· Brock Lesnar And Junior Dos Santos Tabbed As TUF 13 Coaches

After much speculation and rumors about who the coaches would be for the upcoming thirteenth season of the popular "Ultimate Fighter" Spike TV reality series, UFC heavyweights Brock Lesnar and Junior Dos Santos were announced as the team leaders in a press conference by the organization on Tuesday. Many fighters were rumored for the two slots, including Dominick Cruz, Urijah Faber, Chael Sonnen, Wanderlei Silva, Frankie Edgar, and Gray Maynard.

The season, which will feature all welterweights, will being taping at the end of January. The fights will play out over six weeks in Las Vegas, until two finalists earn spots in the June 4 finale. The cast will be announced in late February, with the season debut taking place on March 30 on Spike TV.

Dos Santos had been slated to face current UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez in the first half of 2011, but Velasquez required surgery and could be out until the end of the year. Instead of waiting for his title shot, Dos Santos has decided to stay active and will face former heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar at the end of their coaching stints.

Lesnar, a former NCAA champion and WWE star, earned the UFC heavyweight championship in just his fourth MMA fight after defeating Randy Couture. He then defended his title in a grudge match with Frank Mir at UFC 100 before a life-threatening intestinal disease sidelined him for a year. He returned at UFC 116 to defend his title against Shane Carwin, but a fairly quick turnaround against Cain Velasquez at UFC 121 in October cost him his heavyweight title.

Lesnar's future had been in question after the loss to Velasquez, with rumors circulating that he wanted to return to professional wrestling and that he wanted out of his UFC contract. Instead, he will face Dos Santos with a chance to earn a rematch with Velasquez at the end of the year.

The 26-year-old Dos Santos debuted in the UFC in 2008 with a stunning victory over veteran Fabricio Werdum. Since then, he has steadily climbed the heavyweight rankings, culminating in an August victory over "The Ultimate Fighter 10" champion Roy Nelson, which earned him a shot at the heavyweight title. Now, he'll put his No. 1 contender status up for grabs for a chance to coach on TUF like his mentor Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and a shot at Lesnar.

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