It appears that Shane Carwin‘s coaching staff is complete for the upcoming American season of The Ultimate Fighter.
TUF 16, which will feature 170-pound welterweights this season, will be coached by newly minted rivals Carwin and Roy Nelson. Nelson is a former TUF winner, which makes this much more interesting for the one-time contender of the show.
Carwin’s staff consists of several coaches. His “lead” instructor will be Trevor Wittman, who currently runs Grudge Training Center, home to the former interim heavyweight champion.
In terms of specialty coaches, Carwin has hired UFC heavyweight Pat Barry as a striking coach. The former K-1 level kickboxer is well known for having some of the heaviest leg kicks in MMA.
Newly crowned Strikeforce welterweight king Nate Marquardt, who trains at Grudge, has also been brought on as a coach. It is assumed that he will be a jiu-jitsu instructor, as he holds the rank of black belt.
For wrestling, in addition to Carwin, Leister Bowling has been brought on board to share his vast experience with the sport. Bowling is a three-time All-American in wrestling, as well as a four-time NAIA Central Region champion at the University of Southern Colorado and Dana College.
Bowling is no stranger to the sport of MMA, as he does hold one amateur MMA fight, which came back in 2005. The sport must have not been for him, as he now is a full-time wrestling coach.
Finally, Carwin chose Loren Landlow to handle the physical therapy and sports performance aspect of the team. Landlow is a former football player who has worked closely with Carwin in the past.
In addition to the announcement of his team, Carwin bashed several potential candidates that Nelson is rumored to have contacted.
The first of which is Victor Conte, the man connected with distributing steroids to some of Major League Baseball’s biggest stars. Though clean and operating legitimately now, Carwin still made it a point to point out his legal past.
Also, former Olympian Kurt Angle was mentioned by Carwin as a possible coach. Though Angle is a legitimate wrestling legend, Carwin pointed out his several brush-ups with the law, which include several DUIs.
The feud is heating up and the pieces are falling into place. What do you think of Carwin’s coaching staff? Sound off below!
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