Jake Shields and "Razor" Rob McCullough Headed To TUF 11

This article was originally featured on fiveknuckles.com

The Ultimate Fighter season 11 continues to build momentum heading into its season debut on March 31. Current reigning Strikeforce middleweight champion Jake Shields and former WEC lightweight champ "Razor" Rob McCullough will enter the Ultimate Fighter gym, not as fighters but as coaches.

The news comes from the website of both fighters and was also reported by MMAWeekly . Shields will serve as an assistant coach to Team Chuck Liddell while McCullough will help out a longtime training partner and friend as a part of Team Tito Ortiz .

After recently enlisting Shields to help him out with his ground game, "The Iceman" is completely blown away by the slick Jiu-Jitsu and wrestling skills of the Strikeforce champion. Having Shields on as an assistant coach will certainly benefit the grappling ability of the fighters on Team Liddell. It should also be noted that this will not be the first time that a non-UFC fighter makes an appearance on TUF, considering former Elite XC middleweight champ Robbie Lawler served as an assistant coach to Matt Hughes on season six.

Anyone who has ever fought or trained with Shields, has praised his ground game. AKA welterweights Jon Fitch and Mike Swick , whom Shields trains with from time to time at AKA, describe Shields as a relentless wrestler that is incredibly difficult to stop. We have yet to see if the Strikeforce champ has the ability to coach, but one thing is for sure, he can definitely grapple with the best of them.

"Razor" Rob is highly regarded for his Muay-Thai striking arsenal. At one point in time, McCullough was viewed as the WEC's most dangerous lightweight. While lately he has lost a bit of steam, going 2-3 in his last five fights, his standup knowledge is still world-class. It's a smart strategy on Ortiz's part to bring McCullough on as a coach to help bolster the striking skills of Team Ortiz fighters. McCullough is also a long-time veteran of the sport so he would be able to give experienced advice and tips to up and coming MMA fighters.

Along with the announcement of assistant coaches, fiveouncesofpain reported three new fighters to the cast of TUF 11. Power punching sensation Victor O'Donnell kicked off his amateur career with six straight wins and has since garnered an impressive 8-1 professional record. A member of the Cincinnati, Ohio, based Team Vision camp, O'Donnell holds notable victories over Forrest Petz and Rafael Sapo.

Joining O'Donnell will be fellow middleweight prospects Cleburn Walker and Warren Thompson. Walker has never seen any of his fights go the judges distance and he boasts a 9-4 overall record with all of his wins coming by way of submission. A former U.S Marine, Walker trains with former TUF cast members Travis Lutter and Justin Wren .

Thompson sports an unblemished 5-0 record specializing in Muay Thai and Jiu-Jitsu. He currently teaches Muay Thai at LA Boxing and spends his own time training with Khunpon Dechkampu in Muay Thai, Roberto Traven in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Sean Hage in wrestling, and Jerry Collet in strength and conditioning.

TUF 11 will feature a cast of middleweight fighters coached by former UFC  light-heavyweight champions Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz , and will premier March 31 on Spike TV.