Nico Musoke and Tor Troéng of Sweden headed to Las Vegas last month for a tryout for The Ultimate Fighter 17. Based on previous season’s TUF castings of outspoken and less talented fighters, these two gentlemen wouldn’t seem like likely cast members. But with ratings for TUF sinking, and the announcement of high profile Jon Jones and Chael Sonnen… the selection of the articulate and talented Musoke and Troéng would make more sense than ever.
The secrecy of the show and the fighters that traveled to the fight capital won’t allow for anything official, and the show hasn’t even started taping, but the change in the direction of the show should increase the chances of a selection of Musoke and Troéng. The two fighters are also lucky that it will only be middleweights, as the tryouts also included light heavyweights.
The soft spoken Musoke who fights at welterweight has 9 wins and 2 losses, and has won four straight fights against high-level competition. His most recent bout was at On Top 5, where he finished the bout with a TKO at 3:49 in the first period. “Given the format of the show, making the middleweight limit suits me just good.” Musoke told MMA Viking prior to his trip about trying out for the bigger weight class. The Sthlm Shoot fighter trains at Nexus Fight Center.
The mathematician Troéng would be one of the most accomplished fighters on the show. He is ranked #1 by MMA Viking in all the Nordics at middleweight, and has amassed an impressive 15 win, 4 loss, and 1 draw record. “The Hammer” has gone an amazing 11-1-1 since April, 2008. His only loss coming to former UFC title contender Thales Leites. His last bout was one of, if not the, highest Swede-versus-Swede bout against grappling champion Mats Nilsson at The Zone FC Demolition this past May.
The Swede fights out of Renyi Fightcamp in Umeå, which is in northern Sweden. The camp has a cooperation with STHLM Shoot, and Troéng is a frequent training partner with Musoke.
Fingers crossed! These two fighters deserve a chance to get on the show and in the Octagon.
Gustafsson Talks About Musoke and Troéng
