Sean Shelby of the Kentucky Shelbys just tweeted that there are TUF tryouts scheduled for March 21, with the Marriott at Newark Liberty International Airport as the venue. The weight classes up at bat: featherweight and bantamweight. Putting aside how crazy-cool that is for a second, MMA Journalist has a list of Northeast fighters in those divisions who abso-freakin’-lutely should be trying out that day – and it would be criminal if they didn’t. The fighters in question are:
- Claudio Ledesma – Tough, durable and capable of ending things on the feet or on the ground, Ledesma would kick ass in the Octagon if given the chance. Don’t expect him to urinate on any fruit trays or pillows, though. Or maybe you should. I don’t know. Reality TV makes people do weird things.
- Lester Caslow – Caslow’s been a top-five featherweight around these parts for years, and with his well-rounded skills, it’s not hard to see why. If he were to show up to the TUF tryouts in a kung fu uniform and wicker hat, the deal would be sealed.
- Louis Gaudinot – These are the facts: I’ve seen Gaudinot KO an opponent with a spinning backfist, I’ve seen him guillotine an opponent to win the ROC 125-pound belt, and the kid’s hair is green. What more could a SpikeTV producer want?
- Felipe Arantes – An absolute killer Muay Thai and jiu-jitsu guy, Arantes may or may not speak perfect English. Which would actually be kind of awesome in the TUF House in a “Stranger in a Strange Land” kind of way.
- Sean Santella – Though the ROC flyweight champ, Santella would do well to eat a couple Big Macs and move up a weight class just so he could out-wrestle and out-grapple everyone in the joint.
- Jimbo Hoffman – Sure, he’s only had one (insanely dominant) pro fight, but Hoffman was just plain killing folks in his amateur career. Put a sombrero and a fake moustache on him and he’d be a shoe-in.