Michael Bisping and Daniel Cormier have been announced as coaches for the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter reality show. The first episode of the new season is scheduled to premiere on June 14. This marks a return to the TUF format with two former UFC champions serving as opposing coaches. No further details about the season's format or weight class have been disclosed. The announcement was sourced from UFC on Paramount.
The UFC has announced that Michael Bisping and Daniel Cormier will serve as opposing coaches on the next season of The Ultimate Fighter, with the premiere episode set for June 14, according to UFC on Paramount. The two former champions will lead teams of up-and-coming fighters through the long-running reality competition format.
Bisping, known as "The Count," retired with a professional record of 30-9-0 and became the first British fighter to win a UFC championship. The 47-year-old from England stands six-foot-one with a 75-inch reach and was a relentless pressure fighter throughout his career, averaging 4.33 significant strikes landed per minute during his time in the cage.
Daniel Cormier, nicknamed "DC," brings an equally decorated resume to the opposite coaching corner. Also 47, Cormier finished his career at 22-3-0 and is one of the rare fighters to have held titles in two separate UFC divisions. Standing five-foot-eleven with a 72-inch reach, Cormier was a dominant wrestler who averaged 1.83 takedowns per 15 minutes and posted a striking accuracy of 52 percent across his career.
Why it matters
- Both men are former UFC champions, giving the season an unusually high-profile coaching matchup
- Their contrasting physical styles — Bisping a volume striker, Cormier a wrestling-based finisher — could shape how each coach develops their team
- No weight class or season format has been confirmed, leaving key details about the competitive structure still unknown
