Rampage Jackson and Rashad Evans, both former light heavyweight champions, will coach heavyweight fighters in the upcoming 10th season of the TUF. Season 10 will follow two teams of larger fighters—something the show hasn’t done since back in Season 2, when Evans won the show. This will be Jackson’s second coaching stint in four seasons. The coaching stints mean that the fighters won’t themselves fight again until the end of the year, and postpones a possible Jackson v. Machida in the fall.
The bad blood between the two fighters should add some drama to the already rowdy show. USA Today quoted Jackson as saying, “When I found out who I was coaching against, I couldn’t turn it down.” Evans confronted Jackson in the ring at UFC 96 after Jackson’s win over Evans’ teammate, Keith “The Dean of Mean” Jardine, and the drama has remained since. Clearly, the choice of coaches is meant to capitalize on this drama, as Jackson did not prove to be a particularly effective coach back in Season 7.
Season 10 kicks off September 16th on Spike.
