It looks like Chael Sonnen is bringing out the big guns for his upcoming coaching role on The Ultimate Fighter Season 33. Colby ‘Chaos’ Covington has joined Sonnen’s team against former UFC double champion Daniel Cormier and his fighters.
With the brash, larger-than-life personalities the two exhibit, they might just be a perfect pairing for reality TV. Covington and Sonnen, known for their sharp tongues, are bound to ruffle some feathers and bring plenty of drama to the season.
However, their last partnership, inside the octagon, was unsuccessful. “I’ve been wanting to be with Colby from the beginning,” Sonnen had hyped up Colby during his fight against Joaquin Buckley at the UFC Fight Night in December last year. But Covington suffered a severe beatdown from Buckley, leading to a doctor’s stoppage.
They would be hoping the narrative is different at TUF. As filming gets underway, Covington took to Instagram to share the update with fans.
“Heading to Las Vegas for Season 33 of @ultimatefighter,” wrote Covington.
Needless to say, fans were left buzzing at the prospect of having Covington and Sonnen team up like a couple of supervillains. The excitement was palpable in how one fan reacted to the post: “Hell ya”.
Another fan exclaimed, “Uncle Chael has his wrestling coach”. One person couldn’t believe Chael would end up as a coach: “Unc made you a coach? Lol.”
Many found it impossible to believe Colby would coach. “No way, is it true that you going to coach this season??” asked one fan.
It sure has whipped up intrigue for the upcoming TUF season. “Guess I’ll have to watch the ultimate fighter,” said a fan.
— THE UFCGUY (@the_ufcguy) February 11, 2025
In this season’s TUF, it isn’t just Colby who is joining Sonnen though. The UFC veteran is pulling out all the stops to get the best help he can get to defeat DC this season
Sonnen bringing his A-Team to TUF
Cormier might be Sonnen’s best friend on screen. But that doesn’t mean the former middleweight contender won’t go full tilt while taking on DC’s team. For starters, Sonnen has roped in his mentor, Clayton Hires, who will be the head coach.
“Clayton’s Team,” as Sonnen puts it, will also include ‘Cowboy’ Steve for nutrition and strength training, Vinny Magalhaes for grappling, and Covington. Unlike previous seasons, there won’t be a fight between the coaches at the end, though Cormier has jokingly offered to fight Sonnen.
Sonnen and Cormier have both been coaches in previous seasons of TUF. DC had coached in TUF season 27 opposite former UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic in 2018. Sonnen, on the other hand, coached TUF Brazil 3 in 2014 against his arch-nemesis Wanderlei Silva.
The season was so popular, that it crossed over from MMA into mainstream pop culture with Sonnen and Silva’s confrontation becoming an immortal meme.
Chael Sonnen and Wanderlei Silva Fight
The iconic TUF moment, “I can’t let you get close”. We all love it and my favourite part about this is when Sonnen calling him an amateur when he took Silva down pic.twitter.com/PBeXafMtGn
— PantojaGOAT (@Pantoja_GOAT) January 15, 2024
TUF 33, which airs on ESPN+ starting May 27, 2025, will feature flyweights and welterweights competing for six-figure UFC contracts. Hopefully, Sonnen and DC don’t burn any bridges because their The Good Guy/Bad Guy show on ESPN is quite a fan favorite.
