After weeks of speculation, Dana White on Tuesday finally answered what had become the biggest mystery in MMA.
The next coaches of “The Ultimate Fighter” will be Brock Lesnar and Junior dos Santos, the UFC president told members of the media on a conference call. The two heavyweights will then meet “in June, definitely 100 percent,” White said – likely on an as-yet unannounced pay-per-view expected to take place June 11 in Vancouver.
Lesnar is the former UFC heavyweight champion, but lost his title at UFC 124 in October to Cain Velasquez. Dos Santos was expected to get the next shot at Velasquez as the division’s top contender. But with the new champ on the shelf with a shoulder injury, the Brazilian will instead act as a coach, then stay busy afterward with a fight against Lesnar – putting his top contender status in jeopardy in the process.
White said with Velasquez out, there would not be an interim heavyweight title. Instead, the winner of dos Santos-Lesnar will be the No. 1 contender for the most coveted title in the sport.