Bisping & Sonnen to Coach on The Ultimate Fighter

I hope Meltzer is correct... this would be awesome.

I'd love to see this. Buddy of mine finds out soon if he's going to be on the show.

this would be soooooo effing awesome. i'd LOVE to see bisping get his ass destroyed.

I'd love to see this...though I have a feeling Bisping would be a better coach then Sonnen, in terms of motivation...

It doesn't look good for Sonnen, judging from this article (from MMAJunkie):


- Chael Sonnen's fate as a coach on "The Ultimate Fighter 14" likely was sealed three weeks ago.

Sonnen then met with Nevada State Athletic Commission officials in Las Vegas to explain statements he'd made about his use of prescribed testosterone. He also was set to learn what to expect if he applied for a second's license that would allow him to coach the reality show later this year.

The meeting – which was also attended by UFC president Dana White, UFC executive Lorenzo Fertitta and other high-ranking officials from the promotion – did not go well.

"With his explanations, I don't know how productive of a meeting it was," NSAC executive director Keith Kizer told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "I really did expect a much more constructive meeting out of that. But it just wasn't there. I think Zuffa tried; I know we tried. I put the blame completely on Mr. Sonnen."

Things started off on the wrong foot, according to the NSAC head, when Sonnen, who's been heavily rumored to coach "TUF 14" opposite Michael Bisping, deflected initial questions about lying to the California State Athletic Commission during a hearing this past December. At the hearing, which followed Sonnen's failed UFC 117 drug test, his his one-year suspension was halved.

At the hearing, Sonnen claimed he had spoken to Kizer about his use of testosterone prior to his fight with Nate Marquardt at UFC 109 and had received a verbal greenlight. He said the same in a subsequent interview with HDNet's "Inside MMA" program.

Kizer, though, denied ever speaking to Sonnen about the issue in an interview with MMAjunkie.com shortly after the fighter's hearing.

"His point was, 'Well, you and I have never talked before right now, but I don't think I lied,'" Kizer said.

"Then he gave some very strange story and claimed, 'My manager and you talked about therapeutic exemptions, and therefore, I just used the wrong word. I should have said 'my' instead of 'I.' As in 'my manager' instead of 'I.'

"I was very straight with him, saying, 'That's a ridiculous explanation.'"

Kizer then explained that if Sonnen wanted a second's license, he would be required to answer questions about his statements to the CSAC in a formal NSAC hearing. He also would likely need to answer questions about his pending sentencing on a federal charge of money laundering and his criticism of referee Josh Rosenthal following his fight with Paulo Filho at WEC 31. (Sonnen claimed he didn't submit to Filho in the second round of the fight.)

"You want to criticize a referee and say, 'I don't think he did a very good job,' that's one thing," Kizer said. "But to out and out lie about what happened in the match is a different thing. So I think that will get brought up as well because I'd bring it up."

Of course, it's now in question whether Sonnen will apply for a second's license after UFC president Dana White on Monday told MMAjunkie.com that the middleweight is unlikely to be chosen as a coach for "TUF 14."

"We have no clue who will coach; Chael has a ton of problems (right now)," White said.

If Sonnen applies, Kizer said he won't bend on the formal hearing for Sonnen, and he may require the same of Bisping.

"They're the coaches," he said. "I guess a little bit better term is a mentor of these young fighters on the show. Which, of course, begs a lot of questions, I think, when you're talking about Mr. Sonnen, and maybe Mr. Bisping.

"I usually just give that administratively to cornermen. But I will not do that for Mr. Sonnen."