Are we getting Israel Adesanya vs. Paulo Costa for the UFC Middleweight Championship next?
According to UFC commentator Joe Rogan, the two middleweights will be the next coaches for the upcoming season on The Ultimate Fighter reality show, though the news has yet to be confirmed by Dana White himself (transcript courtesy of Bloody Elbow):
“Oh, they’re bringing it back by the way,” Rogan said. “Paulo Costa and Israel Adesanya. Yea, holy sh-t. Tell me you’re not gonna watch that.”
The news of the reality program returning isn’t too much of a shock as the UFC President himself has confirmed that he intends to bring back TUF in the future. The series began back in 2005 and has spawned big names such as Nate Diaz, Forrest Griffin, Tony Ferguson, and Kamaru Usman.
TUF last aired on November 30, 2018, where Juan Espino (heavyweight winner) and Macy Chiasson (women’s featherweight winner) won their respective matches for that season. Should Adesanya and Costa be the next coaches for the upcoming season then that means both men will meet inside of the octagon once the season commences.
Costa is currently No. 2 in the division rankings, with the middleweight holding an undefeated record of 13 wins. The Brazilian’s last win was against Yoel Romero at UFC 241. Adesanya is coming off a big win over Romero at UFC 248, with his undefeated record being at 19 wins thus far. There’s no word on when White will announce any details regarding the new season of TUF; however, we’ll keep you updated when more news comes to light.