The Top 10 Bouts in 'Ultimate Fighter' History
The brainchild of UFC President Dana White, The Fertitta brothers, and reality show guru Craig Piligian (American Chopper, Dirty Jobs). The Ultimate Fighter started back in 2005 as a vehicle to establish more mainstream acceptance for not only The Ultimate Fighting Championship, but for the sport of Mixed Martial Arts in general.
It was a huge risk for Zuffa, the parent company of the UFC, as they had to finance the majority of the first season; but most of you know the end result. The risk paid off big time and not only catapulted the UFC into the mainstream, but it turned average guys into household names nearly overnight.
With the latest installment of The Ultimate Fighter coming up next week, B/R will be taking a look back at the greatest fights in the show's past 11 seasons.
10. Cole Miller Vs Joe Lauzon (Season 5)
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These two future UFC standouts made their mark with this fight. Season 5 was particularly special due to it being dedicated to the fighters trying to make a second run in the UFC.
With the fight mainly consisted of a ground battle and Miller getting the better of Lauzon, it looked as though Miller was on his way to a victory. However, during their time on the ground Miller suffered an elbow to the back of the head by an in advertant shot.
Even though the referee gave Miller time to recover, he still seemed a bit rocked. That was all Lauzon needed to secure the victory and move on to the next round.
Jason Von Flue Vs Jorge Gurgel (Season 2)
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Jason Von Flue had a late start on the second season of TUF. Serving as a replacement for an injured Josh Burkman, he was set to face off against current Strike Force lightweight Jorge Gurgel.
While many in the house counted Flue out as being a potential winner, Flue had something else in mind. He was able to take Gurgel to a 3 round battle that left them both bloody and beaten.
At the end of the fight though, Flue's hand was raised as the victor.
Ben Saunders Vs Dan Barrera (Season 6)
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You gotta like Ben Saunders. On the sixth season of TUF, he carried himself as an intelligent and personable fighter.
So with that said, his fight with Dan Barrera was a real slobber knocker.
With the two giving it all that they had, Saunders was able to pull off the decision. In fact, the war between these two was considered so good by Joe Silva, that a rematch was set for the TUF finale.
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Amir Sadollah Vs Matt Brown (Season 7)
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In a battle between "The Immortal" and what many would consider to be the underdog of the show, this fight was a pact between two friends to not hold back.
Well needless to say, they kept their promise and this resulted in a great striking match with shots that even caused UFC President Dana White to jump out of his chair from excitement.
Once the match ended, Sadollah's hand was raised as the winner by way of a submission.
Jason Dent Vs Ross Pearson (Season 9)
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Pearson's wrestling was the only thing which kept him going in this highly competitive fight. However it was not enough to keep him from getting tagged by Dent's striking.
After three rounds, Ross Pearson won by decision and gave Dent his props for being such a tough opponent.
Rob Emerson Vs Corey Hill (Season 5)
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Emerson's reach allowed him to get off many striking combinations throughout the fight, but Hill's grit and determination allowed him to stay in the fight. He took round one and edged out the win in round three.
CB Dollaway Vs Tim Credeur (Season 7)
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Credeur succumbed to CB's great wrestling skill even though Dollaway got caught with a few shots from his opponent.
Rob Emerson Vs Nate Diaz (Season 5)
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This fight was deemed as one of the greatest fights in the history of the show by UFC President Dana White.
Diaz, being the house's resident bad boy, had already made an enemy in Emerson and it showed.
The fight was aggressive from the start with both fighters swinging hard for that knockout punch. Once on the ground Nate Diaz couldn't go wrong by using his superior jiu jitsu to gain the submission.
Damarques Johnson Vs Nick Osipczak (Season 9)
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In this three-round war Damarques Johnson was able to secure a victory after being nearly knocked out in round 2.
Matt Riddle Vs Tim Credeur (Season 7)
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In this epic battle, the newbie Matt Riddle and the more established Tim Credeur ended up all over the cage. It forced Riddle to bring his "A" game and pushed Credeur to have the fight of his life.
By securing an armbar in the 2nd round, Credeur went on to the next round of the show and became a huge fan favorite.
Follow Will Anderson On Twitter
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Will Anderson is growing into a juggernaut on the MMA media scene. While his articles are both thought provoking and entertaining, it's his drive to share his passion of the sport with others by creating a platform for other aspiring writers to display their work.
Will is a contributor to both RealSportsNet.com and Bleacher Report; in addition, he has also made guest appearances on The Sprawl N Brawl internet radio show ( http://www.blogtalkradio.com/sprawlnbrawl ), as well as creating the fast growing facebook group: The MMA Writer's Block.
On top of all that, he still finds time to study Brazilian Jiu Jitsu under Eduardo Santos of Lotus Club.
To keep up with this rising star, follow him on Twitter:
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