TUF 14 Finale: Why Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber Should Be Season 15 Coaches

With The Ultimate Fighter switching homes from Spike to FX, it is imperative for the UFC to name Urijah Faber and Dominick Cruz as the coaches for next season's TUF.

This one really is a no-brainer, and the men in suits over there at the UFC are smart enough to figure this one out. The Ultimate Fighter is coming off of a great season of drama between coaches and exciting fights between great fighters, which is something we really haven’t seen recently from the reality show.

The UFC needs to capitalize on that momentum and set up a blockbuster season for its debut on FX. Cue the lights for bantamweights Cruz and Faber.

You want great buildup? Look no further. You want drama between the coaches? These are your guys.
More importantly for the UFC, they need to continue to put these lighter weight classes in the spotlight to show the casual fans how exciting these lighter weight classes really are.

For me, it’s an easy sell for both guys to coach the next season of TUF, but for those not interested in seeing these two fighters coach season 15, let me see if I can change your mind with these three points.

The Rubber Match Deserves the Hype

The first point I’d like to make is that this third match between Cruz and Faber and deserves an incredible amount of build up.

The second fight between them at UFC 132 was one of the best fights of 2011, and Cruz got the nod on a razor-thin decision. Faber believes he won that fight, and I have a feeling he’s going to go for broke this third time around.

Faber is Cruz’s only blemish on his record, and after watching Cruz beat so many opponents at 135 lbs. on “cruz-control” if you will, the only fight that makes sense right now is the rubber match. It deserves a lot of build up and that’s exactly what The Ultimate Fighter would do, and don’t think for a second that these two egos wouldn’t clash on the set.

Competitive Spirits Will Clash

That brings me to my next point, and that’s the drama between the coaches. Cruz and Faber went into their fight at UFC 132 with some beef, and they came out of the fight somewhat liking each other.

It seems as if both men respect each other and how couldn’t they after that war of attrition that was set at a frenetic pace? But don’t think for a second that these two guys wouldn’t get into some verbal exchanges on the show.

I feel like this show would ignite the bitterness of the rivalry and set up the rubber match that UFC fans have been waiting to see since the decision was made by Bruce Buffer on July 2.

UFC Needs Time To Create New Contenders

On the business end of things, it makes the most sense for the UFC to put Faber and Cruz in these roles because they need to establish new contenders at the weight class.

Sure, you have guys like Joe Benavidez around, but Cruz has already beaten him twice. The UFC needs time to make guys like Michael McDonald and even well-known guys like Miguel Torres household names for the casual audience.

While these coaches are performing their duties on the show, the UFC can put Torres and McDonald’s next fights on pay-per-view and establish one of them as a new contender for a future fight with the bantamweight champion to headline a big show.

Cruz and Faber being coaches on season 15 makes sense to me and a lot of fans, but then again, we’re not the ones wearing the suits and making decisions. Hopefully they’re smart enough to make the right call.