5 most memorable fights between TUF coaches in UFC history

#2: Ronda Rousey vs. Miesha Tate – UFC 168

Former UFC champ Ronda Rousey was given one of her toughest tests by fellow TUF coach Miesha Tate at UFC 168

It seems incredible now, but bitter UFC bantamweight rivals Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate were never supposed to coach TUF 18 against one another. Instead, Rousey’s rival coach was set to be Cat Zingano.

But when ‘Alpha’ blew out her knee, the UFC slotted Tate into Zingano's spot, ensuring a far more dramatic season of the reality show that only cemented Rousey and Tate’s bitter feud even further. When the two coaches met at UFC 168 with Rousey’s UFC bantamweight title on the line, fireworks were always going to ensue.

Sure, the fight was largely one-sided in Rousey’s favor. But by taking her to the third round, Tate pushed ‘Rowdy’ like nobody had done before, turning her into a lifelong fan-favorite in the process.

The story of the fight was essentially that while Rousey’s judo would allow her to throw ‘Cupcake’ to the ground seemingly at will, Tate had scouted her submission game so well that it became difficult for ‘Rowdy’ to find a finish.

By the end of the second round, despite narrowly escaping multiple submission attempts and suffering some facial damage from strikes, Tate was still hanging in there. If anything, it felt like she might be gaining a psychological edge.

But Rousey showed her class in the third round by tripping Tate again. and this time she sunk in an armbar that finally forced ‘Cupcake’ to give up the ghost and tap out.

Incredibly, though, despite putting on a truly great fight, the rivalry between the TUF coaches remained unsettled when Rousey refused a handshake from Tate. It was an unsportsmanlike moment that took away some of the champion’s shine, but somehow, it made this clash of UFC legends even more memorable.

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#1: Dan Henderson vs. Michael Bisping – UFC 100

The rivalry between TUF 9 coaches Dan Henderson and Michael Bisping ended in memorable fashion

TUF has seen plenty of intense coaching rivalries over the years. But one of the most bitter feuds was on view in the ninth season when middleweights Dan Henderson and Michael Bisping led Team USA and Team UK into battle against one another.

The two contenders despised each other from the off, with the loud, trash-talking Bisping rubbing the more stoic Henderson up the wrong way throughout the season.

When Team UK got the better of their American counterparts – with British fighters winning both the welterweight and middleweight TUF tournaments – it was down to ‘Hendo’ to gain some pride back by beating Bisping at UFC 100.

Naturally, ‘The Count’ came in confidently, feeling that he could wear the older Henderson down with his volume-based combination striking. However, unfortunately for him, he hadn’t counted on the brutal power of Henderson’s punches.

After a back-and-forth first round that saw both men get a decent number of shots in, the second round quickly ended when Henderson waylaid Bisping with a crushing overhand right. He then knocked Bisping senseless with a flying forearm smash when he was grounded.

Bisping was left unconscious for what felt like an age. While he came round and was perfectly okay, the knockout instantly went viral and sparked countless memes, most of them pro-American and highly anti-British.

The punch turned Henderson into an all-time UFC fan favourite, and is usually seen on any UFC highlight reel even today. While Bisping would go onto hold the UFC middleweight title and defeat Henderson in a 2016 rematch, the knockout probably still haunts him to this day. That makes this fight the most memorable battle of TUF coaches in UFC history.