Chael Sonnen (L) and UFC champ Jon Jones (R) to coach TUF 17 – image via Facebook.com/TapouT
Opposing coaches for season 17 of The Ultimate Fighter have an official date for their title bout as defending light heavyweight champ Jon Jones (17-1) and challenger Chael Sonnen (27-12-1) are set to headline the upcoming UFC 159 pay-per-view event.
UFC 159: Jones vs. Sonnen is expected to take place on April 27 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
The promotion announced the news on Tuesday evening.
TUF 17 is set to debut on January 22 on FX with a two hour episode as the field is whittled down from 28 fighters to 14, with the finals airing at another official UFC event.
There was talk of Jones and Sonnen meeting this past summer at UFC 151 after an injury to Dan Henderson forced the former Strikeforce fighter out of the match at the last minute. Things could not be worked out and the entire event was cancelled.
Jones went on to face former champ Vitor Belfort at UFC 152, defeating ‘The Phenom’ by submission in the fourth round. It was the fourth straight title defense for ‘Bones’ who won the belt back in March 2011 by defeating Mauricio Rua at UFC 128.
Sonnen is coming off a loss to UFC middleweight champ Anderson Silva this past July at UFC 148. Sonnen moves back up to light heavyweight from 185-lbs for the fight win Jones and is 2-1 in his last three matches.