Power Ranking the Top 50 Fighters to Appear on the Ultimate Fighter

The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) has produced multiple champions and several more legitimate contenders in its 13 seasons of existence. Whether its popularity is waning or not, the series has to be considered a success at this point.

With Season 13 coming to an end on Saturday, a new group of TUF alumni will join the ranks of the welterweight division. It is unlikely that this season will produce the amount of talent that early seasons did, but you can be sure that at least one fighter will emerge from Brock Lesnar's or Junior Dos Santos' teams to become successful in the UFC.

 With that in mind, here are the 50 best fighters to ever appear on TUF.

50. Court McGee

With only fight since winning TUF Season 11, Court McGee is still proving himself in the UFC. However, his two submission victories in the UFC paint a bright picture for this former drug addict turned mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter.

McGee has an impressive career record of 13-1 with his only loss coming against veteran Jeremy Horn.

49. Matt Mitrione

A former National Football League (NFL) player, Matt Mitrione made his MMA debut through TUF and has parlayed that appearance into an already successful career with the UFC.

Mitrione is undefeated in his first four fights and looking for a step up in competition. He could be getting one when he faces Christian Morecraft in his next fight later this month.

48. Krzysztof Soszynski

Since leaving the TUF house, Krzysztof Soszynski has gone a respectable 5-2 in the UFC. Two of Soszynski's wins came against highly-regarded opponents in Brian Stann and Stephan Bonnar.

For his career, Soszynski is now 25-11-1 and will look to improve that record in his next fight against Igor Pokrajac at UFC 131.

47. C.B. Dollaway

Undefeated heading into TUF, C.B. Dollaway's only losses during the series came against Amir Sadollah in the semifinals and finals, when he was brought back as a replacement.

Since that second loss to Sadollah, Dollaway has gone 5-2 in the UFC with his only losses coming against Mark Munoz and Tom Lawlor.

46. Joe Lauzon

Oddly enough, Joe Lauzon actually made his appearance on TUF after recording a win over Jens Pulver in his UFC debut.

Lauzon's excellent groun game has helped him earn 15 submission victories in his 25 professional fights. Three of those submissions earned Lauzon Submission of the Night honors while with the UFC.

After a disappointing loss to George Sotiropoulos in his last fight, Lauzon will attempt to rebound with a win over Curt Warburton later this month.

45. Ross Pearson

Since winning the Season 9 lightweight tournament, Ross Pearson has gone 3-1 in the UFC and looks to be on his way to a successful career. Already, Pearson has defeated two respected veterans in Dennis Siver and Spencer Fisher.

In his next fight, Pearson will meet a fellow rising star, Edson Barboza, at UFC 134.

44. Amir Sadollah

Amir Sadollah's run with the UFC got off to a rough start after winning TUF Season 7. In his first fight after the finale, Sadollah was defeated by Johny Hendricks.

However, Sadollah has gotten back on the right track since then by winning four of his last five fights. Sadollah will try to continue rolling in August, when he will fight Duane Ludwig.

43. Cole Miller

Cole Miller has looked impressive in most of his fights with the UFC, compiling a record of 6-3. However, Miller has developed a pattern of losing every third fight, which has not allowed him to break into contender status.

Having lost his last fight to Matt Wiman, Miller will attempt to make his next run at becoming a contender when he meets T.J. O'Brien in August.

42. Efrain Escudero

The winner of the Season 8 lightweight tournament, Efrain Escudero looked to be on his way to a bright future with wins over Cole Miller and Dan Lauzon. However, Escudero missed weight by four pound for a fight with Charles Oliveira, and he was immediately released after losing the bout.

Escudero looked to be on his way back to the UFC with three straight victories, but his streak was halted in his last fight with a decision loss to Fabricio Camoes.

41. Shonie Carter

Unlike most of the fighters on this list, Shonie Carter made the cut for what he accomplished prior to appearing on the series rather than what he did during or after TUF.

Prior to appearing on TUF, Carter had racked up more than 30 wins and defeated the likes of Matt Serra and Chris Lytle.

40. Scott Smith

After his appearance on TUF, Scott Smith has gone on to defeat fighters such as Pete Sell, Kyle Noke and Cung Le.

Currently signed with Zuffa-owned Strikeforce, there is a possibility that we could see Smith in the Octagon once again.

39. Jeremy Jackson

Another fighter whose career highlights came prior to his appearance in the TUF house, Jeremy Jackson has stepped into the ring with some of the best in the world.

Despite losing to fighters like Joe Stevenson and Jake Shields, Jackson holds wins against Nick Diaz and Shonie Carter.

38. Rich Clementi

Prior to fighting on TUF, Rich Clementi had already amassed an impressive record of 26-10-1.

After losing to Din Thomas at the series finale, Clementi got back on track by winning seven of his next eight fights, which included victories over Anthony Johnson, Ross Pointon, Melvin Guillard and Sam Stout.

37. Ed Herman

Ed Herman's UFC record of 4-5 doesn't appear all that impressive, bu "Short Fuse" has had competitive fights with some very tough opponents.

In addition to earning a submission win over Scott Smith, Herman fought to a split decision with Alan Belcher.

After suffering a terrible knee injury in his last fight, Herman will return to the UFC for the first time in nearly to years to fight Tim Credeur at the TUF 13 Finale on Saturday.

36. Pete Spratt

Pete Spratt has had a very inconsistent career, but has earned a number of notable victories that make it hard to exclude him from this list.

Over the course of his career, Spratt has defeated fighters such as Rich Clementi, Robbie Lawler, Jeremy Jackson and Luigi Fiorivanti. Spratt will have the opportunity to add another big name to that list when he fights fellow TUF alumn Marcus Davis later this month.

35. Mikey Burnett

With only seven fights in his career and no major wins to speak of, I expect some arguments for having Mikey Burnett ranked as high as he is on this list.

However, Burnett's fight with Pat Miletich in 1998 makes him more than deserving. That fight went to a split decision that went in Miletich's favor. However, the decision was considered highly controversial.

Had Burnett been awarded the victory in that fight, who knows how differently his career could have gone.

34. Matt Wiman

After being embarrassed by Spencer Fisher in his first UFC appearance, Matt Wiman was given another opportunity to fight his way back into the organization through TUF.

Wiman wasn't able to win the Season 5 tournament, but he rattled off four straight UFC victories after leaving the TUF house to solidify his spot in the organization.

Wiman holds an MMA record of 13-5, which includes wins over Cole Miller, Thiago Tavares and Michihiro Omigawa.

33. Mac Danzig

After winning Season 6 of TUF, Mac Danzig found little success in the UFC by going 2-4 in his next six fights. Though, one of those losses included a premature stoppage for a technical submission by referee Yves Lavigne.

In his last fight, Danzig showed everyone why the UFC kept him around by knocking out Joe Stevenson less than two minutes into their bout.

32. Din Thomas

After already having a successful career with wins over Matt Serra and Jen Pulver, Din Thomas earned another shot in the UFC through Season 4 of TUF.

In his first three fights back in the organization, Thomas defeated Rich Clementi, Clay Guida and Jermemy Stephens before being released after back-to-back losses to Kenny Florian and Josh Neer.

31. Chris Lytle

After missing out on a chance at fighting for the welterweight title because of a split decision loss to Matt Serra in the Season 4 finale, Lytle never saw another chance at becoming the top contender.

However, Lytle has become one of the premier gatekeepers in MMA since rejoining the UFC.

Lytle suffered a devastating loss to Brian Ebersole in his last fight, though, which he will look to rebound from with a win over Dan Hardy in August.

30. Mike Whitehead

Mike Whitehead is probably one of the more underrated TUF participants in the history of the series due to the fact that his only shot at making it with the UFC after the show came against Keith Jardine.

Whitehead holds an excellent MMA record of 26-7, which includes wins over fighters such as Ben Rothwell, Travis Fulton, Mark Kerr, Krzysztof Soszynski and Kevin Randleman.

29. Marcus Davis

After losing to Melving Guillard at the TUF Season 2 Finale, it appeared that Marcus Davis' chances at making it into the UFC were gone forever.

However, Davis earned another shot with the organization after winning his next five fights and then extended his winning streak to 11 with six more wins in the UFC.

Davis holds wins over fighters such as Shonie Carter, Pete Spratt and Chris Lytle. Davis will get another chance to defeat Spratt in his next fight later this month.

28. Kendall Grove

After winning the Season 3 middleweight tournament, Kendall Grove has not been able to find consistent success in the Octagon.

Grove does hold wins over fighters like Alan Belcher and Evan Tanner, but he has gone 4-6 in his last 10 fights and could be facing a release from the UFC.

27. Patrick Cote

After blowing his shot a getting a middleweight title shot by losing to Travis Lutter in the finals of Season 4 of TUF, Patrick Cote earned his fight with Anderson Silva the hard way by winning five consecutive fights.

However, during his title fight with Silva, Cote injured his knee and hasn't been the same since. Two fights later, Cote was released from the organization.

26. Travis Lutter

The winner of the Season 4 middleweight tournament, Travis Lutter became one of the most disappointing TUF winners of all time. However, his lack of success was less due to his performances and more due to the fact that he missed weight for his title shot against Anderson Silva.

Nonetheless, Lutter holds wins over fighters like Patrick Cote, Jason MacDonald and Marvin Eastman.

25. Tom Lawlor

If Tom Lawlor stuck to fighting other TUF alumni he would be set for his career. Since competing in Season 8, Lawlor has defeated other TUF fighters such as Patrick Cote, C.B. Dollaway and Kyle Kingsbury.

Lawlor will meet yet another TUF alumni in his next fight against Kyle Noke, whcih will take place in August.

24. Ben Saunders

After competing on Season 6 of TUF, Ben Saunders to an excellent start by winning four of his first five fights.

However, Saunders lost two straight fights after his brutal knockout of Marcus Davis. Following the second of those losses, Saunders was released from the UFC.

23. Nate Quarry

After competing on Season 1 of TUF, Nate Quarry won three straight fights and earned himself a title shot against Rich Franklin.

Quarry's career has since tailed off, but not before earning victories over fighters like Shonie Carter, Pete Sell and Kalib Starnes.

22. Jorge Rivera

If Nate Quarry doesn't return to fighting it will be because of Jorge Rivera. Rivera's win over Quarry forced "Rock" to undergo facial reconstruction from which he has still not returned.

Rivera also holds notable wins over Kendall Grove and Travis Lutter.

21. Melvin Guillard

After getting his career off to a slow start, Melvin Guillard has found structure with Jackson's MMA and has his career going in the right direction.

With his most recent win over Evan Dunham, Guillard has become a lightweight contender with scary athleticism.

20. Brendan Schaub

After losing to Roy Nelson in the Season 10 finals, Brendan Schaub has gone on a tear through the heavyweight division.

Schaub has been so impressive that he may be on the verge of surpassing Nelson in the rankings.

Schaub's next step toward doing so will come against a legend in Antonio Rogerio Nogueira.

19. Roy Nelson

By far the most experienced fighter during that season, Roy Nelson defeated Brendan Schaub to win Season 10 of TUF.

Since then, Nelson has had the possible opportunity to become a top contender, but he was defeated by both Frank Mir and Junior Dos Santos.

18. Manny Gamburyan

In the finals of Season 5 of TUF, Manny Gamburyan suffered a shoulder injury that resulted in his loss to Nate Diaz.

Despite the heart-crushing defeat, Gamburyan arose as a featherweight challenger in the WEC. However, he was knocked out by Jose Aldo when he finally earned a title shot.

17. Joe Stevenson

Once a top contender in the lightweight division, Joe Stevenson has fallen off the map at 155 pounds and decided to drop to featherweight.

The Season 2 winner will attempt to get his career back on track against Javier Vazquez later this month.

16. Mike Swick

After competing on Season 1 of TUF, Mike Swick won nine of his first ten fights with the UFC.

After a dominant win over Ben Saunders, Swick earned a shot at becoming the number one contender if he was able to defeat Dan Hardy. Unfortunately, Swick lost that fight and the following one.

Now, Swick could be fighting for his job against Erick Silva in August.

15. Stephan Bonnar

Stephan Bonnar will always be remembered for his epic brawl with Forrest Griffin in the finals of Season 1 of TUF.

However, Bonnar has gone on to accomplish more than that with wins over Krzysztof Soszynski, Keith Jardine and more.

14. George Sotiropoulos

With seven straight wins after his appearance on Season 6 of TUF, George Sotiropoulos appeared to be on his way to a title shot.

However, Sotiropoulos hit a road block against Dennis Siver and will now have to work his way back up the lightweight ladder.

Still, Sotiropoulos holds wins over fighters such as Joe Stevenson and Joe Lauzon.

13. Nate Diaz

Nate Diaz has found moderate success in both the lightweight and welterweight division since Season 5 of TUF.

Diaz holds wins over fighters like Melvin Guillard and Marcus Davis. Diaz also defeated Gray Maynard during TUF and went to a split decision with Maynard in 2010.

12. Chris Leben

A competitor on Season 1 of TUF, Chris Leben has become a fan favorite and the ideal gatekeeper for the middleweight division.

Leben has defeated a plethora of excellent fighters over the course of his career. Some of those fighters include Jorge Santiago, Jorge Rivera, Patrick Cote and Mike Swick.

11. Keith Jardine

Although he is no longer with the UFC, Jardine had some of the most memorable moments in UFC history after fighting on Season 2 of TUF.

Jardine has earned epic upset wins over Forrest Griffin and Chuck Liddell.

10. Matt Hamill

A competitor on Season 3 of TUF, Matt Hamill has grown into a great fighter and a role model for the disabled.

Hamill has stepped into the Octagon against the best in the world and come away with wins over Tito Ortiz, Keith Jardine, Mark Munoz and others.

9. Michael Bisping

Since winning the Season 3 light heavyweight tournament, Michael Bisping has become the face of British MMA and has extended his professional record to an outstanding 21-3.

Next for Bisping is a return to TUF for the third time and for the second time as a coach. Bisping will coach against Jason Miller on Season 14 of the reality series.

8. Ryan Bader

It took 13 fights, but Ryan Bader finally lost as a professional for the first time against Jon Jones in his last bout. Bader will look to rebound with a win over Tito Ortiz in July.

Despite the loss, Bader remains a light heavyweight contender and the Season 8 light heavyweight tournament winner still has a bright future in the sport.

7. Matt Serra

Having captured the UFC Welterweight Championship in a monstrous upset of Georges St-Pierre, it is impossible not to rank Matt Serra as one of the best fighters to come out of the TUF series.

However, Serra has also been largely inconsistent in his career. Since beating St-Pierre, Serra has lost three of his last four fights and is falling out of relevance.

6. Kenny Florian

Kenny Florian has been near the top of the lightweight division for nearly five years now.

Despite losing to Diego Sanchez in the finals of the Season 1 middleweight tournament, Florian has become hugely successful in the UFC.

The only thing that has eluded him is capturing a UFC title, which he will now attempt to accomplish at featherweight.

5. Josh Koscheck

Despite some setbacks along the way, Josh Koscheck has remained a welterweight contender for nearly his entire career with the UFC, which started after Season 1 of TUF.

Koscheck has defeated a number of excellent fighters during his career such as Diego Sanchez, Paul Daley, Anthony Johnson, Frank Trigg and Chris Lytle.

4. Diego Sanchez

After defeating Kenny Florian in the Season 1 middleweight tournament, Diego Sanchez has become ultra-competitive in more than one weight class.

Sanchez is currently a contender at welterweight, a division he has already had success in before earning a lightweight title shot against B.J. Penn.

3. Gray Maynard

Despite coming up short during the series, Gray Maynard has excelled more than any of his fellow competitors on Season 5 of TUF.

Maynard has maintained an unbeaten professional record and avenged his TUF loss against Nate Diaz. Maynard has also defeated fighters such as Frankie Edgar and Kenny Florian.

With his draw against Edgar in their last fight, Maynard became the clear-cut number two lightweight in the world.

2. Forrest Griffin

Since winning the Season 1 light heavyweight tournament, Forrest Griffin defeated a number of former UFC champions and gone on to become a champion himself.

Griffin has defeated MMA greats such as Rich Franklin, Tito Ortiz, Quinton Jackson and Mauricio Rua.

1. Rashad Evans

The winner of the Season 2 heavyweight tournament, Rashad Evans has gone on to become the best TUF alumni in series history.

Evans' only loss in 17 career fights came against Lyoto Machida in his first title defense. Evans holds wins over other elite TUF alumnus such as Michael Bisping, Stephan Bonnar and Forrest Griffin.