UFC: Rodrigo Nogueira Replaces Anderson Silva As 'TUF Brazil 4' Coach

Anderson Silva is out while Rodrigo Nogueira steps in as coach for "The Ultimate Fighter Brazil 4".

Yahoo Sports reported that the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) announced on February 9, 2015 that Antonio Rodrigo "Big Nog" Nogueira will substitute Anderson Silva as head coach of "TUF Brazil 4".

After Silva tested positive for Drostanolone and Androstane metabolites prior to his fight at UFC 183, the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC), which regulates the exhibition fights in the series, requested that "The Spider" be removed from the TV series too. Before the NSAC's request, Dana White, UFC president, stated that Silva will still take on the role of coach in the show. The UFC later said that they respect the decision of the NSAC, so that Silva can direct his focus on the drug issue.

International Business Times wrote that the drug results were based on the preliminary drug test conducted on January 9 and released after his January 31 fight against Nick Diaz, which he won. Drostanolone and Androstane are both anabolic steroids and prohibited in the UFC, which may jeopardize his victory over Diaz at UFC 183.

Despite Silva being pulled out, the UFC official shared that they will continue to support the former middleweight champion as the issue progresses.

The statement read in an article by MMA Junkie, "The UFC and Globo, the show's Brazilian broadcaster, respect the commission's decision, which will allow Silva to focus his attention on the matter before the commission. Anderson Silva has been an amazing champion and a true ambassador of the sport of mixed martial arts and the UFC will continue to support him as this process unfolds."

"TUF Brazil 4" started filming in Las Vegas on February 2, 2015, featuring Silva and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, both middleweights, as head coaches. Rua is the head of Team Shogun while Team Silva will be replaced by Team Nogueira. Rodrigo's twin brother, "Lil Nog" Rogerio, will also step in as assistant coach, based on a report by MMA Fighting. "Big Nog" is a close friend and training partner of Silva. Noguiera is a 38-year-old heavyweight fighter who last fought in April 2014. He lost the match against Roy Nelson via knockout and is planning to retire after one or two more fights.

The reality series will move to Brazil for more filming as the show continues. There are no fixed conditions that the coaches will fight at the end of the competition, so there will be no issues between Rua and Nogueira, considering that they belong to different weight classes, based on the same report by International Business Times.