This announcement dispelled rumors which includes names like Wanderlei Silva, Urijah Faber, Dominic Cruz, Frankie Edgar, Gray Maynard, and the cleanest former real-estate agent alive, Chael Sonnen, as potential candidates to coach on the next edition of the long-running UFC breeding ground.
The addition of former WWE star and UFC champion Brock Lesnar should guarantee massive ratings for the upcoming season as as the “Frate Trane” has emerged as the UFCs top pay-per-view since bursting onto the scene. His addition should also bring many first-time fans to the popular Spike series. As far as his coaching opponent Junior “Cigano” Dos Santos, the Brazilian has given up the next shot at the title for an opportunity to coach against Lesnar and fight while champion Cain Velasquez heals. According to his management, “he just wants to fight.”
The Ultimate Fighter’s thirteenth season, originally planned to feature both middleweights and welterweights , will now be exclusive to the 170 pound division. As HeavyMMA’s Writer of the Year Ben Fowlkes stated on twitter, “competitors can choose between being coached in broken English or gruff one-liners” with Brock Lesnar and Dos Santos on the show. All hope is not lost as the two should bring in their own coaches, like Rodrigo Comprido and Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira respectively, to assist in mentoring the show’s up-and-coming fighters. All in all, this should make for a very interesting season.