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The first international season of "The Ultimate Fighter" may have found its stars. According to Monday reports by South American news outlet Extra Globo, Brazilian mixed martial arts legends Anderson Silva and Vitor Belfort have been tapped to coach competing teams on "The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil". UFC officials have yet to comment on the report.
According to Extra Globo, the season is scheduled to begin in March 2012, with the two middleweights coaching a cast of Brazilian hopefuls. Last week UFC officials confirmed the series will be broadcast on network giant Globo TV after the two sides struck a broadcast partnership for all future events in the region. Nonetheless, UFC President Dana White promised that American audiences will have access to the show, pegging Fox-owned FUEL TV as the likely outlet.
The coaches of "The Ultimate Fighter" have traditionally fought each other in the Octagon at the end of a season, though that scenario appears unlikely after Silva's first-round destruction of Belfort in February. Regardless, the taping of the show could delay any potential title defense for the middleweight champion, likely to the ire of top contender Chael Sonnen.