Bisping and Henderson Likely TUF 9 Coaches...AND MORE!

[Palma]

Chris Insinna

The Ultimate Fighter 3 winner Michael Bisping and former PRIDE champion Dan Henderson are likely to land roles as coaches on the ninth season of The Ultimate Fighter, which will feature welterweights (170 pounds) and middleweights (185 pounds) in a United States versus United Kingdom format.

According to The Sun, Bisping will be offered the position if he gets past Chris Leben in the UFC 89 main event in October while Henderson is likely to be tapped to coach the US team. Bisping and Henderson will then clash in the main event of The Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale to determine the promotion’s top middleweight contender.

Auditions for the series will take place on October 20th in London, England and on October 27th in Chicago, Illinois.

The Ultimate Fighter 9 will begin filming later this year or in early-2009 for an anticipated April 2009 debut.
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Manager: No truth to recent Anderson Silva retirement talk

Although UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva reportedly told a Brazilian TV station that he will "retire next year ... and within one year put my gloves aside," his manager was quick to downplay the possibility.

Ed Soares, the manager to Silva and many of MMA's top Brazilian fighters, said that Silva has a contract for six more fights and that he'll complete those before he considers leaving the sport.

Soares posted the news on The Underground, a popular MMA forum.

"Anderson's goal is to retire when he is 35," Soares wrote of the 33-year-old fighter. "He still has six fights on his contract, and he doesn't turn 35 for another 18 months. I know he will finish his six fights before he considers hanging up his gloves."

Those six fights are all part of a contract with the UFC. The organization signed Silva in late 2006.

Silva (22-4 MMA, 7-0 UFC) has won his past eight fights, seven of which came in the UFC. He recently moved up a weight class to fight light heavyweight James Irvin at a July 19 UFC Fight Night event and easily disposed of his opponent with a 61-second knockout.

He next fights Oct. 25 when he headlines UFC 90 in a title defense against Patrick Cote. Silva is currently an 11.5-to-1 favorite over the Canadian fighter.

[YUHHHHHHH!]

Henderson would be a boss ass coach.

[75th]

Henderson would rape, and I mean straight prison shower style rape, Bisping.

[Palma]

Henderson would rape, and I mean straight prison shower style rape, Bisping.

[Liaison]

Bisping will be offered the position if he gets past Chris Leben in the UFC 89 main event in October

It's a big if.

I hope this is true and he beat Leben, this has classic written all over it. Bispiong is an unknown quantity at 185 and while I’ve never rated Hendo at 185 (not so great against Kondo, Misaki, Bustamante), but he’s been in there and at least held his own.

Competitive match with Hendo taking advantage of Counts recklessness, picking up comfortable UD me thinks...

Oh, and nice angle with US vs. UK rivalry to, boost those UK market figures up...

[Not Monty]

Chris Insinna
...According to The Sun, Bisping will be offered the position if he gets past Chris Leben in the UFC 89 main event in October while Henderson is likely to be tapped to coach the US team. Bisping and Henderson will then clash in the main event of The Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale to determine the promotion’s top middleweight contender...

I doubt UFC gives a crap if Bisping loses. Remember the whole reintroduction of Jens Pulver? They pre-planned Pulver-Penn TUF and a couple of months before pitted Pulver agaisnt an unheralded/unknown Joe Lauzon and he was smashed inside a minute. Didn't change him later being coach on TUF at all (and the irony that Lauzon was castmember that season). I'd say they already have their minds made up.

Its funny, I'd actually like Bisping to beat Hendo. Think about it- Hendo, like Marquardt, Franklin, Leben, were all so thoroughly trashed by Anderson I dont care for rematches anytime soon. At least Bisping would be someone new for Anderson to wreck. But, hopefully, in the meantime, Okami gets the next shot, he deserves it.

[Savino]

Mike basically slipped up on Ultimate talk over here in the UK about been a coach. they asked him if he would be a coach and he said maybe then slipped up by saying that he will see them all at the try-outs which made Rampage laugh. also rampage said Bisping is under-rated and if he can control himself he will prove how good he actually is.

[StillUnknown]

what in the hell makes Bisping qualified to coach anybody?

i wasn't aware the UK had that many prospects to put enough TUF contestants.

[abadger]

Hello MMA gaylords.

You may be interested to know that I used to know Michael Bisping when I was a teenager, we lived in the same town. Back then everyone knew he used to do this Ultimate Fighter but no-one really believed anything would come of it. Just goes to show.

Once, he threatened to beat me up, so it seems I had a lucky escape. How do you rate him as an fighter? Is he good, bad, or average?

[Savino]

what in the hell makes Bisping qualified to coach anybody?

i wasn't aware the UK had that many prospects to put enough TUF contestants.

The is quite alot of UK mma fighters now. It is a fast growing sport over here now and quite alot of people are taking it up. I live in Widnes which is where Bisping, Rampage, Kongo and few other UFC fighters train and the is alot of quality new comers who train there.