UFC 127 Fight Card: George Sotiropoulos and the 10 Best Former TUF Contestants

The end goal of The Ultimate Fighter is to produce future UFC stars who draw mainstream interest based on their exposure from the series. In the end, some of the show's participants pan out better than others.

The Ultimate Fighter has produced multiple UFC champions and top contenders. On the other hand, some of the most recognizable fighters in the history of the series have also been released from the UFC.

With the show entering its 13th season, The Ultimate Fighter has unquestionably become a successful tool for the UFC to promote its product. Six former contestants will fight on this weekend's UFC 127 main card. 

Lightweight George Sotiropulos is one of those fighters. A contender on an eight fight winning streak, Sotiropoulos is establishing himself as one of the best fighters in The Ultimate Fighter history. With that in mind, here are the ten best fighters to have competed during the first twelve seasons. 

10. Joe Stevenson

Although Joe Stevenson is currently on a two fight losing streak, his career with the UFC has been impressive since winning The Ultimate Fighter 2 welterweight tournament.

Stevenson holds wins over fellow The Ultimate Fighter contestants Nate Diaz and Melvin Guillard. Also, Stevenson has won three Fight of the Night awards and holds notable wins over Kurt Pellegrino, Yves Edwards, Gleison Tibau and Spencer Fisher.

At UFC 80, Stevenson fought B.J. Penn for the UFC Lightweight Championship. Although Stevenson lost to Penn, the fact that he was once a top contender gives him the edge over several other worthy fighters that fell short of this list. 

9. Ryan Bader

In just six fights with the UFC, Ryan Bader has already established himself as one of the best contestants in The Ultimate Fighter history. Bader is coming off of the first loss of his career, but there is a reason the fighter he lost to, Jon Jones, was immediately offered a title shot after the win.

The winner of The Ultimate Fighter 8 light heavyweight tournament, Bader climbed his way up the light heavyweight ladder with wins over Keith Jardine and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. Interestingly, Nogueira was the brother of Bader's coach on the show, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.

8. George Sotiropoulos

Since being given a second chance with the UFC at The Ultimate Finale 6, George Sotiropoulos has gone undefeated in seven fights with the organization. In the semifinals of the sixth season of The Ultimate Fighter, Sotiropoulos was knocked out by Tommy Speer shortly after being being poked in the eye.

With consecutive wins over Joe Stevenson, Kurt Pellegrino and Joe Lauzon, Sotiropoulos has become one of the top contenders in the lightweight division. A win over Dennis Siver at UFC 127 is unlikely to earn him a title shot, but Sotiropoulos will certainly be in the conversation.

The only losses of Sotiropoulos' career have been a close decision against Kyle Noke and a disqualification against Shinya Aoki. Sotiropoulos has since avenged his loss to Noke.  

7. Matt Serra

One of three contestants on The Ultimate Fighter to become a UFC champion, Matt Serra earned his title shot with a split decision win over Chris Lytle in the finals of season four. Serra made the most of his opportunity by defeating Georges St. Pierre in one of the biggest upsets in UFC history.

However, Serra went on to lose three of his next four fights, which contributed to him being ranked much lower than the other champions on this list. Still, Serra's only losses have come against some of the biggest names in MMA, which include Georges St. Pierre, Matt Hughes and B.J. Penn.

6. Kenny Florian

In his long stay with the UFC, Kenny Florian has only lost four fights, which all came against former champions or top contenders. Twice Florian has fought in lightweight championship fights and came up short on both occasions. 

In his last fight, Florian had an opportunity to become a top contender for a third time, but was defeated by Gray Maynard. Now, Florian is looking to become a top contender in a new weight division, featherweight. Florian's next, and quite possibly last, run at a title begins with a fight against Diego Nunes at UFC 131. If he wins, in impressive fashion, he likely earns himself a title shot at featherweight kingpin Jose Aldo.

5. Diego Sanchez

Diego Sanchez was the winner of the middleweight tournament on the original season of The Ultimate Fighter. Sanchez won the tournament with a first round technical knockout of Kenny Florian.

Although he has only had one unsuccessful shot at a title, Sanchez has been extremely competitive in both the lightweight and welterweight divisions. Aside from a disappointing loss to John Hathaway in his return to welterweight, Sanchez's only other losses of his career have come against B.J. Penn, Jon Fitch and Josh Koscheck. 

4. Josh Koscheck

In December 2010, Josh Koscheck finally received his shot at a title and a chance to avenge a loss against Georges St. Pierre. However, Koscheck was easily defeated by St. Pierre.

Nevertheless, Koscheck has put together some big wins over the course of his career. Koscheck holds notable wins over Diego Sanchez, Chris Lytle, Frank Trigg, Anthony Johnson and Paul Daley.

Koscheck has won one Knockout of the Night, one Submission of the Night and two Fight of the Night awards. Originally a one-dimensional wrestler on The Ultimate Fighter, Koscheck has transformed into a complete mixed martial artist.

3. Gray Maynard

Since joining the UFC through the fifth season of The Ultimate Fighter, Gray Maynard has beaten an impressive list of lightweights. Just to name a few, Maynard holds wins over Frankie Edgar, Jim Miller, Nate Diaz and Kenny Florian.

Maynard boasts an undefeated record of 10-0-1 with one no contest. Of course, Maynard's only draw came in his last fight, which was against Edgar for the UFC Lightweight Championship. Because of the controversial nature of the decision, Maynard will fight Edgar for a third time at UFC 130 to determine once and for all which fighter is the best lightweight in the world.

2. Forrest Griffin

The winner of the light heavyweight tournament on season one of The Ultimate Fighter, Forrest Griffin has become a measuring stick by which all champions of the show have been measured.

Back-to-back wins over Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson made Griffin the UFC Light Heavyweight Champion in 2008.

After losing his title to Rashad Evans and being embarrassed by Anderson Silva, Griffin appears to have gotten his career back on track with consecutive wins over Tito Ortiz and Rich Franklin. Always entertaining, Griffin has captured three Fight of the Night awards and won fight bonuses in four consecutive fights at one point.

1. Rashad Evans

Although he was one of the smaller competitors, Rashad Evans was able to win The Ultimate Fighter heavyweight tournament in season two of the series. After his success on the show, Evans moved immediately back to the light heavyweight division, where he has been extremely successful as well.

Evans became UFC Light Heavyweight Champion by defeating Forrest Griffin, but would lose his next fight to Lyoto Machida in what is still the only loss of his career. Evans had been scheduled for a chance to reclaim his belt in a championship fight with Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, but was forced to withdraw from the fight due to a knee injury.

Evans holds wins over UFC and Pride FC legends Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Chuck Liddell. For now, Evans is the best fighter to ever come out of The Ultimate Fighter, but there are plenty of rising stars looking to take that distinction away from him.

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Sean Smith is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report MMA. For the latest insight and updates on everything MMA, you can follow Sean on Twitter @BR_Sean_Smith.