Roy Nelson And Shane Carwin To Coach The Ultimate Fighter Season 16

[No More Sorrow]

Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight contenders Roy Nelson and Shane Carwin will serve as coaches on the 16th season of "The Ultimate Fighter," and they'll meet in a season-ending fight in the show's live finale.

UFC president Dana White exclusively revealed the coaches' selections to USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie.com (UFC blog for UFC news, UFC rumors, fighter interviews and event previews/recaps | MMAjunkie.com) on Wednesday.


"TUF," the UFC's long-running reality series, returns to FX in September, and taping begins next month. FX also will air the live finale from Las Vegas in December.


"This is going to be a very interesting dynamic between these two heavyweights," White said. "They both have huge punching power and great chins, but outside of the octagon, they couldn't be any more different.


"These two have been going at it on social media for a while and don't seem to like each other very much, but they are going to be seeing a lot of each other during this series."


The Ultimate Fighter has launched the UFC careers of nearly 200 mixed martial artists during its seven-year, 15-season run.


Each season, two established stars serve as coaches of opposing teams.


This year, the show will start with 32 welterweights, and 16 elimination-round winners will become official cast members. Cameras will document their training sessions and fights, and one tournament champion will be crowned in the live finale.


TUF has produced former UFC champions such as Rashad Evans, Forrest Griffin and Matt Serra. Nelson (17-7 MMA, 4-3 UFC), in fact, entered the UFC after winning The Ultimate Fighter 10. He scored a knockout victory against Dave Herman in May to get back into the title picture.


Carwin (12-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC), meanwhile, is a former UFC interim titleholder who has been on the sideline for more than a year after neck and back surgeries.


The differences between the two fighters are numerous.


Bulked-up and wrestling-oriented Carwin is a mechanical engineer by day, while portly jiujitsu ace "Big Country" Nelson is a full-time fighter.


White loves the differences.


"I guarantee it will make for great TV," he said.

 

[Slim]

Wait... what? Are you kidding me? Shane Carwin? Big Country?

The different dynamics of these two coaching is going to be something. Big Country on tv every week? ... then... oh and then the payoff. BIG COUNTRY VS. SHANE CARWIN!!!

FREAKIN AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[No More Sorrow]

It's going to be pretty awesome, they both legitimately dislike each other also. Wish they were doing heavyweight season though rather than welterweights.

 

[Slim]

its always so weird when you have these massive heavyweights training these much smaller guys. why not light heavyweights? When was the last time they did that weight class?

 

[No More Sorrow]

They did Light heavyweight and Lightweight for the GSP vs Koscheck season, i think that was like 2010.

 

[Big Red Jericho Punk]

This is going to be some must see TV way better than Mayhem and Bisping.

 

[The Cork]

Good shit.

Been waiting an age for Carwin to come back.

 

[Slim]

I'm just curious... is Carwin gonna be able to do what Mir, JDS, and Werdum couldn't do and finish Big Country... or will Big Country score a huge win...

I'm just excited.

 

[Dale]

Love me some Roy so i'll hopefully try and catch this although i've been saying this all the time and I end up losing interest in the shows although I did enjoy the Bisping/Mayhem one.

Bit unsure how these guys will come across though because from what i've seen they don't exactly seem like loudmouths or big characters like you tend to see most of the time but they supposedly have legitimate beef with each other so that should be interesting.

 

[No More Sorrow]

Hopefully their fight is a number one contenders fight : Wouldn't mind seeing either fighting JDS or Cain.

 

[Slim]

Shane vs. Cain would be awesome. We've seen JDS vs. Big Country and mannn that was a beatdown.

 

[No More Sorrow]

Hopefully the Nelson-Carwin fight sticks though, there's a long history of coaches from TUF not being able to fight each other due to injury.

I'd love to see Carwin-Overeem also.

 

[Slim]

Dang JDS already beat Carwin too. He beat them both. But it did have to go to decision. Ironically his only UFC fights that went to decision were against those two. The only fights in his career that went to decision.

Yeah I'm slightly more hyped now.

 

[No More Sorrow]

I don't even know who to pick between Roy and Shane. I love Roy, but I've been waiting FOREVER to see Carwin fighting again.

 

[Crippler]

I'm a Carwin guy.