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RICH HANSEN, MMATORCH COLUMNIST
My answer to this question is the same as it is before every season of The Ultimate Fighter; I don't give a damn who coaches as long as the coaches are neither a divisional champion or top contender. So if Stephan Bonnar wants to coach opposite Forrest Griffin, sign 'em up says I! As long as it doesn't hold up a division it's golden.
Now with all that said, and if you want to follow me down the rabbit hole and dive into the absurd, I've said it before and I'll say it again... Book Eddie Alvarez vs. Gilbert Melendez as opposing coaches with the condition that the winning coach gets an immediate UFC contract, and the losing coach is never to be offered a slot in the UFC. THEN you'll see some goddamn coaching.
Since I'm not afraid to dive into the absurd, how about Nick Diaz vs. Matt Hughes? Diaz is suspended, but that doesn't mean he can't train some fighters. You think Hughes vs. Serra was a culture shock? How about Mr. Moral Majority vs. Mr. Whatever, Man.
FRANK HYDEN, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR
I think Stephen Bonnar and Forrest Griffin are as good a choice as anyone. Quite frankly, it matters very little who the coaches are outside of the end of season fight between the 2 coaches. At this point, the UFC should be willing to go with anyone and everyone as potential coaches.
ANWAR PEREZ, MMATORCH COLUMNIST
Fans and media alike are speculating that it's going to be Junior dos Santos and Cain Velasquez, and I certainly hope not. It's not that they are bad coaches, but there isn't any real animosity to make the show interesting. Both fighters are regarded as nice guys, and it's doubtful that they would bring any sort of drama to the show. The coaches work better when they have actual issues/past history such as Matt Hughes and Matt Serra or Ken Shamrock and Tito Ortiz. It's really upon the coaches to make the show interesting again for the casual fan. I like the whole grass-roots thing that Stephan Bonnar is doing to get himself and Forrest Griffin on the show as coaches, so that could be interesting.
ERIC HOBAUGH, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR
TUF needs big names next season, because this season had dismal ratings. I thought this was the best season of the show, because of the live fights every week. Bringing back Brock Lesnar would be a great ratings boost for the show. Forrest Griffin vs. Rampage Jackson would also be well watched if that fight can be made again. One thing is for sure, the show is getting better. The UFC needs to make sure they do not let a repeat of this season happen again. This show is still the best way for the sport to attract new fans and keep old ones.
BRAD WALKER, MMATORCH COLUMNIST
The best answer is nobody. The show is so worn out and boring at this point that regardless of who the coaches are the ratings are going to continue to slide. But, that won't happen sadly as FX is still somehow content with awful ratings on Friday nights. So let's go with a different approach, let's do another heavyweights season and have Cain Velasquez and Junior Dos Santos coach in anticipation of their rematch for the heavyweight title. There really no other fighters out there with a title match that distant that might be able to pick up the ratings. They just make the most sense, and the fight at the end is going to count for the biggest belt in the sport. TUF: Live 2: Bad ratings and big fighters.
DAN MOORE, MMATORCH UK CONTRIBUTOR
Seeing as no one watches TUF anymore, the only way to go now is to have two well known fighters as coaches, but maybe forget about the end of season match up. Of the last three series coaches, only Bisping and Miller have actually fought at the end, and we all know how that worked out. Most of the coaches animosity shown on TV is fake and fabricated, so why bother. It's also worth noting that most high profile stars have already done coaching stints, and that makes it even harder to keep things fresh. If they stick with their tried and tired format of coaches fighting, then I'd go with a rematch between Jon Jones and Rashad Evans. If they just want coaches with a personality and experience, but no end fight, they should go with Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar.
JASON AMADI, MMATORCH COLUMNIST
Unless the next season of the Ultimate Fighter is another "comeback" season, the only way the coaches (or the season in general) could possibly be of any importance to me is if there is a pre-existing rivalry between them. The season that featured Quinton Jackson and Rashad Evans was record setting; Kimbo Slice was obviously a factor, but the fact that the back and forth between Jackson and Evans was awesome. It was genuinely fun to watch.
The last season with Urijah Faber and Dominick Cruz was pretty boring. They may not be the best of friends, but these two don't genuinely dislike each other; and more important than whether they do or don't, whatever exists between the two of them wasn't really entertaining.
There isn't really any sort of Ken and Tito type beefs brewing in the UFC right now, so I feel like we're probably looking at another brutal "mutual respect" season of TUF.
Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/roundtables/article_13518.shtml
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