The Ultimate Fighter season 14 coach Michael Bisping suffered a bit of a letdown at the onset of the series when he found out his initial counterpart, Chael Sonnen, was not going to be able to coach opposite him.
“Initially I was a little disappointed. I was kind of excited to go against Chael,” said Bisping, noting the name value and skill that Sonnen brings to the Octagon. It didn’t take long for his disposition to take a turn to the brighter side, however, after getting to know Jason “Mayhem” Miller.
“Miller turned out to be a great, great replacement. He was a great opposing coach and we certainly gave the fans something to watch.”
Both Bisping and Miller are known for their gift for gab and fiery personas, so it’s no surprise that the two often butted heads during and after the filming ended. Even though filming is over, the two will still have plenty of time to fan the flames before the step into the cage together at the TUF 14 Finale on Dec. 3 in Las Vegas.
But when it comes to the competition between their teams, Bisping believes he had the upper hand. Not so much because of his coaching skills, even though he has coached on the show before, but in the experience on the show, mainly as a competitor.
“The advantage I have, I know what these guys are going through. I’ve been there. I know how hard of process this is,” he told MMAWeekly.com. “I really truly wanted these guys to succeed. I wasn’t there for me. I was there to help eight up-and-coming fighters reach their goals.”
(TUF 14 airs weekly on Wednesday nights at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Spike TV.)
