The Ultimate Fighter, or TUF, will feature either fighters competing at Bantamweight (135lb), Featherweight (145lb), or both in the fourteenth season as a way to help promote & introduce fans who watch SpikeTV to the lighter classes that were previously only showed on VersusTV.
While it is still being decided which of the two weight classes will compete in the upcoming season, or if both will compete alongside each other, the choice of who will be the opposing coaches also has not been announced. Immediately following the absorption of the WEC in to the UFC, fans were calling for the eventual rematch of Cruz vs Faber II to be the first light class fighters to coach opposite of each other with fellow light class fighters to make up their teams. After his win over Eddie Wineland at UFC 128: Shogun vs Jones, Faber was soon after announced to have earned a #1 contendership spot to face champ Dominick Cruz in a rematch at the July 4 weekend event. Immediately after Faber's win, every MMA journalist asked UFC President Dana White if Cruz vs Faber II would be the match to set up as coaches, though White immediately declared that the rematch between the two would not serve as coaches for the upcoming season. Instead, a possible match up of two trash talkers could take center stage as the next coaches of TUF.
Elite 185lb contender & one of the strongest wrestlers in MMA Chael Sonnen(25-11-1) is a possible selection to coach a team of prospects on the show as his trash talk leading up to his title bout against champ Anderson Silva was some of the best to hype up a highly anticipated PPV. Sonnen was on the receiving of of a string of bad luck as he lost the bout with just minutes left in one of his strongest performances via Rnd5 Ssubmission, which was followed by the release of his mandated drug test results that showed a high level of Testosterone that flagged a probable use of Performance Enhancing Drug(s). Sonnen was fined $2,500 & received a full year suspension from the Cal State Athletic Commission, until he testified at a hearing in front of the commission which he stated the elevated Testosterone was a result of necessary injections that is meant to help with a deficiency that does not allow him to maintain a normal amount of Testosterone. Sonnen's suspension was reduced to half which allowed him to be scheduled for a return to the cage in March, though a situation away from the cage came up that would threaten him with federal jail time. After a fight with Yoshihiro Akiyama was announced for March, Sonnen was served with notice that he was being charged with money laundering that went back to his career as a realtor . Sonnen is expected to plead guilty & pay a fine to settle the case in order to avoid jail time & get back into action. If Sonnen can avoid jail time & get the Nevada State Athletic Commission to issue him a new license, the timeline could be perfect for him to take a spot as coach on the show.
A winner of TUF3 as a Light Heavyweight & now a trash talking 185lb contender, Michael Bisping(21-3-0) has served once as a coach having helped lead two fellow Englishmen to win under his coaching for TUF9 Team USA vs Team UK. Unfortunately for Bisping the victories of his fellow countrymen did not follow with him as he lost his bout against opposing coach Dan Henderson. Since that loss Bisping has gone 4-1 coming off three straight wins with the most recent being one of his most controversial having thrown a clearly illegal knee & spitting at one of the cornermen of his opponent Jorge Rivera after getting the Rnd2 TKO win. Bisping has become one of the most wanted in the sport with multiple Middleweight fighters calling him out just for his antics at his last fight. The first to call out Bisping was Sonnen, who sent UFC matchmaker Joe Silva an email directly requesting a fight with the Brit. Having been a winner of the reality show competition & returning as a coach for the two winners of his season, Bisping is a perfect choice to coach fighters of either of the two most action packed divisions in the sport.
In terms of credentials, Sonnen is an elite wrestler who has become a specialist in his technique having been being an NCAA1 All-American collegiate wrestler, a multi-time collegiate wrestling champion, & being an Olympic alternate in Greco-Roman wrestling for Team USA. Sonnen also comes from an elite gym in Team Quest that has produced champions like Randy Couture, Dan Henderson, & Evan Tanner. Bisping is a fast paced striker who has long been the face of British MMA & has racked up thirteen of his wins by way of knockout. Bisping's experience as a coach would make him familiar to the experience & possibly have the upper hand in that matter. The trash talking & collisions between the two during the season would easily hype a main event level bout for a PPV, which combined with the potential of the lighter class fighters to provide fast paced action can lead to one of the highest rated & most anticipated seasons since TUF10: Heavyweights when former street fighter Kimbo Slice was brought in. All of this rides on the timetable of when Sonnen can present his plea of guilty before a judge & whether or not he will be penalized with just a fine.
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