TUF: 6 Coaches Who Could Be Great for 'The Ultimate Fighter'

For the longest time, the formula for The Ultimate Fighter has been fairly simple as far as who winds up as the coaches. The UFC chooses two fighters who can meet at the end of the season for a pay-per-view bout that makes sense in their division.

During the show, they coach opposite each other toward developing a rivalry that serves as a preamble to their eventual clash. Along the way, a group of new fighters undergo the high-level training that is needed to compete in the UFC.

This formula has worked for countless seasons because it is simple. More often than not, everyone is pointed in the same direction and working toward the same goal.

But throughout it all, it has always seemed, at least to me, that the sense of a real MMA-style camp has been absent. Some fighters find the mantle of head coach puts them above the men who, under all normal circumstances, are their head coaches at home.

Has this been a detriment? Probably not; these fighters usually use what has always worked for them, as the blueprints for training are passed from hand to hand.

Still, I have often wondered what a season of TUF would look like if “real” coaches and their teams were used. The contestants would be pulled into a true MMA camp alongside current UFC fighters who go through it all, right beside them, all answering to one leader.

In the spirit of exploration, I give you six men who would be great coaches for The Ultimate Fighter, with a specific idea as to their pairings.

Pat Miletich

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Ideal Opposing Coach: Greg Jackson

PPV Representation for Team Miletich: Robbie Lawler

When people talk about great MMA coaches, I'm shocked that so many have forgotten Pat Miletich.

Perhaps it is a sign of the times; most of Miletich’s star pupils have retired or are too old to compete with today’s class of fighters. But one thing is for certain, he knew how to make great MMA fighters.

Matt Hughes, Jens Pulver and Tim Sylvia all became UFC champions under his tutelage. All of them successfully defended their titles at least once. When you add Jeremy Horn to that list, you have a roster of true fighters.

It’s hard to know how many UFC championship belts have been earned under the roof of Miletich, but if you count successful title defenses, it is at least on the same level as Greg Jackson’s camp, which is saying a great deal.

When you consider the fighters who would might jump at the chance to be assistant coaches—Hughes, Robbie Lawler, Horn and so on—you would have a star-studded ensemble of proven talent and legends.

And as far as a fighter for the traditional culmination of the coaching rivalry, Robbie Lawler could assume that role. Even though he doesn’t train with Miletich anymore, if he were to continue his winning ways, he could gain some promotion for an upcoming PPV fight.

It would be interesting to see how today’s crop of fighters would develop when exposed to Miletich's old-school training methods.

And opposite him would be…

Greg Jackson

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Ideal Opposing Coach: Pat Miletich

PPV Representation for Team Jackson: Carlos Condit

If anyone other than Jackson boasts a more accomplished stable of fighters (either directly or by association), I don’t know who he is.

Alongside Mike Winkeljohn, Jackson trains Carlos Condit, Nate Marquardt, Donald Cerrone, Diego Sanchez, Jon Jones and countless others. If one were to include his associations with the Tristar gym, Georges St-Pierre would make the list.

Perhaps the sport's closest thing to King Midas, Jackson is a trusted trainer and mentor who has been involved with countless UFC championships fights, winning far more than he loses. Although he has been harangued for instilling a safety-first mentality into his fighters, a position as head coach on TUF could go a long way toward clearing the air around that argument.

His staff would be just as impressive as Miletich's. Winkeljohn, GSP, Jones and Condit would provide a wide array of skills and experience.

In competition against another great mind like Miletich, Jackson would represent all that is new in an exciting clash of coaching styles.

Bas Rutten

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Ideal Opposing Coach: Kazushi Sakuraba

PPV Representation for Team Rutten: Unknown

When thinking about a season of TUF: Japan, I think of two names instantly: Kazushi Sakuraba and Bas Rutten.

While many newer fans may not appreciate who Bas Rutten is and what he brings to the table, he is a passionate man when it comes to fighting. In his career, he nearly always went for the finish.

While not nearly as well-known as some other figures in the MMA community, Rutten has coached Mark Kerr (when he was doing well), Duane Ludwig and others. In 2006, he was a coach for the defunct International Fight League (IFL). Additionally, he has said he expects to make a guest coaching appearance for Team Penn on the next season of TUF.

Perhaps the only real sticking point revolves around whom he could tab as his assistant coaches, although it seems a good bet that he could talk BJ Penn into taking a position on his staff and perhaps Wanderlei Silva.

As he isn’t an active coach right now, he probably wouldn’t have any fighters representing him in the traditional PPV bout. While this seems like a problem, it isn’t; the UFC would simply have to incorporate the finals into a PPV card as it did in UFC 147.

With his love of fighting and the marketability of his name in Japan (as a multi-time King of Pancrase and as a commentator for Pride FC), Rutten would be an excellent coach when the UFC finally brings the show to Japan.

And the ultimate foil for “El Guapo” would be none other than…

Kazushi Sakuraba

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Ideal Opposing Coach: Bas Rutten

PPV Representation for Team Sakuraba: Unknown

It’s hard to quantify the love that the Japanese people have for Kazushi Sakuraba.

In his prime, he was a superstar in Japan, one of the greatest pound-for-pound fighters on the planet and the crown jewel of the Pride Fighting Championships.

Granted, when his star finally fell, it fell hard, but as one door slams shut, others open. And believe me, if the viewing audience in Japan were to see the door to the UFC gym open with Sakuraba stepping through as a coach for TUF: Japan, it would be a big deal.

How would he be as a coach? That is difficult to gauge, but to be honest, his experience and stature would make it worth the risk.

As far as a coaching staff, Sakuraba could probably make a wish list and see it granted nearly automatically, at least when it comes to drawing from his fellow countrymen. Notables such as Shinya Aoki, Rumina Sato, Hayato “Mach” Sakurai and Takanori Gomi are all possibilities.

But personally, I would be interested to see just how passionate and serious he could get when put into such a position of trust.

Mario Sperry

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Ideal Opposing Coach: Rudimar Fedrigo

PPV Representation for Team Sperry: Unknown

As one of the original founders of the Brazilian Top Team, Mario Sperry is an accomplished Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt and ADCC (Abu Dhabi Combat Club) luminary. He's also a former coach at Imperial Athletics (aka the Blackzilians).

Having been involved with BJJ and MMA since well before the first UFC, he has a vast understanding of what is required to become a professional fighter, especially on the mat.

Highly respected in his homeland, he would be an excellent coach for a season of TUF: Brazil. The coaching staff he could assemble would be impressive and comprised of notables such as Murilo Bustamante, Vitor Belfort and perhaps even the Nogueira brothers.

What is even more tantalizing is the rivalry his former team (BTT) had with the famed (and feared) Chute Boxe Team during their glory days in Pride FC. While much of that has dissipated over the years, there is still some combative value in nostalgia. Some rivalries are fun to revisit due to the heyday of their past.

And that leads us to his opposition…

Rudimar Fedrigo

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Rudimar Fedrigo (top row, second from left)

Ideal Opposing Coach: Mario Sperry

PPV Representation for Team Fedrigo: Unknown

If one thing can be said about Rudimar Fedrigo, it is that he is a very serious man.

Since Chute Boxe made its presence known in the IVC (International Vale-Tudo Championships) in Brazil, the reputation surrounding the school and Fedrigo has been one of focused ferocity.

Starting off as a camp that focused primarily on Muay Thai, it soon incorporated BJJ. From there, it went on to rip through the competition like a buzz saw. The rule of thumb seemed a simple one: If you were facing a Chute Boxe fighter, you were facing a tornado of unending aggression.

No matter how much unhappiness that some former Chute Boxe standouts (like Anderson Silva) have admitted to after leaving the camp, one thing that seems to be beyond question is the intensity that they all have displayed in their careers while under the banner.

In fact, the Chute Boxe banner was less a camp standard and more a black flag that they carried into each fight—they made clear that they intended to win violent contests by violent means. In many ways, Fedrigo may have understood the realities of MMA better than any other trainer. The combative sports are legalized assault, thus open violence as a policy is becoming.

Once upon a time, Chute Boxe and the Brazilian Top Team were in a heated rivalry for prospective students. Now that both camps seem to be in a decline on the big stage, it would be fitting for them to rekindle that rivalry on TUF: Brazil.