White calls 'TUF 8' fighter 'the next Anderson Silva'

UFC President Dana White is comparing one of the lightweights on the upcoming season of "The Ultimate Fighter" to middleweight champion Anderson Silva.

"I was going off when I saw this guy," White said in an interview with Yahoo! Sports. "He's 24 and he's destroying people. It's sick how bad ass he is. I'm getting goose bumps talking to you about him."

The eighth season features light-heavyweight and lightweight contestants coached by Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Frank Mir.

Thirty-two fighters will be narrowed down to sixteen through elimination bouts on the season premiere. White wouldn't reveal any names, but here's what we know so far:

Light Heavyweights: Krzysztof Soszynski, Shane Primm, Lance Evans, Ryan Jimmo, Ryan Bader, Vinicius Magalhaes.

Lightweights: Shane Nelson, Junie Allen Browning.