(George Galanis is a freelance writer, MMA fan and BPL contributor.) 

The UFC has been hit by a string of injuries that will keep four of its champions sidelined for months, but one of those injuries opened the door for what could be a blockbuster season of "The Ultimate Fighter".

UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez will be sidelined for the next six-eight months with a torn rotator cuff which killed Velasquez's title defence against top contender, Junior dos Santos.

Instead of waiting months for Velasquez to recover, UFC president Dana White announced that dos Santos and Brock Lesnar would be the coaches for the 13th season of "The Ultimate Fighter" which begins filming at the end of the month.

"There were a lot of different people we were looking at and then, boom, Cain Velasquez gets hurt," White said. "I was literally driving to work one morning and I said, 'you know what? This makes sense. Let's see if we can do this.'"

After coaching the entire season, dos Santos and Lesnar will meet at UFC 131 on June 11 in Vancouver. The winner willface Velasquez for the championship later this year.

"To put this guy (dos Santos) on the shelf for a long time is ridiculous, and much credit to him for not wanting to go on the shelf," White said. "We've seen guys who have been in similar situations that say, 'You know what? I'll just sit out and wait.' Sitting out and waiting is insane."

After getting pounded by Velasquez and losing his title at UFC 121, rumors circulated that Lesnar was looking to make a return to pro wrestling and the WWE.

"I liked all the rumors that were going around that Brock didn't want to do this anymore and that Brock wanted to be a WWE wrestler again. None of that was true," White said. "Obviously, I was in communication with Brock and his team and talking to them the whole time."

White said there was never any chance that Lesnar would make an appearance at Wrestlemania XXVII in April.

"There was no wheeling and dealing about the WWE," White said. "I think everybody knows how I feel about that. He's under contract with me."

Lesnar is 5-2 since making his pro debut in 2007 and remains a neophyte in MMA himself, but the former NCAA national wrestling champion will be in charge of training a group of young welterweights as a coach on the reality series.

"The guy's a former world champion, has beat guys and held the title," White said. "You know? How can you— no matter what his record is, what the guy has accomplished in the short amount of time that he's been in MMA is incredible and he's obviously got a lot that he can teach — not only him but the staff that he has around him — have a lot to teach young and up and coming guys. That's really what it's all about.

"But to say the guy doesn't have the credentials to coach 'The Ultimate Fighter' is probably one of the dumbest things I've ever heard."