Los Angeles, CA/Kings MMA
Record: 2-1
Age: 25
A standout varsity letterman in baseball and football, Yager was the 2001 Athlete of the Year at South Pasadena High School in California. He picked up training MMA as a hobby and went straight from training to the professional ranks in February 2008 as part of BET's "Iron Ring," where he defeated his opponent by TKO.

[teaserpleaser]

crazy i trained with coop and yager at antonio mckees ... ben stark will probably be one and done he sucks

[teaserpleaser]

yager is a beast though still cant believe att got ben stark on the show good for ben

[illmatick]

still trying to get over how bad last season was, cast looks pretty legit at first glance

[The HOFF]

still trying to get over how bad last season was, cast looks pretty legit at first glance

Yeah last season was awful. It got to the point where I would DVR and then just fast forward to the fight.

[clarkd32]

last season was awful because they hyped it up way too much... and then acted like kimbo was going to get an additional fight.

i hate Tito the fighter but Tito the coach usually does a pretty good job i think...

[babyanni]

this season will be bad