Ex-UFC champs Luke Rockhold, Tyron Woodley coach Ultimate Fighter-style reality series for Hardcore FC

Former UFC champions Luke Rockhold and Tyron Woodley are set to spend the next six weeks coaching a group of up-and-coming fighters in an Ultimate Fighter-type reality series for upstart promotion Hardcore FC.

Promotion officials posted about coaching assignments for Rockhold and Woodley, and multiple people with knowledge of the promotion’s plans also confirmed to MMA Fighting the fighters’ involvement in the upcoming reality program. The series is called HFC Fight Show reality and films in the United Arab Emirates over the next six weeks.

Not much else is known about the series, outside of Rockhold and Woodley serving as coaches. Despite both Rockhold and Woodley spending years in the UFC, neither previously coached a season of The Ultimate Fighter.

Now, they’ll get their chance as part of the new reality series for Hardcore, a promotion originally based out of Russia.

At this time, it’s expected Rockhold and Woodley will only serve as coaches, and there are no plans for them to fight each other, which is different from the typical Ultimate Fighter format used by the UFC.

Following a brief retirement, Rockhold announced plans to fight again after securing his release from the UFC. He engaged in a lone bare-knuckle fight against Mike Perry back in 2023, but after suffering several broken teeth, he ultimately decided it would be his only appearance in BKFC.

As for Woodley, the former UFC welterweight champion most recently competed in 2021, when he suffered a knockout loss to Jake Paul in a rematch after their first bout ended in a split decision. He teased a potential return to boxing after calling out social influencer KSI for a fight, but nothing materialized.

Now Woodley puts his coaching hat on to share the stage with Rockhold in the new reality series for Hardcore FC.