Dana White explains why Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal were not the TUF 29 coaches

UFC president Dana White explained why welterweight rivals Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal were not the TUF 29 coaches.

Many fans were surprised when the UFC named featherweights Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega as coaches for this season of TUF. Both fighters are tremendous talents, but for months it was rumored that the show would have Covington and Masvidal as the coaches. So when it was revealed to be Volkanovski and Ortega, some fans were let down.

Speaking to the “Real Quick with Mike Swick” podcast, White explained why Covington and Masvidal were not selected to be the TUF 29 coaches. According to the UFC president, there were a number of fighters considered for the role, including women’s champion Amanda Nunes. But ultimately the promotion decided to give the gig to the featherweights.

“As we go into a season, we’re looking at tons of different scenarios on who could coach. Amanda Nunes was being looked at as a coach, too. Then you gotta start calling these guys and finding out what do they got going on personally, and this and that, and all this other sh*t. And then it all pans out and you end up with (Volkanovski and Ortega). But there are lots of different coaches being kicked around leading into the show,” White said.

The 29th season of TUF premiered on Tuesday night with Volkanovski and Ortega as the coaches for the show. Covington recently criticized the UFC for its choices of coaches for the reality show, saying that they lacked entertainment and insulating that he would have taken the gig had he been offered it. But ultimately this is the choice that the UFC and White went with, and hopefully, this comeback season of TUF ends up as a good one.

Do you wish that Dana White had brought in other coaches for TUF 29 or are you satisfied with Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega?