Possible Coaches For TUF 14: Stann vs Bisping

The Ultimate Fighter is one of the most important promotional tools in the sport of MMA. Currently the reality competition series is airing its thirteenth season on its home channel on SpikeTV, with the fourteenth installment expected to begin filming in a few months. Candidates for the two head coaching slots have been debated over these last several weeks as multiple choices have been rumored over the web. Candidates have included Sonnen/Bisping, Sonnen/W. Silva, W. Silva/Leben, GSP/Diaz, Mayhem/Bisping, and now Stann/Bisping. Recently 185lb contender Chael Sonnen attended a hearing in front of the CSAC where he was denied his license until he can reapply at the end of June. Sonnen broke the news that should he be denied his license, he would then lose his apparently promised chance at coaching against Michael Bisping in the upcoming season of TUF. With the comissions unfortunate ruling, a potential new choice of coaches has come up.

Former WEC Light Heavyweight champ & decorated US Marine Brian "The All-American" Stann (10-3-0) has long been seen by many negative MMA fans as a simple marketable product to promote the relationship between the American armed forces and the UFC, but has now jumped into the spotlight with a recent Rnd1 TKO win over fan favorite Chris Leben at UFC 125: Resolution. Stann has now recorded two stoppage wins since dropping down to 185lbs and is seen as a potential contender. With all the promotional hype behind him as a perfect physical specimen, a battle hardened and decorated veteran of the War in Iraq, and powerful striking capability, Stann is a perfect face for American MMA fans to follow. With a bout currently scheduled for UFC 130: Rampage vs Hamillagainst now former Sengoku 185lb champ Jorge Santiago, a win would put the battle hardened Marine maybe one or two fights away from fighting for the title, and according to rumors also make him eligible to possibly coach on this upcoming season of TUF.

A winner of TUF3 and the face of British MMA, Michael "The Count" Bisping (21-3-0) has been a well promoted figure as the hero in his homeland in the UK, and as a villain in the USA. While beloved in his homeland, Bisping has earned a reputation as a trash talker durring his stint as a coach on TUF8: Team USA vs Team UK while he coached a team of fellow English fighters opposite of MMA legend Dan Henderson who coached a team of American fighters. Bisping's reputation as a disliked figure in the US continued to build after he landed what many consider an "intentional" illegal knee to the head of a clearly downed Jorge Rivera at UFC 127: Penn vs Fitch. Seen now as a trash talker and a dirty fighter, many American MMA fans have been calling for a match where an American can dish punishment to the disliked Brit, and that chance seems to have arrived. While Sonnen was the most preferred name atop the list of American fighters to shut down the Brit, a new name has gathered great attention to be pushed up on that very list.

Demanding recognition as a contender in the 185lb division for some time now, Bisping has felt overlooked and judged unfairly. Stann on the other hand has been asking for top competition to earn his way into recogntion. With many American fans still sore over the fact that both winners of TUF8 were Brits and only one American making it to the finals, demand has been high since for a rematch of the two nations. After his win at UFC 125 against Leben, I asked Stann over Twitter if he would accept an offer to coach a season of TUF. Stann stated he would accept the opportunity and would bring in wounded heroes of the US armed forces to inspire his team. While UFC President Dana White stated that he was not a fan of the whole country vs country set up, matching up another USA vs UK would help pick up the dwindling ratings that this past season has experienced, and the match up between these two as coaches and eventual opponents would be an easy sell to fans in the US as a decorated war hero takes on a rival from the UK, and could be sold in the UK as a chance for Bisping to avenge his loss to Henderson when the two fought as opposing coaches from TUF8. Even without the nation vs nation setting for teams, simply pairing these two alone would attract attention. As an unbiased independent MMA fan, this match up as coaches would prove to be entertaining with Bisping having lead his team to win in both weight classes in TUF8, and Stann possessing strong leadership qualities that helped lead his squad to survive an ambush in Iraq. As a completely biased American MMA fan, I see this as a perfect chance for a grudge match and hope that USA vs UK will be brought back with more prepared talent for Team USA after it was clear at first glance the fist time that some of them were not ready at all.
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