Chael Sonnen (L) and UFC champ Jon Jones (R) to coach TUF 17 – image via Facebook.com/TapouT
A bout that Ultimate Fighting Championship matchmakers attempted to make earlier this summer to save UFC 151 between promotion light heavyweight champ Jon ‘Bones’ Jones (17-1) and former middleweight contender Chael Sonnen (28-12-1), is now set as the two fighters are set to coach opposite one another on the upcoming “The Ultimate Fighter” season seventeen.
The two will not meet at the reality series Finale, but will instead headline an April 27 pay-per-view event at a location to be determined.
UFC president Dana White announced the news to the LATimes.com earlier today.
“This should be a good one,” White said of matching arguably his organization’s best fighter against its top personality. “Jon has accepted the fight. He knows the fans want to see that fight.”
Jones turned down the fight with Sonnen after receiving a weeks notice after opponent Dan Henderson was forced out with a knee injury. The entire UFC 151 card was scrapped with all of the bouts rebooked on other cards.
‘Bones’ instead faced former champ Vitor Belfort, who had been competing at middleweight, in the main event of UFC 152. ‘The Phenom’ came close to submitting Jones in the first round, popping the champs elbow but was unable to submit him. Jones eventually caught Belfort with his own submission in the fourth round.
Since that September 22 match, Jones has been seeking professional medical help for the arm.
This bout for Sonnen will be a back-to-back title fight for him, coming off a loss to middleweight kingpin Anderson Silva this past July at UFC 148. The loss ended a two-fight win streak for the trash-talker who had sat out a suspension following another loss to Silva at UFC 117 in their first bout.