When the UFC announced that light heavyweight champion Jon Jones would square off against perennial loudmouth Chael Sonnen as the coaches for The Ultimate Fighter 17, the excitement in the MMA world was through the roof.
This is the kind of announcement that could change the perception of the stale show.
Jones and Sonnen are perfect for each other because their personalities are so contrasting. While the UFC champion has been embroiled in controversy as he becomes the face of the company, Sonnen has continued to raise hell with his words.
Together with their teams of fighters, these men will tear up the Ultimate Fighter house and then each other on a yet-to-be-determined live event.
The Ultimate Fighter 17 is going to be amazing.
The Personalities
As much as the premise of the show and the antics of the participants has grown stale and predictable, the interactions between the coaches and the un-signed fighters will be one of the most intriguing parts of The Ultimate Fighter 17.
Jones and Sonnen are great fighters, but they both have egos and working with this much unpolished talent may be too much for them to stand. It will be interesting to see if these men have any real patience.
It is always great to meet the next crop of young fighters, but there is no question that the focus of this season will be on Jones and Sonnen and how their personalities clash with their teams and with each other.
The Trash Talking
Every season of The Ultimate Fighter is filled with enough trash talk to satisfy even the biggest meathead, but this edition will be different. The trash talk will be relevant, real and cut to the bone.
Sonnen and Jones will not only use their own words to chop each other down, they will teach their teams the same; season 17 is going to be heated!
With a culminating match between the duo after the TV show is done airing, the war of words on The Ultimate Fighter this time will be the best in the history of the show.
As we saw in Sonnen’s pre-fight antics with Anderson Silva, the Oregon native brings the best out in people. Or the worst.
The Payoff
While the show itself will be fun to watch again, this is all just the appetizer to the actual fight between Jones and Sonnen. Whether the title is on the line or not, there is little doubt that the UFC champion will walk away victorious.
Jones is the better fighter, but Sonnen will jack up the hype for the PPV with all of his trash talking and publicity stunts. That’s exactly what a faltering UFC needs right now.
Not only will the television ratings for The Ultimate Fighter 17 be through the roof, the buys for a PPV featuring Sonnen vs. Jones after a whole season of trash talk will be on the same level as a Brock Lesnar fight.
While a million buys is a bit optimistic, if the show gets as wild as it has the potential to, this could be the shot in the arm the sport needs.
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