Spike TV is getting back into the ring with Randy "The Natural" Couture.
The male-skewing cable network has inked the Mixed Martial Arts and Ultimate Fighting Championship Hall of Famer to a two-year development deal and green-lighted two unscripted entries to series, The Hollywood Reporter has learned exclusively.
Under the pact, Couture -- a multiple UFC Heavyweight (and Lightweight) champion and The Expendables actor -- will serve as one of four coaches on a Voice-like series for the network called Fight Master: Bellator MMA and a Kitchen Nightmares-style series dubbed MMA Rescue.
STORY: Life After the Olympics: How 15 Athletes Made Their Way to Hollywood
"He has an adventurous spirit and is a well-intentioned human being that when we thought of what else we were going to do on Spike, his name was the only thing that came to my mind as someone we had to be in business with," Spike executive vp original programming Sharon Levy tells THR. "At Spike, all our talent are experts in their field, and Randy is at the top of his game."
Fight Master will see Couture join fellow coaches Greg Jackson, Frank Shamrock and Joe Warren as they oversee 32 up-and-coming fighters looking to fight their way through a win-or-go-home format into the Bellator tournament and a six-figure cash prize.
The Amazing Race creators Bertram van Munster and Elise Doganieri, via their Profiles Television Productions banner, are on board to executive produce the series. Spike has ordered 10 hour-long episodes of Fight Master, which will likely bow in the summer.
PHOTOS: 10 Broadcast and Cable Shows Most Watched by Men
MMA Rescue, meanwhile, will see Couture use his years of experience in the business of MMA to help turn failing gyms into successful businesses. The three-episode series is in the same vein as Spike's Bar Rescue and Tattoo Rescue and will be produced by Couture, his manager (Samuel Spira) and Chris Coelen's Kinetic Content (Betty White's Off Their Rockers, Hardcore Pawn). Production on MMA Rescue will likely begin after Fight Master wraps.
Couture's deal also includes a first-look at new projects in a number of content categories, with Spike open to non-sports efforts and Levy not ruling out a scripted venture. "We're looking at everything we can do with him, some will be sports related and some won't -- because Randy is a movie star," she said.
The news continues Spike's relationship with Couture, who did an episode of the network's reality competition series Pros vs. Joes, pitting pro athletes against amateur athletes, and served as a co-host early on the network's The Ultimate Fighter.
STORY: UFC President Calls Fox Deal a 'Milestone' for the Sport
"I'm excited to be back at Spike. I had an amazing experience on Ultimate Fighter when it started, and Spike is a tremendous platform for MMA," Couture tells THR. "It feels like I'm coming home."
Couture, meanwhile, will continue to explore his theatrical career and will next appear in The Expendables 3, due out later this year. His acting credits also include The Set Up and CBS' The Unit. The best-selling author also owns a chain of gyms, an MMA clothing line and a nutritional supplement company and serves as a commentator on Fox's UFC fights.
For Spike, the deal puts the cabler back in the ring after its Ultimate Fighter franchise moved to FX after 14 seasons on the network.
Couture is repped by Gersh and manager Spira.
Email: Lesley.Goldberg@thr.com; Twitter: @Snoodit
