Think what you like about the live format and the previous series of The Ultimate Fighter, but I can almost guarantee the upcoming season will be a hell of a lot more interesting. The UFC announced this past week that the coaches for the new season will be the former Interim Heavyweight champion, Shane Carwin, and ‘Big Country’ Roy Nelson. Couple this with the decision to go back to the ‘tape-delayed’ format and I believe they are on to a winner with this season. UFC head-honcho, Dana White, had this to say to UFC.com

This is going to be a very interesting dynamic between these two heavyweights. They both have huge punching power and great chins but, outside of the Octagon, they couldn’t be more different. These two have been going at it on social media for a while and don’t seem to like each other very much, but they are going to be seeing a lot of each other during this series and I guarantee it’ll make for great TV.

Dana was right about one thing at least, these two fighters either don’t like each other very much or are capable of acting that would make Robert De Niro look like Pauly Shore. Whilst announcing the coaching line-up, Shane Carwin had the following to say about his fellow coach:

I cannot respect a man like Roy Nelson – because he shows no respect himself. He is a keyboard warrior who doesn’t have the guts to talk trash to my face, but now he’s going to have to be in the same room, the same gym and finally the same Octagon as me.

And Roy responded by saying:

When I found out I was coaching against Shane Carwin I was so happy to get a chance to compete against this guy. As for being in the same room as him, I try not hang out with people that make me feel icky on the inside but, to coach TUF, I will make an exception. Shane Carwin can think he is the better fighter and coach, but I will do my best and try to represent the Average Joe and show my team that, with hard work, you can walk away a winner against any fighter.

Roy Nelson, who won the 10th season of The Ultimate Fighter, was previously supposed to meet ‘The Engineer’ at UFC 125 before Carwin’s back injury to a stop to that match up. By the sounds of it, these two Goliath’s have a few issues to work out in the Octagon, and the fact they’ll be spending a heck of a lot of time together between now and then can only mean good television for all of us.

Stylistically I love this fight, it’s what Heavyweight fights should be all about. Two hard-hitting guys going at it to see who can stop the other one first. Everyone know’s Roy Nelson has a chin made of Titanium, so I’m intrigued to see if he can take what Carwin throws at him. Shooting begins in August for a September premiere, but as the weight classes involved are yet to be announced, check the 5th Round twitter account for further updates

Quotes courtesy of UFC.com