Hyden's Take
HYDEN BLOG: TUF Coaching Gig a Good Way to Make Fans Love or Hate You
Dec 1, 2010 - 11:25:21 AM HYDEN BLOG: TUF Coaching Gig a Good Way to Make Fans Love or Hate You

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By: Frank Hyden, MMATorch contributor

Coaching on The Ultimate Fighter is a great way to get a lot of exposure for yourself. The downside is that it can also lead to certain negative aspects of your personality being shown as well.

We all remember Quinton "Rampage" Jackson coaching against Rashad Evans on Season 10, and how poorly Rampage looked when he wouldn't even talk to his fighters after they lost. On the the other hand, Rashad scored major points by consoling the member of Team Rampage that had just lost.

On Season 12, Josh Koscheck has really made himself look bad at times with his behavior towards Georges St. Pierre. Koscheck is desperately trying to annoy GSP, but is coming off like an emotionally stunted 15-year old. The shame of it is that Koscheck seems to be a fairly capable coach who's hellbent on winning and doing whatever he has to in order for his team to get those victories.

Some people take the viewpoint that some of the coaches play to the camera, that they're aware that they're being filmed and that alters their personality. Tito Ortiz is the name that first springs to mind when people accuse a coach of playing to the camera. Obviously, everyone is going to act at least a little differently when they know they're being filmed, but some say that Tito takes that to the extreme.

Take the Season 11 example when Clayton McKinney lost to Kyle Noke by Triangle Choke. Clayton was extremely upset and stormed off right after the fight. However, Tito pleaded with Clayton to return so he could show him how he could have escaped. I personally think that was a very cool moment. Did Tito do that solely because he knew he was being filmed? Perhaps, but it was also a great time to show someone a defense that they could employ in the future.

I've always taken the viewpoint that just because someone does something for a selfish reason, that doesn't make the act any less helpful to others. If Bill Gates or any other rich person decides to give a million dollars to a charity just for the good public relations, that doesn't mean that the charity gets less money. That charity gets that million dollars regardless of the intent. I'm okay with someone doing something for good public relations, as long as it leads to something good.

Back to the negatives a coaching gig can bring, season three of The Ultimate Fighter made Ken Shamrock look like he was totally unprepared to coach. I remember he brought in a strength/nutrition coach and a boxing coach and that was it. A strength/nutrition coach is a good thing to have, but that's more of a long-term thing. Apparently, Ken didn't think a submission or wrestling coach was needed. He may have planned on doing that coaching himself, but you always need assistants.

Most coaches don't really make themselves look bad, and the show is a good way to get to know them better. The exposure from being a coach on the show is why guys continue to do it, even if they are taking a chance that they'll do something stupid and makes themselves look bad. Sometimes it's a comment or appearing unprepared (Ken Shamrock). Sometimes it's an obsession with pranking the opposing coach (Rampage Jackson). Other times it's just a natural d-bag personality showing through (Josh Koscheck). Plenty of fighters have made themselves look better by being a coach on the show. (Matt Serra, Tito Ortiz, and Rashad Evans being the most prominent). Whatever the case may be, as long as The Ultimate Fighter is on the air, guys will line up to be coaches on the show.

Comments and suggestions can be e-mailed to me at hydenfrank@gmail.com