Hyden's Take
HYDEN BLOG: Chael Sonnen and Michael Bisping as TUF coaches? No Thanks
Apr 6, 2011 - 8:41:02 AM HYDEN BLOG: Chael Sonnen and Michael Bisping as TUF coaches? No Thanks

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By: Frank Hyden, MMATorch contributor

There was a report this week that the UFC might be targeting Chael Sonnen and Michael Bisping to be the coaches of The Ultimate Fighter 14. I have absolutely zero interest in seeing this happen. Actually, I have a negative interest. If those guys are the coaches, I have serious doubts that I'll even watch that season. The bigger problem is Sonnen, but I'll start with Bisping.

Michael Bisping was a coach on TUF just a few seasons ago. His team did well, though Bisping was off-putting throughout the season. There were times where Bisping just came off like a jerk, and there were other times where he seemed to be a fine guy. My only real problem with Bisping as coach again is that it's just too soon since his last stint. The TUF coaching gig should go to guys who haven't been coaches before. It's a chance for us to see and get to know guys that we haven't seen before. It's just simply too soon for Bisping to repeat as coach.

Chael Sonnen shouldn't be anywhere near a coaching gig on a high-profile series like TUF. Sonnen was Charlie Sheen before the real Sheen showed his true colors. And just like Charlie Sheen, Sonnen's act gets old after about two minutes. There's an old saying that there's no such thing as bad publicity, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Look at the myriad psuedo-reality stars that have cropped up in recent years. To add Chael Sonnen to that mix, to give him a platform from which to spew his inane rhetoric, would be the height of absurdity. The Ultimate Fighter may be somewhat stale, but this is not the answer.

I find it hard to believe that Dana White and other people at Zuffa would even consider having Sonnen as one of the TUF coaches. That's like getting The Situation to host a comedy show. You're just asking for trouble and bad publicity. You're also giving away whatever credibility the UFC has a company. All the trouble that Sonnen is in and has caused, and you're going to reward him by giving him the coveted coaching gig on TUF?

Another thing I want to avoid is the dreaded face-off between the coaches. That's where they both yell at each other and threaten to beat each other up, but nothing happens. Maybe you get a couple of pull-aparts, but that gets old real fast. TUF 10 with Rashad Evans and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson is the best example of the fake face-off and what it does to a season. Kimbo Slice helped bolster the ratings for that season, but you can't count on that. The last thing I want to see is a whole season of Bisping and Sonnen yelling at each other while people stand in between them. Nobody's getting fooled into believing that you're actually going to throw down right then and there so why bother pretending like it might happen?

The first episode of Sonnen and Bisping as coaches might be mildly entertaining, but then it would get incredibly repetitive and you could bet the ratings would drop. To paraphrase Rick Pitino, Kimbo Slice ain't walking through that door. You can't count on someone else in the house holding the ratings up. The idea of Michael Bisping and Chael Sonnen as coaches on The Ultimate Fighter 14 is just bad news. If it happens, I know I probably won't be watching and I suspect many others feels the same way.

Comments and suggestions can be e-mailed to me at hydenfrank@gmail.com