Joe Rogan possibly confirms the return of The Ultimate Fighter with Championship opponents as coaches
Israel Adesanya has a big task ahead of him. Dana White in an AMA on Reddit confirmed that The Ultimate Fighter will return this year, not giving any specific date. While we're still not aware as to when it will return, Joe Rogan may have just confirmed the coaches for the show.
On a recent episode of the Joe Rogan Experience, the UFC commentator revealed that the coaches for the upcoming season will be Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya and his next title opponent Paulo Costa:
“Oh, they’re bringing (TUF) back, by the way. Paulo Costa and Israel Adesanya."
Israel Adesanya's big second test
It's going to be an interesting one to watch. Israel Adesanya and Costa were supposed to meet in early 2020, but an injury to the Brazilian challenger kept him out for a long time. He appears to be back in training camp in full swing and is all set to finally challenge his rival, Israel Adesanya.
His injury meant that Adesanya told the UFC to book a fight against Yoel Romero as his first Championship defense. Unfortunately, it turned out to be an underwhelming fight that lacked offense (and had to follow the greatest Women's MMA fight of all time) and Dana White expressed regret in the post-fight press conference, stating that in hindsight, they should have waited for Costa to return.
This will be a great way to see their rivalry build more on screen. From the moment Israel Adesanya won the Middleweight Championship in Melbourne, Australia, it was clear that the two men disliked each other.
They've taken shots at one another on social media as well and their rivalry is most likely going to get more intense on The Ultimate Fighter. If the season starts soon, then we can expect them to meet inside the Octagon later this year. It's expected to be a great fight.