Ranking The Ultimate Fighter 12: Lightweights

Leader of the Pack
1. Michael Johnson (Age: 24 Record: 8-4) - This season was the third time Johnson had tried out for TUF. Johnson is an assistant coach at the Springfield Fight Club, a Gracie Barra affiliate.

Full cast after the jump - rankings from FightMatrix.com.
HT: quick bio via lasvegassun.com

Next Best Thing
2. Jonathan Brookins (Age: 24 Record: 11-3) - A former wrestler at Lindenwood University in Saint Charles, Mo. Most fans remember Brookins for his fight with current WEC champion Jose Aldo in 2008.

3. Cody McKenzie (Age: 22 Record: 11-0) - McKenzie has posted 10 straight professional wins with a move he calls the "McKenzietine," which is his own rendition of the guillotine choke. McKenzie spent years working on a commercial fishing line.


Solid Underdog Pick
4. Marc Stevens (Age:25 Record: 12-5) - Stevens has been wrestling since the age of 4 and actually trained under Josh Koscheck while a member of the University of Buffalo wrestling program. He's now the owner of "Jiu-Jitsu Nation" in Syracuse, N.Y.

5. Dane Sayers (Age: 22 Record: 7-1) - Fighting out of North Dakota, his official training began in the basement of a fighter he met in Fargo and eventually led him to the Academy of Combat Arts.

6. Nam Phan (Age: 27 Record: 15-7) - Fights out of Ma Du Academy. Phan has battled on both sides of the Pacific Ocean.


B-Squad
7. Jeffrey Lentz (Age: 21 Record: 5-1) - A lifelong karate student, Lentz actually won his first amatuer fight by triangle despite never training any jiu-jitsu up to that point. Fights out of Kurt Pellegrino MMA.

8. Kyle Watson (Age: 31 Record: 12-6-1) - Watson works as the jiu-jitsu instructor at the gym of Matt Hughes, who, coincidentally, dated his sister briefly years ago. Watson has been knocked out by Spencer Fisher in his career, but hasn't lost since 2007.

9. Spencer Paige (Age: 24 Record: 7-2) - Paige played collegiate baseball at St. Lawrence University in Canton, N.Y. He nearly quit fighting altogether after an 11-second loss to current WEC fighter Josh Grispi in 2007, but he came back in 2009 after spending his time off coaching a boxing class and cleaning sewers.


Longshot
10. Sevak Magakian (Age: 24 Record: 8-3) - Magakian began training judo at the age of 5 and moved to the U.S. from Armenia when he was 14. Magakian never finished school because he was kicked out for beating up a high-school security guard who tried to take away his cell phone.

11. Aaron Wilkinson (Age: 23 Record: 6-3) - Wilkinson began mixed-martial-arts training when he was 17 and quickly found his way to the Wolfslair Gym.


Unknowns
12. Alex Caceres (Age: 21 Record: 5-2) - "Bruce Leroy" was kicked out of school for fighting and started competing in backyard fights when he was 17. He considers his base to be grappling but says his fights usually end up featuring his standup.

13. Sako Chivitchiyan (Age: 26 Record: 5-0) - "The Armenian Psycho" comes from a strong judo background and has trained with UFC and WEC veterans Karo Parisyan and Manny Gamburyan his entire life. His first professional fight came when he was just 15.

14. Andy Main (Age: 21 Record: 4-1) - Main was introduced to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu by one of his pole-vaulting teammates on the high school track team. One of the immediate things that stands out for Main is his tattoos, which include portraits of both his mother and father when they were 18. Trains with Dan and Jim Miller at AMA Fight Club.