Anderson Silva, who was scheduled to be a coach on the fourth season of “The Ultimate Fighter” in Brazil, has been replaced. Instead, Rodrigo “Big Nog” Nogueira will be a coach on the show.
Full press release:
Las Vegas – The UFC® announced today that Brazilian legend Rodrigo “Big Nog” Nogueira will join the cast of The Ultimate Fighter® Brazil 4, the organization’s signature television reality series, as coach following the departure of UFC middleweight Anderson Silva.
The Nevada State Athletic Commission, which regulates The Ultimate Fighter series’ exhibition fights filmed in Las Vegas, requested that Silva cease participation in the series as a result of his temporary suspension following the recently announced preliminary results of his January 9 pre-fight drug test for UFC® 183.
The UFC and Globo, the show’s Brazilian broadcaster, respect the Commission’s decision, which will allow Silva to focus his attention on the matter before the Commission. Anderson Silva has been an amazing champion and a true ambassador of the sport of mixed martial arts and the UFC will continue to support him as this process unfolds.
The series, which began filming in Las Vegas on Monday, Feb. 2, originally featured Silva and former UFC light heavyweight champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua as head coaches. Rua will continue on as coach of Team Shogun versus the newly formed Team Nogueira, which will also include Big Nog’s twin brother Rogerio “Lil Nog” Nogueira as an assistant coach.
