The Ultimate Fighter has revolutionized the UFC into a global phenomenon with large fan bases all over the world. Some of the UFC’s top competitors are products of the reality show and three have moved on to become champions in their weight class.
Let’s take a look at the top ten fighters from nine seasons of TUF. Fighters from season 4: The Comeback will not be listed due in part to the fact that they were already UFC veterans before competing on the reality show.
10. Ross Pearson
It isn’t often that a fighter will live up to his nickname, but in Pearson’s case he truly is “The Real Deal”. Defeating Andre Winner in the lightweight finals of season nine was quite an impressive feat, but his domination of veteran Aaron Riley at UFC 105 is reason to believe that Pearson will accomplish great things in the 155-pound division. Move over Terry Etim, Pearson has potential to become England’s best lightweight fighter and possibly even a future title holder.
9. Nate Diaz
After winning season 5, Diaz went on a tear, boasting five straight victories including wins over Kurt Pellegrino and Josh Neer. The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ace seemed destined for a title shot, but back to back losses to Clay Guida and Joe Stevenson set Diaz back tremendously in the title picture. A second round submission win over Melvin Guillard has generated Diaz some much needed momentum and kept him relevant in the lightweight division.
8. Michael Bisping
“The Count” managed to keep his undefeated streak alive for quite awhile in the UFC before losing a close decision to Rashad Evans. With the loss, Bisping dropped down to middleweight looking like a modern day terminator with wins over Charles McCarthy, Jason Day and Chris Leben. Recently Bisping bounced back after a devastating knockout at the hands of Dan Henderson at UFC 100, to defeat Denis Kang at UFC 105.
7. Joe Stevenson
Stevenson earned a title shot against B.J Penn at UFC 80 and despite a valiant effort the explosive grappler was choked out in the second round by “The Prodigy”. A few disappointing losses have forced Stevenson to switch camps and evolve his skills under Greg Jackson. Recent victories over Nate Diaz and Spencer Fisher have resurrected “Joe Daddy” in the top 10 for the lightweight division.
6. Gray Maynard
Six straight wins in the Octagon including victories over Frankie Edgar, Jim Miller, and Roger Huerta have put Maynard on the fast track to a title shot. “The Bully” was submitted by Nate Diaz in the semi-finals of season five but since the fights on TUF do not count on a fighter’s record, Maynard is still considered unbeaten. He will have the opportunity to avenge his sole loss against Diaz at UFC Fight Night 20 in January.
5. Kenny Florian
On season one of The Ultimate Fighter, Florian’s skill set was limited and not many expected much out of him. He was man-handled by Diego Sanchez in the middleweight finals but since then he has evolved tremendously and established himself as arguably the second best lightweight in the world next to B.J Penn. Florian was defeated by Penn at UFC 101 and is hopeful a win over Clay Guida at UFC 107 will put him back into the mix for a third title shot.
4. Josh Koscheck
Much like Florian, Koscheck was relatively one dimensional on season one of TUF. It’s truly amazing to witness his growth as a fighter since then as he continues to climb towards the top of the welterweight division. Not to discredit Dan Hardy, but Koscheck’s latest submission victory over Anthony Johnson at UFC 106 sets him apart as the real number one contender to Georges St. Pierre’s title.
3. Diego Sanchez
“The Nightmare” is the perfect name for Sanchez because that’s exactly what he is for his opponents in both the welterweight and lightweight divisions. Since dropping down to lightweight, Sanchez has won “fight of the night” honors in victories over Joe Stevenson and Clay Guida. He will now take on B.J Penn at UFC 107 for the lightweight championship and a victory would easily place him at the top of this list and atop the 155-pound rankings.
2. Forrest Griffin
“The Original Ultimate Fighter”, Griffin will always be remembered for his memorable war with Stephan Bonnar at the Ultimate Finale. At UFC 86 Griffin defeated Quinton “Rampage” Jackson in another unforgettable battle to become the UFC Light-Heavyweight champion. Unfortunately Griffin lost the title to Rashad Evans and followed that up with a devastating knockout at the hands of Anderson Silva but a recent decision win over Tito Ortiz has put Griffin back on track as he looks to work his way back into title contention.
1. Rashad Evans
Before losing his title in devastating fashion to current champ, Lyoto Machida at UFC 98, Evans was undefeated with big wins over Chuck Liddell and Forrest Griffin. Evans has mixed his world class wrestling with explosive boxing skills to become one of the best fighters in the 205-pound division. There is certainly no shame in losing to Machida and besides “The Dragon”, no other fighter in the division has been able to figure Evans out, save for maybe Tito Ortiz whom Evans fought to a controversial draw at UFC 73.
