‘Coach’ Lesnar takes to TV role

Lesnar, whose wife and children were in town with him during the six-week filming schedule for Season 13 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” said he spent about 10 hours a day filming the show and working out.

When the work was done, he was able to experience much of what the Valley has to offer, especially for a Midwestern guy who prefers the rural life.

“All in all it was a good time. My family enjoyed it out there,” he said. “I went to a few shows and enjoyed going out to visit (Hoover) Dam and Red Rock and I took in a NASCAR race.”

Lesnar said he didn’t spend a whole lot of time on the Strip, but he did see Garth Brooks, George Strait and Reba McEntire in concert.

He actually says he spent more time seeing those country acts than he did with his rival coach and future opponent Junior dos Santos.

The season apparently won’t feature a whole lot of conflict between coaches, in part because he only spent about “30 or 45 minutes” total on set with Dos Santos.

After initial reservations, Lesnar embraced his role. Before filming, he said he’d accepted the coaching spot largely because of concessions by UFC president Dana White, such as a posh setup in Las Vegas for his family, an undisclosed financial incentive and an immediate title shot with a win over Dos Santos. But Lesnar settled nicely into the role.

“I wanted the best for the guys. I just found myself getting invested for them to win and be successful,” Lesnar said. “There’s a point in the show where we put in a lot of time with a certain individual, and there’s some success that builds into it, so yeah, you get attached in some ways.”

Still, he might not have made any lasting friends as he settles back into real life in a remote part of Minnesota.

“Do I have anybody on speed dial? No,” he said.

In the end, Lesnar says the main reason he did the show was the opportunity to face Dos Santos, with a title shot against Cain Velasquez going to the winner.

He’ll fight Dos Santos in the main event of UFC 131 in Vancouver on June 11. “The Ultimate Fighter” season premiere is Wednesday on Spike (Cable 29) at 10 p.m.

■ UFC 132 — The UFC’s customary Las Vegas fight card on the Fourth of July is coming together in the form of UFC 132 on July 2. The site is expected to be the MGM Grand, but there has been no announcement.

In the main event, the UFC bantamweight title will be contested for the first time when Dominick Cruz faces challenger Urijah Faber. Cruz was the champion in World Extreme Cagefighting when the organization was dissolved into the UFC in January, and his title carried over. He hasn’t fought since having hand surgery after retaining the title on the final WEC card in December.

BJ Penn will have his rematch against Jon Fitch. The welterweights fought to a majority draw in February.

Also, Tito Ortiz is expected to return from injury to meet Ryan Bader and George Sotiropoulos will fight Evan Dunham in a battle of former lightweight contenders coming off defeats.

■ THUMBS UP FROM WEST VIRGINIA — A law to legalize and regulate mixed martial arts in West Virginia was signed by Gov. Earl Ray Thomblin on Thursday. The bill had passed overwhelmingly in the legislature.

West Virginia is the 45th state of the 48 with athletic commissions to sanction the sport. Only Connecticut, Vermont and New York remain holdouts. Alaska and Wyoming don’t have commissions.

Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509.