UFC president Dana White made a surprise announcement yesterday as he revealed that Chael Sonnen and Wanderlei Silva will be the coaches of TUF Brazil 3. The show begins filming in early 2014 and, when the season is over, Sonnen and Silva will fight in what will be one of the most highly-anticipated fights of the year. This announcement came as a surprise for a few reasons. The first is that White told the media there were logistical problems having an English-speaking coach on TUF Brazil, because they would have to be dubbed. As well, due to the past comments Sonnen has made about the Brazilian people, there was always going to be a security threat, as well. The second reason Sonnen vs. Silva came out of nowhere is because Sonnen is currently scheduled to fight Rashad Evans in the co-main event of UFC 167 next month. When a fighter is scheduled for a bout, it’s very rare for them to get another assignment, but with the UFC looking to book the biggest possible matchup for the third edition of TUF Brazil, it made sense for Sonnen to get the nod because the fight with Silva is one that most fans cannot wait for. By the way, TUF Brazil 1 coach Vitor Belfort already had a fight with Anthony Johnson at UFC 142 booked before the UFC scheduled him against Silva for the first season of TUF Brazil, so this isn’t the first time this has happened before. Anyways, as far as the actual matchup between Sonnen and Silva goes, I think it’s a very even match between two of the best in the world at 205 pounds and I expect it to be an absolute war between two fighters who genuinely don’t like one another. As well, I think it might be the first time the UFC holds a fight in a soccer stadium in Brazil, something the promotion has planned on doing for a very long time. The tryouts for TUF Brazil 3 will take place next month and the UFC is inviting middleweights, light heavyweights, and heavyweights to come and try out. Hopefully some talented fighters show up, because with Sonnen and Silva as coaches, all of these fighters are going to get the opportunity to learn a lot from two of the best in the sport. UFC Signs Kawajiri According to MMAjunkie.com, the UFC today signed veteran Japanese featherweight fighter Tatsuya Kawajiri, and “Crusher” is expected to debut on the Singapore card in January. This is an excellent signing by the UFC as they head back to Asia early next year, and I’m excited to see Kawajiri finally fight the best in the world in the UFC. The 35-year-old has a 32-7-2 record record in his 13-year MMA career and has won his last five fights in a row, including a decision win over Michihiro Omigawa in his last appearance at DREAM 18. No debut opponent has been set for Kawajiri left, but look for him to take on someone the caliber of Rodrigo Damm, Akira Corassani, or perhaps someone ranked a bit higher like Darren Elkins in his first UFC fight.
