Dana White confirms TUF 29 coaches will be welterweights

UFC president Dana White confirmed that the coaches of the upcoming TUF 29 reality show will be fighters from the welterweight division.

After a three-year hiatus, The Ultimate Fighter franchise returns in 2021 on ESPN. White has promised the classic show will return with a bang and has been teasing its comeback for more than a year. COVID-19 pushed filming back, but the show is scheduled to get started taping in the next couple of months. The promotion is also close to making a decision on who the next coaches are.

According to White while speaking to Complex, White hinted that the coaches will be from the welterweight division, though he declined to name them.

“It’s coming. It’s coming this summer. We start filming this summer,” White said. “Let’s just say we’re working on two guys who will be fun if we can pull it off… welterweight division.”

The names of Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal come to mind immediately when it comes to who White could be hinting at. With their marketable looks and trash-talking skills, bitter rivalry outside the cage, and exciting fight style inside the Octagon, a TUF coaches’ fight between Covington and Masvidal would be ideal. If the UFC is truly all about making a huge splash with TUF in its comeback, then having these two superstars as the coaches make sense.

White could also wait and see what happens at UFC 258 between Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns before he decides to go forward with Covington and Masvidal as the coaches. Depending on what happens in that fight, it could dramatically shake up the welterweight division. At this point, all signs are pointing to Masvidal and Covington, but White has surprised us before.

Do you think Dana White will announce Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington as the TUF coaches?