Five-time light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell is quietly assembling a team for his second coaching stint on “The Ultimate Fighter. “Liddell begins filming the 11th season of the long-running series on Jan. 21 alongside rival coach and six-time light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz.
According to UFC president Dana White, “TUF 11″ is expected to feature 16 middleweight hopefuls will compete in the show’s traditional tournament format. MMAjunkie has learned of some preliminary picks for Liddell’s coaching staff, who will be part of the show’s six-week shoot.
According to multiple sources, Olympic gold medalist and American Top Team striking coach Howard Davis Jr. is under consideration as Liddell’s boxing coach. Olympic silver medalist Sammy Henson is under consideration as the team’s wrestling coach, and Liddell’s longtime kickboxing trainer, John Hackleman, is expected to make a brief appearance.
For jiu-jitsu, Liddell is considering two coaches: Strikeforce middleweight champion Jake Shields and rubber-guard guru Eddie Bravo. Liddell (21-7 MMA, 17-6 UFC), 40, recently enlisted Shields for help on his own ground game, while Bravo has a longstanding relationship as his grappling advisor. Liddell was recently spotted at Bravo’s school in Burbank, Calif. Liddell was a coach on the inaugural season of the reality show opposite Randy Couture and coached Forrest Griffin and Diego Sanchez to show championships.
As is customary, Liddell and Ortiz are expected to fight at the conclusion of the series, which debuts March 31 on Spike TV. According to Geoff Rohoman of News1130 Radio, Liddell vs. Ortiz III could take place on June 12. As MMAjunkie reported on Wednesday, the UFC is expected to host UFC 115 at Vancouver’s GM Place on that date.
Liddell has not fought since UFC 97, when he was stopped by Mauricio “Shogun” Rua; White publicly retired the fighter shortly afterward. The UFC president later softened his stance on Liddell’s future and green-lighted another fight, though he admitted as recently as this past weekend that he was still trying to talk the former champion out of fighting.
On the other hand A pair of lightweight bouts featuring alumni from Spike TV’s “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series are likely to be featured during the cable station’s upcoming “UFC Prelim” broadcast for UFC 109.Sources close to the the Feb. 6 event told MMAjunkie the one-hour broadcast will include Mac Danzig (18-7-1 MMA, 2-3 UFC) vs. Justin Buchholz (8-4 MMA, 1-3 UFC) and Melvin Guillard (22-8-2 MMA, 5-4 UFC) vs. Ronnys Torres (14-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC).
However, Spike TV officials could not comment on the plans when reached for comment.UFC 109 takes place at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. The “UFC Prelim” broadcast, which airs at 9 p.m. ET/PT, precedes the pay-per-view showing of the night’s main card.
UFC 109 is the second of 10 “UFC Prelim” broadcasts planned for 2010. The series debuted in September 2009 and have helped bolster last-minute PPV buys – and have scored solid ratings of their own. The recent UFC 108 pay-per-view teaser, which featured Martin Kampmann vs. Jacob Volkmann and Cole Miller vs. Dan Lauzon, set a series record with 1.5 million viewers. (Others have averaged 1.3 million to 1.4 million viewers.)
Danzig, who won “TUF 6,” finds himself in a must-win situation following his recent string of losses to Clay Guida, Josh Neer and Jim Miller. The one-time PRIDE fighter and former King of the Cage champion takes on Buchholz, who also desperately needs a victory. The one-time EliteXC fighter went 1-1 in his first two UFC fights but has since suffered stoppage losses to Terry Etim and Jeremy Stephens.
Torres and Guillard, meanwhile, were originally scheduled to meet at UFC Fight Night 18 in April 2009, but a knee injury forced Torres out of the contest and a subsequent booking. He’ll now make his promotional debut against a cast member from “TUF 2″ who looks to rebound from a submission loss to Nate Diaz in September. That loss snapped Guillard’s three-fight win streak.
