TUF 13 Will Be Only Welterweights; Coaches Named This Week

A coaching possibility?

Coaches for long-running show named this week

Season 13 of The Ultimate Fighter will exclusively feature welterweights. The show was originally planned to feature middleweights and welterweights.

Heavy.com confirmed the change with a source close to the promotion on Monday. MMAjunkie.com first reported the story.

“The Ultimate Fighter 13” will begin taping this month in Las Vegas. Coaches for the show are expected to be named this week. The show debuts March 30 on Spike TV, the long-time home of the reality series.

Welterweights have not appeared on the show since “The Ultimate Fighter 9,” where a United States team coached by Dan Henderson took on a United Kingdom team coached by Michael Bisping. That tournament was won by James Wilks, who defeated DaMarques Johnson in the finals.

Various names have been tossed around for the coaching gigs. Heavyweights Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir seemed to be the frontrunners for the gigs, but Mir has been eliminated due to a May fight with Roy Nelson. Process of elimination would seem to point to lightweight champion Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard.