Daniel Cormier and Chael Sonnen to Coach ‘The Ultimate
Daniel Cormier and Chael Sonnen were announced as coaches for the 33rd season of The Ultimate Fighter on January 31, 2025. The announcement paired two former champions with very different coaching styles for a new group of prospects.
The season, subtitled Team Cormier vs. Team Sonnen, premiered on May 27, 2025. It brought 16 contestants to the promotion’s Las Vegas training center, with flyweights and welterweights competing in separate tournament brackets. The winner of each bracket would earn a contract opportunity and a place on a finale card. According to the official viewing guide, new episodes were released weekly.
Two experienced coaches, two distinct resumes
Cormier entered the season as a former champion at both light heavyweight and heavyweight, as well as a longtime broadcaster and analyst. His wrestling background and experience competing at the highest level gave him a strong base for working with fighters in both divisions. He had previously coached on the show opposite Stipe Miocic in Season 27.
Sonnen, a former title challenger known for his wrestling and forceful microphone presence, had already coached multiple seasons. The official Season 33 premiere recap noted that the coaches would compete throughout the series but would not fight one another in a season-ending bout. Instead, the contestants’ tournament performances would decide who reached the finals.
The coaching matchup also gave viewers a way to compare how two veteran competitors approach preparation. A reality series can show the planning between fights—corner advice, adjustments after losses, and the pressure of living with teammates—alongside the bouts themselves. The format makes the coaches visible, but the contestants still have to earn every spot in the bracket.
How the finals played out
Joseph Morales won the flyweight tournament at the August 16, 2025 event, submitting Alibi Idiris with a triangle choke at 3:04 of the second round. The official event scorecard records the finish. Morales’s victory completed a return to the promotion after his earlier stint on its roster.
The welterweight final took place later, at the Noche event on September 13, after Rodrigo Sezinando withdrew from the original finale date with an injury. Daniil Donchenko defeated Sezinando by strikes at 4:27 of the first round. The official athlete record lists Donchenko as the Season 33 welterweight winner and confirms the result.
The final outcomes gave each coach a tournament winner to point to: Morales came through for Team Sonnen, while Donchenko represented Team Cormier. The series’ central question was ultimately settled by two separate fights rather than a matchup between the coaches.
For viewers revisiting the season, the announcement video above remains useful as a snapshot of the pairing before the contestants were introduced. The official episode recap and result records provide the later context: the format, the finalists, and the finishes that named the two Season 33 winners.
Sources
Tags: Wrestling, Combat Sports
