Vitor Belfort, Wanderlei Silva named coaches of 'TUF: Brazil'

Vitor Belfort, Wanderlei Silva named coaches of 'The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil'

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Brazilian sluggers Vitor Belfort (20-9 MMA, 9-5 UFC) and Wanderlei Silva (34-11-1 MMA, 4-6 UFC) will serve as opposing coaches on "The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil."

UFC president Dana White today announced the selections during a pre-UFC 142 press conference in Rio de Janeiro.

The two will coach opposing teams on the first-ever international edition of "TUF," which in March debuts on Globo, and will oppose each other following the conclusion of the series.

Belfort will still face Anthony Johnson at January's UFC 142 event.

"The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil" will be produced by Brazilian firm Floresta and air as part of the UFC's broadcast deal with Globo. The series is expected to feature 12 taped episodes in addition to a live finale.

While FUEL TV is expected to air the show in the U.S., UFC president Dana White has yet to officially announce a stateside broadcast partner.

As recently as this past Wednesday, White denied the two would serve as coaches on the show. MMAjunkie.com witnessed Belfort and Silva both meet with White during this past week's Las Vegas tryouts for "TUF 15," prompting speculation the two would earn coaching roles.

"Let me tell you what, if I was planning on having anything, the last place I would meet with guys is in front of you guys," White told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "But yeah, we have a lot of guys that we're looking at as potential coaches. What we're going to do is we're going to go down there and cast it, figure out what we're going to do, and then we'll go from there."

When the coaches clash, it will serve as a rematch of a 1998 matchup between the to sluggers. Then just 20 years old, Belfort swarmed Silva in a a UFC 17.5 contest, earning a win in just 44 seconds. Fans around the globe have long called for a rematch, and now – nearly 14 years later – it will finally happen.

"TUF," which debuted on Spike TV in 2005 and quickly became a driving force for the UFC's move into the mainstream, has launched the careers of more than 100 UFC fighters and has produced past champions such as Rashad Evans, Forrest Griffin and Matt Serra. The current 14th season is the first to feature bantamweight and featherweight fighters.

Due to the UFC's landmark seven-year with FOX, FX becomes the new U.S. home of "TUF" in 2012. The show will include live Friday-night fights rather than taped bouts.

White and UFC matchmakers Joe Silva and Sean Shelby will on Wednesday host an open tryout session in Sao Paulo for fighters hoping to land a spot on "The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil."