by MMAjunkie.com Staff on May 28, 2009 at 10:00 am ET
The UFC may have just thrown us a curveball.
The upcoming 10th season of "The Ultimate Fighter" will feature former UFC light heavyweight champions Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Rashad Evans as coaches, according to Fighter's Only.
So what about current champ Lyoto Machida?
Jackson confirmed his participation with a Wednesday Twitter message. And according to the report, Evans, who lost his title to Machida at this past weekend's UFC 98 event, will take the other slot.
The UFC, of course, traditionally pits two coaches against each other who then fight at the series' conclusion. However, this upcoming season, which debuts Sept. 16 on Spike TV, will apparently be an exception.
In a post-UFC 98 press conference, UFC President Dana White confirmed Jackson, who defeated Keith Jardine in March at UFC 96, will get the first shot at Machida's title. (According to Machida's official website, the fight will take place in September in Las Vegas.)
That means one coach, Jackson, will fight just as this season of "TUF" debuts.
Prior to UFC 98, MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) spoke to Ed Soares, Machida's manager and translator, about the possibility of the Brazilian being a "TUF" coach.
"They've talked to us about it," Soares said.
Soares, though, said he hadn't even mentioned it to Machida because he wanted the fighter focused solely on the task at hand. After Machida disposed of Evans in brutal fashion with a second-round TKO, Machida said he'd be open to the idea of coaching, specifically for a team of Brazilian fighters. (The UFC and Spike TV implemented a country vs. country format for this season's Team U.S. vs. Team U.K. show.)
However, with Machida's limited English, the UFC perhaps felt two American fighters were better suited for the reality series.
In any manner, White has teased a "big announcement" at tonight's 2009 Video Game Awards on Spike TV. He used a similar platform to announce Jackson and Forrest Griffin as coaches on "The Ultimate Fighter 7."
The UFC may have just thrown us a curveball.
The upcoming 10th season of "The Ultimate Fighter" will feature former UFC light heavyweight champions Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Rashad Evans as coaches, according to Fighter's Only.
So what about current champ Lyoto Machida?
Jackson confirmed his participation with a Wednesday Twitter message. And according to the report, Evans, who lost his title to Machida at this past weekend's UFC 98 event, will take the other slot.
The UFC, of course, traditionally pits two coaches against each other who then fight at the series' conclusion. However, this upcoming season, which debuts Sept. 16 on Spike TV, will apparently be an exception.
In a post-UFC 98 press conference, UFC President Dana White confirmed Jackson, who defeated Keith Jardine in March at UFC 96, will get the first shot at Machida's title. (According to Machida's official website, the fight will take place in September in Las Vegas.)
That means one coach, Jackson, will fight just as this season of "TUF" debuts.
Prior to UFC 98, MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) spoke to Ed Soares, Machida's manager and translator, about the possibility of the Brazilian being a "TUF" coach.
"They've talked to us about it," Soares said.
Soares, though, said he hadn't even mentioned it to Machida because he wanted the fighter focused solely on the task at hand. After Machida disposed of Evans in brutal fashion with a second-round TKO, Machida said he'd be open to the idea of coaching, specifically for a team of Brazilian fighters. (The UFC and Spike TV implemented a country vs. country format for this season's Team U.S. vs. Team U.K. show.)
However, with Machida's limited English, the UFC perhaps felt two American fighters were better suited for the reality series.
In any manner, White has teased a "big announcement" at tonight's 2009 Video Game Awards on Spike TV. He used a similar platform to announce Jackson and Forrest Griffin as coaches on "The Ultimate Fighter 7."