BJ
PENN AND FRANKIE EDGAR SIGN ON
AS
COACHES OF The Ultimate Fighter®; SET SIGHTS ON TRILOGY match-up
Former UFC champions to
coach middleweight (185 lbs.) and light heavyweight (205 lbs.) fighters on the
next edition of the series airing on FOX Sports 1
Las
Vegas, Nevada – Faced with the challenge of outdoing its current historic,
adrenaline-charged season of The Ultimate Fighter®, the
Ultimate Fighting Championship® (UFC®) today
confirmed that the next season of its long-running reality series will feature
former champions “The Prodigy” BJ
Penn and Frankie
“The Answer” Edgar as coaches. The storied foes will coach a cast of middleweight
(185 lbs.) and light heavyweight (205 lbs.) fighters in their quest to win the
title of Ultimate Fighter and a six-figure contract with the UFC.
“BJ
Penn is moving down to 145 lbs. to coach The Ultimate Fighter against
Frankie Edgar,” said UFC President Dana White. “BJ really hates the fact that
he lost to Frankie Edgar. It’s something that’s been burning deep inside of him
for three years now. So he’s moving down to 145 lbs. to not only avenge those
defeats, but to try and become the first fighter in UFC history to win titles
in three different weight classes.”
Widely
considered one of the greatest fighters in UFC history, Penn (16-9-2 in MMA) is
one of only two men to win UFC world titles in two separate divisions. The
former welterweight and lightweight champion has defeated a Who’s Who of MMA,
including UFC champions Matt Hughes, Matt Serra and Sean Sherk. His reign over
the UFC’s 155lbs. division was ended in 2010’s Upset of the Year, when he was
outpointed by Frankie Edgar. “The Prodigy” not only returns to the UFC but also
The Ultimate Fighter, after coaching season five back in 2007.
After
defeating Penn in two fights, Edgar (15-4-1) established a reputation for
lightweight excellence. “The Answer” defended the
lightweight championship in a pair of all-time classic battles with Gray
Maynard before losing the title on a controversial decision to Benson Henderson.
Edgar then dropped to featherweight, where many believe he will join Penn as a
two-division world champion.
The
series begins filming in mid-October in Las Vegas.
Catch
all new episodes of this season of The Ultimate Fighter: Team Rousey vs.
Team Tate, Wednesday’s at 10 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1.
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