Win or lose tomorrow night against Chris Leben at UFC 89: "Bisping vs. Leben," Michael Bisping will be asked to serve as a coach on the next and ninth season of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) mixed martial arts reality series that airs on Spike TV.
UFC President Dana White today confirmed the long-rumored appointment at the UFC Fight Club question and answer session at The National Indoor Arena (NIA) in Birmingham, England, according to Fighters Only Magazine.
White is in town, obviously, hosting the 11-fight card that is scheduled for Saturday, October 18 that features a main event between "The Count" and "The Crippler."
Bisping -- TUF 3 winner and current British UFC posterboy -- is a clear choice for the position, considering TUF 9 will be themed, "U.S. vs. U.K." White did not confirm the opposing coach, however, he did indicate that Rich Franklin and Dan Henderson are both under consideration.
Perhaps that decision will be made a little easier when "Ace" and "Hollywood" clash in the main event at UFC 93: "Dublin" on January 17.
Time will tell.
TUF 9 will feature a mix of middleweight and welterweight hopefuls who will compete for "six figure" UFC contracts in a tournament-style format. Tryouts are already scheduled for Chicago and London this month to select a 32-member cast, which will eventually be whittled down to 16 in the first few days of taping.
The production schedule has not been revealed at this time; however, if the promotion decides to wait for either Franklin and Henderson then it could be pushed back until January 2009.
Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for more on this developing story.
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