Fabricio Werdum says spending time with Cain Velasquez was 'a nice thing'

Lightweights Anthony Pettis and Gilbert Melendez might not be friends after coaching on “The Ultimate Fighter,” but Fabricio Werdum and Cain Velasquez sound pretty cozy after “The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America.”

That is, as cozy as two guys who are about to fight can be.

“We’re promoting the fight on Nov. 15,” Werdum recently told MMAjunkie. “‘TUF’ was very cool. It was a different ‘TUF.’ We found new talent. And the important thing was that we were able to impart some of our knowledge and experience to all the participants. To spend so much time with Cain Velasquez was a nice thing. I think it’s interesting for the fans to see that fighters can indeed spend time with each other.”

It’s rarely the case that opposing coaches grow closer as the result of spending six weeks together on a reality-show set. UFC bantamweight champ Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate certainly weren’t any friendlier after their turn on “TUF 18,” and as Melendez recently told MMAjunkie Radio, Pettis won’t be on his Christmas card list any time soon.

Such a stance is to be expected, of course, for fighters preparing to face off in the octagon. Most prefer to keep interaction at a minimum, and some downright despite any geniality in advance of a bout.

At UFC 180, Werdum will try to take Velasquez’s heavyweight title before a presumably partisan crowd – the champ is of Mexican heritage – on Nov. 15 at Arena Mexico in Mexico City. But according to the Brazilian, that doesn’t mean the two can’t make nice in the meantime.

From the sound of it, the “TUF: Latin America” experience was something more like a summer camp than a tense proving ground in front of cameras.

“We trained hard,” Werdum said. “We played a lot. There were excellent fights. And there are always athletes who aim to get into the UFC, while others are just happy to make it to the ‘TUF’ house.”

“There’s a bit of everything, like different personalities,” he added. “There was some fighting and conflicts in the house. It’s very interesting. (UFC President) Dana White loved this season. This season of ‘TUF’ will allow the fans in Latin America to understand our work. We are very dedicated and train very hard to fight in the octagon. I learned a lot from my fighters, and I thought them many things as well.

“Overall, it was excellent; I would do it again, no doubt.”

Werdum, in fact, is already a veteran of the UFC’s international editions of the long-running reality show. He served as a head coach on “The Ultimate Fighter Brazil 2? and served as an assistant coach on “The Ultimate Fighter Brazil.” For “TUF: Latin America,” he was assisted by Rafael Cordeiro, Victor Davila, Kenny Johnson and Orlando Sanchez.

The first season to focus on Latin America debuts in the U.S. on Monday at 10 p.m. ET on both FOX Deportes and UFC Fight Pass.

For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, including UFC 180, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.