UFC: Whittaker and Gastelum to coach ‘TUF: Heavy Hitters’

Las Vegas, July 8: Later this summer, The Ultimate Fighter returns for an incredible 28th season. The Ultimate Fighter: Heavy Hitters, premiering August 29 on FS1, will feature male heavyweights and female featherweights.

This season also sees the return of two previous season winners as UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker coaches opposite No. 4-ranked contender Kelvin Gastelum.

The news was first reported by ESPN and wass later confirmed by the promotion.

Whittaker (21-4) won The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes as a welterweight and has gone on to become one of the most successful TUF winners in the UFC. He is the reigning UFC middleweight champion and has claimed five post-fight bonus awards in his last four fights.

UFC announces Robert Whittaker and Kelvin Gastelum will coach the 28th season of The Ultimate Fighter, which also confirms @arielhelwani's report of a title fight between the two later this year. The right title fight to make in my opinion. Fun matchup.
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) July 7, 2018

Gastelum (16-3, 1 NC) also won The Ultimate Fighter, claiming the middleweight trophy during the 17th season of the show. He has been dominant at 185 pounds, taking out former champions and superstars such as Michael Bisping, Jacare Souza and Tim Kennedy.

Whittaker and Gastelum will face each other for the undisputed middleweight championship later this year. The Ultimate Fighter: Heavy Hitters premieres on August 29 on FS1, running through November 28. The Ultimate Fighter is the longest running reality sports program in television, and is the most-watched original series on FS1.

Source: Press Release