The Ultimate Fighter reality series has officially booked its next coaches, UFC president Dana White told ESPN on Friday night.
UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski and No. 1 contender Brian Ortega will coach the 29th season of TUF, which is expected to start filming later this month. It will air on ESPN+ domestically for the first time since ESPN became the UFC’s broadcast partner in 2019.
The upcoming season of TUF will mark its first return since 2018 and feature contestants at middleweight and bantamweight.
Volkanovski (22-1) and Ortega (15-1) were supposed to fight at UFC 260 on March 27, but Volkanovski was forced to withdraw after testing positive for COVID-19 the week before the fight. Volkanovski, of Australia, remains in Las Vegas after flying there to compete at UFC 260.
The 145-pound title fight between Volkanovski and Ortega will be scheduled at some point after the TUF 29 season.
The TUF series made its debut for the UFC in 2005 and has aired on Spike TV, FX, Fox Sports and UFC Fight Pass in the U.S. The 29th season was supposed to hold auditions for contestants late last year, but those plans were delayed because of hurdles related to the coronavirus pandemic.