Dominick Cruz, Urijah Faber to Coach The Ultimate Fighter 15

The UFC has announced that rival bantamweight fighters Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber will be coaching the next season of The Ultimate Fighter. According to UFC.com, the season will begin on March 9 with a 2 hour premiere. The promotion made the announcement today, on the heels of the finale of season 13 on December 3.

The Ultimate Fighter® LIVE debuts on Friday, March 9 as part of a two-hour season premiere beginning at 9 p.m. ET/PT. The show will then air for one hour at 10 p.m. ET/PT every Friday for 13 weeks on FX. UFC® bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz and "The California Kid" Urijah Faber will serve as coaches on the upcoming season, with lightweight and welterweight contestants competing for two, six-figure UFC contracts.

"We’re producing ground-breaking television with The Ultimate Fighter LIVE and we can’t wait to kick this season off with FX in March," UFC President Dana White said. "It’s going to be can’t-miss TV. Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber are two incredible personalities who also happen to be two of the best fighters in the world. They genuinely dislike each other and I expect this to make for the best season yet."

The upcoming season will also feature the first major overhaul to the show's format, which for some had become decidedly stale:

"We believe that Dana and Lorenzo (Fertitta), along with Executive Producer Craig Piligian, have come up with exciting new changes to the format of The Ultimate Fighter that will expand and grow the series," said Chuck Saftler, Executive Vice President, FX Networks. "The fact that the fights at the end of each episode will now be televised live is certain to create a sense of urgency for UFC fans. Furthermore, the move of TUF to Friday nights will provide a great ratings boost to the network."

Without a doubt, the revamped format is a much-needed change, and will hopefully make the show exciting and something to look forward to every week. Time will tell.