‘Hell Ya!’: Fans React in Excitement as Colby Covington Teams Up With Chael Sonnen to Take On Daniel Cormier at TUF 33

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 is reportedly joining ‘The Bad Guy’ as he tries to take on former UFC double champion, Daniel Cormier and his team. 

Sonnen and Colby were last seen together during the latter’s fight against Joaquin Buckley at the last UFC Fight Night of 2024 in December. Chael had hyped up Colby but it went down the drain when Covington seemed too out of touch and faced a severe beatdown from Buckley, leading to a doctor’s stoppage.

While their pairing for the fight might not have been successful, reality TV is a whole new monster to conquer and with the loud and brash personalities they two exhibit, they might just be the perfect fit. Covington and Sonnen known for their sharp tongues and larger-than-life personalities, this duo is sure to ruffle some feathers and bring plenty of drama to the season. 

As filming gets underway, Covington took to Instagram to share an update with fans and said, 

“Heading to Las Vegas for Season 20 of @ultimatefighter.”

Needless to say, fans were left buzzing at the prospect of having Covington and Sonnen team up like a couple of supervillains. 

One fan exclaimed, “Uncle Chael has his wrestling coach!”, while another couldn’t believe Chael would do this and added, “Unc made you a coach? Lol.” “Guess I’ll have to watch the ultimate fighter”- said a fan in excitement.

This fan just seemed really excited to say anything else and so, blurted out an enthusiastic “Hell ya.” Another fan a bit confused with the update said, “No way , is it true that you going to coach this season??”

It isn’t just Colby, who is joining Sonnen, the UFC veteran is pulling out all stops to get the best help he can get to defeat DC.

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 at his team. And to do so, he is bringing his own 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, of course, Covington. Unlike previous seasons, there won’t be a fight between the coaches at the end, though Cormier joked about offering 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.

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 really a fan favorite!