Justin Gaethje and Eddie Alvarez to coach season 26 of ‘The Ultimate Fighter’

The Ultimate Fighter is alive and well and will feature two of the best blood and guts fighters on the UFC roster today. According to Luke Thomas, UFC president Dana White has just confirmed that the 26th season of the reality show that turned the tide for MMA in North America will be coached by Eddie Alvarez and Justin Gaethje.

How excited you are about this probably depends on how much attachment you still have to The Ultimate Fighter concept. After season 25 was rumored to be the last season of the show, the UFC announced season 26 as the first season with all female contestants and the winner becoming the inaugural women's flyweight champ. That sounds pretty exciting, but some people just aren't down for the format, which holes fighters up in a house in the Nevada desert with little to do other than train, drink, and mess with each other.

The biggest issue we have is that this effectively puts Gaethje and Alvarez out of competition until the show is filmed and aired. That'll be months from now, definitely longer than we'd have to wait to see either men if the UFC hadn't recruited them for the show. That's going to be a bitter pill to swallow for anyone just getting on the Justin Gaethje hype train, which has been blasting ahead at full steam since his exciting Fight of the Year war with Michael Johnson at The Ultimate Fighter: "Redemption" Finale last weekend.

So let's hear it, Maniacs. Are you excited or annoyed by the addition of Gaethje and Alvarez as coaches for TUF 26?