UFC Contract at Stake for Ankeny High School Graduate, MMA Competitor on 'Ultimate Fighter'

Colton Smith,a 2005 Ankeny High School graduate, is among 32 finalists who will appear on the Ultimate Fighter, which begins tonight on FX.

The show begins tonight at 8 p.m., and will air for the next 12 Fridays at 9 p.m., according to The Des Moines Register. The contract will be awarded during a lie finale on Saturday, Dec. 15.

Tonight's pre-recorded show begins with 16 elimination fights. The winners will become official cast members and earn their way into The Ultimate Fighter house in Las Vegas.

That's where cameras will document their activity before and after their training and fights.

The 16 winners will be drafted into opposing teams of eight welterweights by bitter rivals Shane Carwin and Roy Nelson, who will serve as coaches.

The field of 32 includes the most talented unsigned mixed martial artists in the world, according to the Register. Smith, 25, a U.S. Army Ranger who is currently stationed in Fort Hood, Texas, is the first active duty military member to make the show.

“It was an amazing experience,” said Smith, who told the paper he could not reveal the outcome of tonight’s fight due to a confidentiality agreement with the show. “It was definitely a huge thing for me to be able to represent the Army.”

Smith was a three-time state qualifier and the team captain for the Hawks in 2005, when he placed fifth in Class 3-A at 145 pounds. He finished his career with a record of 105-42, ranking seventh on the school’s all-time list for victories.