The Ultimate Fighter 16 Episode 1 Results And Recap

The 16th season of The Ultimate Fighter kicked off Friday evening on FX, as 16 welterweight fighters took their first step towards achieving their dream of receiving a six-figure contractwith the UFC.

In the two-hour premiere of The Ultimate Fighter Fridays, viewers witnessed 16 fights, previously taped at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, as 32 fighters vied for a spot on the series. The winners, now official cast members, earned their way into The Ultimate Fighter house where cameras documented their activity in and out of the Octagon over a span of six weeks.

The series resumes next Friday, September 20, on FX at 10 p.m. ET/PT with the second episode of its 12-week run.

Below are the premiere episode match-ups and results:

Dom Waters def. Kevin Nowaczyk – TKO, 1rd, 0:32
Michael Hill def. Lev Magen – TKO, 1rd, 1:27
Bristol Marunde def. George Lockhart – Sub (via guillotine), 1rd, 2:23
Mike Ricci def. Jason South – TKO, 1rd, 1:50
Julian Lane def. Diego Bautista – Unanimous decision
Igor Araujo def. Cortez Coleman – Sub (via triangle choke), 3rd (victory round), 3:16
James Chaney def. Jerel Clark – Sub (via triangle choke), 1rd, 1:30
Cameron Diffley def. Zane Kamaka – Sub (via armbar), 1rd, 1:37
Neil Magny def. Frank Camacho – Unanimous decision
Jon Manley def. Ricky Legere, Jr. – Unanimous decision
Colton Smith def. Jesse Barrett – Unanimous decision
Matt Secor def. Max Griffin – Sub (via triangle choke), 3rd (victory round), 2:55
Eddy Ellis def. David Michaud – Sub (via arm triangle), 2rd, 4:29
Joey Rivera def. Saad Awad – Majority decision
Nic Herron-Webb def. Tim Rubert – Sub (via armbar), 1rd, 4:17
Sam Alvey def. Leo Kuntz – TKO, 1rd, 0:47

 Following the elimination fights, viewers watched as coach of Team Carwin, former UFC interim heavyweight champion, Shane Carwin and coach of Team Nelson, TUF season 10 winner, Roy Nelson selected their teams. The first overall pick was Alvey, chosen by Carwin, while Nelson’s first pick was also a winner by TKO, Waters. Below are the complete team breakdowns (in order of selection): 

Team Carwin 
Sam Alvey 
Bristol Marunde 
Mike Ricci 
Neil Magny 
James Chaney 
Eddy Ellis 
Igor Araujo
Matt Secor

Team Nelson
Dom Waters 
Michael Hill 
Cameron Diffley
Colton Smith
Jon Manley 
Nic Herron-Webb 
Joey Rivera 
Julian Lane 

(Photo credit: Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC)