The one thing that really bothered me about The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights was Rampage Jackson’s inability and lack of desire to coach his fighters. Sure, he stated emphatically that he’s “not a coach”, but then why would you accept a position to be a freaking coach? Every week we were treated to Rampage’s ramblings like he was a kid with ADD who thought his own jokes were hilarious. That’s why the coaching announcement for the next The Ultimate Fighter series has me so jacked up I could bash my face right through my computer screen.

Tito Ortiz, one of the best coach’s the show has ever seen, will mentor opposite Chuck Liddell who is making his return to the UFC after a loss at UFC 97: Redemption back in April. For months we’ve pretended like Dana White’s proclamation that Liddell is going to retire was a lie, and thankfully that is now the case. The next season of The Ultimate Fighter will end with Ortiz and Liddell locking horns for the third time.

Of course, this is a rare trilogy for UFC betting fans. Liddell has two wins over Ortiz already. The first came in the highly touted UFC 47 matchup in 2004, where Liddell literally punched Ortiz out of the octagon in the second round. At UFC 66: Liddell vs. Ortiz, Chuck was again the victor after crushing Ortiz’s face in the third round. This will be their third meeting in over five years, and their first in nearly three.

Yet this fight is more realistically a fight geared towards nostalgia more than anything. Liddell is a living legend in the sport, but has gone just 1-4 SU with losses to Shogun, Rashad Evans, Rampage and Jardine in his last five fights. The “Ice Man” is undoubtedly a fan favorite, and the fact that we’ll get to enjoy his superb coaching and entertaining TV time on the show is a delight for fight fans.

Ortiz, as well, is not exactly in his prime any longer. Recently, the “Huntington Beach Bad Boy” lost a split decision to Forrest Griffin and has gone just 1-3-1 SU in this last five fights, which include losses to Machida and Liddell as well. At 34 years of age, Ortiz is not the fighter he used to be, though his uncanny personality will be a huge draw for the show.

In his first coaching stint on The Ultimate Fighter, Ortiz was a great coach and I mean that sincerely. He was attentive to his fighters’ needs and unabashed in creating the next crop of great middleweights in the UFC. He was wholly concentrated on his team while opposing coach Ken Shamrock was completely distracted by Ortiz’s mere presence. Ortiz’s prodigy, Kendall Grove, won the middleweight division of the show and Tito pummeled Shamrock in to the mat and subsequent retirement from the UFC.

Shamrock and Liddell share many glaring similarities. Both are noted strikers in the game, and Chuck will be 40 by the time he steps in to the octagon against Ortiz. Shamrock was 42 in 2006 when he last fought Ortiz. On top of that, it’s safe to say that Liddell is way past his prime, much the same way that Shamrock was and it’s incredibly difficult to say whether Chuck has regained the step in his game that made him the UFC’s all-time most dangerous knockout specialist.

The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights failed on so many levels. The fighters were uninspiring for the most part, and the fans were denied the chance to see Rampage and Evans climax their on-air rivalry thanks to Rampage accepting a role in the already scrutinized A-Team: The Movie. That’s why, as a fan and a betting enthusiast, it’s impossible not to be exited for an Ortiz-Liddell Finale. If you’re thankful for anything as an MMA fan, then be grateful for Dana White, because he’s done it again.