Griffin vs. Bonnar & the 15 Best Ultimate Fighter Finale Fights of All Time

Forrest Griffin vs Stephan Bonnar isn't the fight that started it all, but it is undoubtedly the fight that changed the course of mixed-martial arts forever. The two men were on the battlefield for 15 minutes in a desperate attempt to knock the other.

It was an epic battle that has been known as the greatest fight of all time from many, and it couldn't have happened without The Ultimate Fighter.

Tonight, the fifteenth season of The Ultimate Fighter comes to a close, and to help you get your juices pumping for tonight's big event, which features a top contender matchup between Jake Ellenberger and Martin Kampmann along with the lightweight tournament final between Al Iaquinta vs. Mike Chisea, we are taking a look at the best fights produced by the finale.

Sit back and enjoy as we remember the 15 best fights in The Ultimate Fighter finale history

Season 1: Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar

What happens when two guys are intent on knocking each other out, but they both have iron chins and a burning desire to be victorious? When Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar met at The Ultimate Fighter finale, they showed us.

The two warriors would put their stamp on the world with this fight by slugging it out, despite being hurt, bloodied and exhausted. A cut opened on the nose of Griffin would nearly stop the fight, but thankfully the ringside physician allowed the contest to continue.

Just when you thought the fight would come to a finish, each man found something else in their gas tanks. Griffin would throw knees from the Thai clinch, while Bonnar would land several damaging short punches throughout.

Dana White credits this bout as being the single most important fight in the history of the sport, as it aired on Spike TV and introduced the world to the new era of the UFC. It was voted as the No. 1 fight of all time in the UFC’s Top 100 countdown back in 2009.

Season 2: Joe Stevenson vs. Luke Cummo

Featuring a heavy amount of grappling, Joe Stevenson vs. Luke Cummo showed fans a more technical side of Ultimate Fighter finalists. Dana White got in the cage afterwards and referred to the contest as “Griffin vs Bonnar on the ground.”

Cummo hurt Stevenson badly early in the second round with a big right hand that put “Daddy” on his knees briefly. Stevenson would score a takedown that allowed him to recover.

The ref would stand up the contest after some ground attacks, and Cummo would hurt Joe with strikes again.  Cummo worked the fight to the ground, but Stevenson was able to threaten with a kneebar in order to get top position.

Both men attempted simultaneous heel hooks in an attempt to finish the fight in the last 90 seconds, but neither was successful.  Dana White was shown cage side, clearly enthralled by the warriors who were duking it out. The end of the bout saw Cummo under Stevenson, throwing strikes from the bottom, while Stevenson threw some of his own.

Cummo may have stolen the fight after a strong second round and with a lot of control in the third, but that’s not how the judges saw it.

Season 2: Rashad Evans vs. Brad Imes

The story of Imes vs. Evans was that Imes stood a massive 6’7”, while Evans stood at 5’11” and had no business competing as a heavyweight. There was a huge difference in height, weight and reach that Evans would need to overcome.

The battle raged in tremendous fashion, as Imes looked for knees from the clinch from the opening bell until the closing moments. Thankfully for Rashad, they were sloppy enough that the full damage wasn’t delivered. On a few occasions, however, it would land flush and send Rashad into a state of backpedaling as he tried to regain his senses.

Evans found success with a lunging left hook that landed several times in the fight and would hurt make up the bulk of the damage done. The long legs of Imes were able to keep “Suga” at bay when he tried to follow his opponent to the canvas in hopes of finishing with strikes.

In all three rounds, Evans hurt Imes badly and nearly finished the fight, but Imes was never out of the contest at any point.

As Evans began to tire, fans at home watched Imes stalk his opponent and never cease to stop firing. Imes worked for a takedown and got it halfway through the last frame, but nothing came from it.  

With 90 seconds left, both men knew how close the scorecards could be, and they battled with remarkable intensity. Imes threw head kicks while Evans continued to utilize the counter left hook.

The final ten seconds legitimately looked like a slow-motion brawl, with each tired warrior throwing nonstop haymakers. When the final bell sounded, Lorenzo Fertitta and Dana White were shown at ringside with enormous smiles on their faces.

The bout was scored a split decision, and rightfully so. This fight was so close that many were torn on the outcome. Rashad would go on to become champion, and Imes would go on to fade into obscurity.

Season 2: Diego Sanchez vs. Nick Diaz

Diego Sanchez vs. Nick Diaz marked the first time that an Ultimate Fighter contestant had headlined any UFC event, and it was a turning point for the show.

Nick Diaz was a UFC veteran who had been through wars with high-level opponents. New fans were behind Sanchez, but those who had followed the sport for years expected Diaz to derail the hype train.

Diaz was intense in his feelings on Sanchez, citing that he didn’t appreciate “The Nightmare” winning a reality show to get into the UFC. The bad boy from Stockton felt that Sanchez was getting undue respect, and he was ready to show the world how overrated Sanchez really was.

Surprising many, Sanchez was able to absorb the boxing of Diaz, while pushing the pace throughout and using his wrestling to control the action. He would go on to win a unanimous decision after an exciting contest.

This fight was later named the 12th best fight in UFC history.

Season 3: Ed Herman vs. Kendall Grove

Is there any way that we can get a boring tournament final out of The Ultimate Fighter? After thrilling performances from finalists of the inaugural and sophomore seasons, Ed Herman and Kendall Grove had some big shoes to fill, and they pulled it off.

Although the contest started a bit slower, Round 2 is where things really got interesting. Herman scored a takedown, and Grove put him in serious danger with a triangle choke that put Herman’s heart on full display, as he miraculously found a way to escape.

When they returned to their feet, it was a role reversal as Kendall scored a takedown and “Short Fuse” threatened with a triangle of his own.

The final round of the fight saw an exhausted Herman barely able to stand. Pushing through his fatigue, he scored a double leg and took Kendall’s back, where he pounded away with both hooks in.

When an armbar attempt failed, Kendall was able to take advantage and get Herman’s back, where he locked in a rear-naked choke. There was no escape this time, as Grove was under the chin and Herman’s face was blood red from the deep choke.

Showing immense heart once again, Herman refused to tap out and shockingly was able to withstand the choke for the final 10 seconds of the fight before going to decision.

Although Kendall would win the razor-thin decision, Dana White announced that Ed Herman would not only be brought back to the UFC, but he would receive a six-figure contract too.

Season 4: Scott Smith vs. Pete Sell

Voted on by fans as the No. 45 fight in UFC history, Pete Sell and Scott Smith stole the show with their undercard performance at The Ultimate Fighter 4 Finale. Both men are heavy-handed warriors who don’t know how to say die.

Not only were these two veterans pounding away on one another, but they were having a lot of fun in the process. At multiple occasions, the pugilists would take a break from the action to high-five or hug each other after a particularly intense exchange.

The biggest story coming out of this fight was the epic finish. Drago landed a body blow that doubled Smith over in agony.

Ready to collapse, Smith watched as Sell came in with an aggressive charge. With all of the strength he possessed, Smith threw an overhand right on the speeding Sell that landed flush on the chin, and knocked him into oblivion. Smith immediately fell to the ground in agony.

You have to credit this fight not only for the excellence of the battle, but also for the unwavering warrior heart of a fighter who kept going even after he was unbearably hurt.

Season 6: Jared Rollins vs. Jon Koppenhaver

Jon Koppenhaver, better known as War Machine to many, was a late fill-in on the sixth season of The Ultimate Fighter when Roman Mitichian wasn’t medically cleared to continue. Were it not for that unfortunate situation, this epic contest wouldn’t have taken place.

Rollins had the upper hand for much of the first two rounds in this fast-paced contest. Flying knees and knees up against the cage would open up a cut on Koppenhaver, who was bleeding profusely as they entered the third round.

Despite being exhausted and on the bottom, Koppenhaver managed to perform a reverse from guard and end up in the mount. From there, he threw power shots over and over again as a clearly exhausted and battered Rollins was unable to escape. War Machine got the TKO victory, but both men earned the respect of fans in this bloody battle.

After his all-out war with Koppenhaver, Jared Rollins magically disappeared from the sport, just as quickly and quietly as he arrived. He came, he saw and he left his mark on the sport.

In a fan-voted list of the Top 100 Greatest Fights in UFC history, this bout came in at No. 81.

Season 6: Clay Guida vs. Roger Huerta

The Ultimate Fighter 6 Finale had multiple fights land on the Greatest Fights list, as a raging main event between Clay Guida and Roger Huerta took the No. 22 spot.

Clay Guida appeared to be the first man in the UFC to have Roger Huerta’s number. Using his impressive wrestling to control for much of the first two rounds, Guida would drop Huerta to the mat on multiple occasions. The second round saw Huerta returning to his feet, but a big right hand sent him crashing back into the canvas.

Guida would pounce, but somehow “El Matador” would survive and make it into the final round.

Knowing that “The Carpenter” would utilize his takedowns once again, Huerta was able to land a perfectly timed interceptor knee as Guida shot in. Huerta would land three more knees before working his way onto Guida’s back and securing a rear-naked choke for the incredible come-from-behind victory.

Season 9: Joe Stevenson vs. Nate Diaz

The first of three fight-of-the-night winners, TUF winners Joe Stevenson and Nate Diaz set the pace for the evening in the main card’s opening contest.

Round 1 was a grappling battle that saw great transitions and escapes, which included Diaz finding a way out of the dreaded Stevenson guillotine.

A memorable moment in this fight saw Stevenson holding Diaz up against the cage, with Diaz leaving one knee on the mat. Clearly, Stevenson was waiting for Nate to rise, so he could deliver a devastating knee to the head, but it didn’t come. I’ll paraphrase in order to keep this clean.

Diaz: Kind sir, I wish you would not be so cowardly. You remind me of a feline, and I do not care for it.
Stevenson: I will refrain from my feline-like activities if you take your knee off of the mat. At this moment, it is you who resembles an animal: A female dog, to be specific.

Diaz backed up his trash talk as he lifted his knee and shot in for a takedown before Stevenson could deliver his intended shot.

The grappling, intensive bout is the only time in Diaz’s UFC lightweight career that he has been soundly beaten, as his other losses came via split decision or in the welterweight division.

Season 9: Chris Lytle vs. Kevin Burns

A buddy of mine asked me once: If I had to pick any event to show someone new to MMA, what would it be? My answer was The Ultimate Finale 9.

Attempting to follow the high-intensity action from Diaz vs. Stevenson would be no easy task, but Fight Night king Chris Lytle was up for the challenge. He and welterweight Kevin Burns engaged in a standup battle that nearly saw Chris Lytle eat the only KO loss of his career.

In the first round, after several minutes of intense action, Lytle came in to throw but was met with a hefty uppercut that dropped him to his knees. Burns would rush in to try and finish, but the zombie-like Lytle was able to get to his feet. Clearly dazed, Lytle defended strikes from Burns, who tried to finish until the sound of the first horn.

The next two rounds saw major exchanges that should have both knocked out and gassed both men, but their impressive chins and cardio were on full display. When Lytle started to work in more kicks, the tide changed in his favor, and he would go on to win the final two rounds.

Lytle won the decision and one of the night’s three Fight of the Night awards. It is the only time in UFC history where Dana White has given three contests the top honor. What was the third one? Oh, yeah!

Season 9: Diego Sanchez vs. Clay Guida

This fight is the crown jewel on the resume of Joe Silva. While epic Finale fights like Griffin vs. Bonnar or Grove vs. Herman were created by fate and a tournament bracket, Silva paired up two fighters with enormous energy and intensity to headline The Ultimate Finale 9.

When the fight began, these warriors wasted no time in earning a nomination for Fight of the Year. They charged to the center of the cage, got into the pocket and threw rapid-fire punches at a mind-numbing pace. When Sanchez connected with an enormous head kick, the fight got gritty to say the least.

From Sanchez’s devastating uppercuts to the power double leg takedowns and ground-and-pound from Guida, this fight was exciting for the full fifteen minutes. Diego would be awarded the split decision victory and get a title shot with BJ Penn for winning this fight, but this contest could ultimately be the brightest moment on his career.

This fight was awarded the 2009 Fight of the Year at the World MMA Awards, along with several other media outlets.

Season 12: Leonard Garcia vs. Nam Phan

Leonard Garcia is the kind of fighter who will stand and throw power punches at you for 15 minutes if you’re willing to do the same. When he met Nam Phan at TUF 12 Finale, he was happy that someone could hang.

With an incredible chin, Garcia became a fan favorite for his wild style of looping punches that resemble the motions of throwing a fastball. Many of Garcia’s shots missed wildly, and Phan was able to considerably more damage to his opponent.

The judges threw a curveball by awarding the decision to Garcia, much to the chagrin of the audience and Joe Rogan, who was very vocal about how terrible the decision was. Without the bad decision that marred this bout, Garcia vs. Phan could have gone down as the best fight in TUF history.

Season 12: Fredson Paixao vs. Pablo Garza

Not only was this fight the first featherweight contest in UFC history, but it was one of the fastest, as it ended in only 51 seconds.

Garza was defeated in the elimination round of The Ultimate Fighter, but Joe Silva saw enough in “The Scarecrow” to bring him back to the UFC.

Paixao shot in for a takedown, and Garza was ready for it, throwing a vicious flying knee that knocked his opponent into a deep slumber.

Despite being seen by only a few due to airing only on Facebook, this fight would receive nominations for Knockout of the Year, as well as placement on Bleacher Report's list of the 75 Best Knockouts of the Last 5 Years.

Season 14: Yves Edwards vs. Tony Ferguson

While the battle between veteran Yves Edwards and Ultimate Fighter winner Tony Ferguson wasn’t necessarily a changing of the guard, it was a close battle between two outstanding fighters who were hungry for a big win.

Edwards had the TUF champ in big trouble after a body kick shocked his system. The veteran swarmed, but it wasn’t enough for referee Chris Tognoni. Ferguson’s nose bled badly after the exchange, and he responded by staggering Edwards with a big right hand.

The back-and-forth exchanges saw head kicks and power punches, along with some technical counter shots. Edwards would do a good job of slipping the jab, but Ferguson’s aggression paid off in the end, as all three rounds of the fight were tightly contested, but the judges awarded the fight to Ferguson.

Season 14: Diego Brandao vs. Dennis Bermudez

In one of the best one-round fights in recent memory, featherweight finalists Diego Brandao and Dennis Bermudez left it all in the Octagon at The Ultimate Fighter 14 Finale. Neither man would be intimidated by their dangerous opponent, as they fired away with a variety of strikes in close quarters.

Some of the bout's highlights include a flying kick to the body from Bermudez and a beautiful slam from Brandao. After a brief scramble, the action returned to the feet where Brandao ran into a right hand that put him on the ground.

Bermudez opened up with some punches on his downed opponent, who in turn looked for a leg lock.  Bermudez was able to pull out, and he returned to throw heavy shots in hopes of the stoppage.

In an incredible turn of events, Brandao spun out for an arm and was able to lock in an armbar for the submission with only nine seconds left in the first round.

Brandao would win multiple bonuses for Submission and Fight of the Night, along with the tournament championship and the title Ultimate Fighter.

Tonight, more warriors step into the cage in hopes of putting their name on the map.

Will Al Iaquinta be able to overcome Mike Chisea? Will Jake Ellenberger secure his seventh straight win in the UFC and tie the record for the sixth longest winning streak in UFC history? Will former TUF winner Jonathan Brookins be able to survive the deadly submission game of featherweight challenger Charles Oliveira?

We will find out tonight on FX.