Lucky 13: Having Brock Lesnar Vs. Junior Dos Santos On TUF Is The Right Move

Leave it to a very loud minority of MMA fans to find something to complain about.

This week's edition? The announcement that former UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar and top contender Junior dos Santos will be coaches on the newest season of Spike's The Ultimate Fighter show.

After the initial shock wore off, the pundits began to throw darts at the decision, mainly at Lesnar's perceived lack of MMA experience. Then again, there's an old saying that there are people who would complain about the carrying case a free $1 million came in.

Are you on the fence about whether you should look forward to lucky season 13 of TUF? Here's five reasons that should put your sweet little head at ease:

These are big names

For crying out loud (do people still say that?), it's BROCK LESNAR. On pay-per-view, he has no equal and with all respect to Mr. St. Pierre, he is the UFC's biggest draw. Now we're going to see this enigma, this polarizing figure, this mass of humanity every week on Spike?

Dos Santos isn't a slouch by any means, a man that was sitting on a title shot against Cain Velasquez but had to change course due to Velasquez's shoulder injury. That's a tough situation, but ask Anthony Pettis about how unfair the fight game can be sometimes.

Making Lesnar and dos Santos for this summer is a big enough fight. Seeing it unfold over three months on free TV is almost as big.

The fighters have become almost secondary

Let's face it, friends. This isn't 2005 when there was a dearth of unsigned talent that needed to be found. It's 2011 and the vast majority of MMA studs are either signed to one of the big three or not interested in going on the show. (Yes, this does happen.)

That's why the coaches have become such an important focus. With each passing season, the talent pool becomes a little drier and thus, the TUF champions have made less of an immediate impact in the UFC. Two recent cases: James Wilks and Efrain Escudero, the latter only the 2nd champion to be cut.

Yes, there are some talented fighters who eventually find their way but it's a different landscape than when the show first debuted. The coaches add spice to what can sometimes be a bland mix of ingredients.

That leads me to our next point.

It's a TV show

I think people lose sight of this more frequently than they should. Spike's a TV network. TV networks need viewers. Viewers are attracted by entertainment, hence why having the UFC has been such a big deal for them.

With the UFC's deal with Spike quickly nearing renewal time, it's time to make another big splash and having Lesnar means a ton of viewers. Need proof? Check out this number provided by Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer:

In 2010, Brock Lesnar became the second man in history to headline two shows that cracked the 1 million level in the same year. The other was Mike Tyson, who in 1996 did so three times against Evander Holyfield, Frank Bruno and Bruce Seldon.

Overall, he's headlined three shows that have topped 1 million buys. The leader in combat sports? Mike Tyson with six.

Both guys can hopefully come out of their shell

As we know from the Primetime series with Shane Carwin, Lesnar is guarded when it comes to his family. He's generally a pretty reserved guy until he needs to really turn it on and then people go nuts because it's a "pro wrestling" gimmick.

On the flip-side, dos Santos is known for his vicious fists in the Octagon but because his English isn't perfect, the Brazilian hasn't fully connected outside of it. Perhaps the exposure will push him to that next level with fan perception and put him in the Minotauro Nogueira role from several seasons ago.

In either case, people will get to know both Lesnar and dos Santos quite well after this 13th season which could help Lesnar to yet another 1 million buy pay-per-view achievement. And who knows: you might actually start liking him!

Intrigue

Tons of questions already: Who's the favorite in dos Santos vs. Lesnar? How will Lesnar interact with his team? Will dos Santos bring some Black House members along with him? Will the language barrier hurt? Will Brock punch a cameraman?

When it comes to TV, people like to anticipate great drama and gripping story-lines. I think TUF will live up to its reality billing and do just that, creating a fine group of TV stars in the process.

But even if it's a great season, people will still find a way to complain.

Josh Nason is a New England-based freelance MMA journalist that covers live events, has written for FIGHT! Magazine and frequently does radio/podcast appearances. He asks for your "like" for ESPN Boston to cover MMA. Follow him on Twitter.