Hey look, all of Dana White's favorite people are all in one place!
Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Heavyweight and Light Heavyweight Champion Randy Couture will star as a coach on Bellator's upcoming mixed martial arts (MMA) reality show on Spike TV. "Fight Master" will feature 32 aspiring welterweights battling for a spot on the Bellator roster as well as $100,000 in cash.
Sound familiar?
It should. Spike TV was the original home for The Ultimate Fighter (TUF), which also featured Couture as head coach when he starred opposite Chuck Liddell on season one. Now, he's got another former UFC champion joining him.
The retired "Legend," who is despised by White, will debut alongside renowned trainer Greg Jackson (the murderer) and longtime Bellator standout Joe Warren. Executive-produced by The Amazing Race creators Bertram van Munster and Elise Doganieri, "Fight Master" is set for release this summer and slated for 10 hour-long episodes.
From Spike TV Executive Vice President Sharon Levy:
"That's not the type of show we're making (with alcohol). It's more robust about understanding what the sport, strategy, what fighters are missing in their game. It's not going to be a bunch of drunk guys running around and acting like idiots. You don't hire a marquee company to make that type of show. Not every reality show is that type of show. We have Inkmaster here which is all about skill and art. They don't run around like maniacs and act stupid."
Bellator announcer Jimmy Smith will serve as host.
The coaches will break up the cast into four different camps (eight participants each). The fighters will also control their own destiny by choosing which camp to train with and which opponent to fight. The Spike TV Live Finale will crown a tournament winner, who gains entry into the next Bellator 170-pound tournament.
This should be interesting...
For more on Couture's new deal with Spike TV and Viacom click here and here.