The Ultimate Fighter U.K. vs. Australia In The Works

Sports are built on rivalries, and there’s none better than the U.K. vs. Australia. But this time, it won’t happen on a cricket pitch.

UFC president Dana White recently said on a UFC 127 media conference call that The Ultimate Fighter was going international in 2011. The first stop will likely be the Philippines, but it appears that a TUF-themed Australia vs. England series is also in the works.

“We’re getting pretty far along. We’re not in a position to announce anything,” said Marshall Zelaznik, UFC Managing Director of International Development.

The UFC wants to get The Ultimate Fighter 13 shown in Australia before moving forward with the planned reality show that they’re going to call “The Smashes.”

“We’re getting close here on an announcement for The Ultimate Fighter season 13. It will be very widely distributed here once we get that deal secured. That will be the first step in trying to get ‘The Smashes,’ I think we’re going to call it,” said Zelaznik during the UFC 127 pre-fight press conference in Sydney, Australia.

“There’s a lot of interest in the U.K. for it and a lot of interest for it here in Australia. We think it could be a massive, massive hit and take us to the next level here (in Australia).”

The Smashes title is a play on the U.K. and Australian Test cricket series The Ashes. The cricket rivalry dates back to 1882.