25 UFC Rematches from The Ultimate Fighter That We All Want To See

Over the years The Ultimate Fighter has given us drama, pranks, endless amounts of trash talk and even more pranks.

But sometimes overlooked are the fights themselves, which have on occasion been some of the best the UFC has to offer.

While most of the time a rematch is unnecessary and should be passed over in favor of new fights, the following fights inside the TUF house were so good that it seems a little ridiculous that we can’t get another shot at seeing these great matchups.

Kenny Florian vs. Diego Sanchez

The fight to decide the first-ever Ultimate Fighter was between these two former title challengers, and it became painfully obvious that Sanchez was the superior fighter back in 2005.

A rematch between these two would be extremely fun to watch, and it would be interesting to see how much they both have evolved over the last half decade.

Sanchez has had some success at 155 before, so it’s not impossible for this one to happen if he decides to drop down again.

Matt Serra vs. Chris Lytle

Another fight that would end up being a rubber match, Serra and Lytle followed their snoozefest at the TUF 4 Finale with an all-out war at UFC 119, with both fighters winning a fight once.

Although Lytle has since retired from the sport, it seems that a lot of guys just can’t seem to stay away. If he returned for a third fight with Serra, it would be a great one.

Jorge Rivera vs. Patrick Cote

These two UFC veterans met on the fourth season of TUF, affectionately labeled “The Comeback,” which gave UFC stars that had started to fall off a bit a chance in the spotlight.

Rivera and Cote both came out of the show with a new group of fans, and Cote even earned himself a title fight against Anderson Silva.

Cote has since been cut by the promotion, but if he was able to return against Rivera, it would be a fight many fans would enjoy due to the brawls these two put on.

James Wilks vs. Che Mills

Not too many people know who Che Mills is, but he made his UFC debut in spectacular fashion at UFC 138, knocking out Chris Cope with a barrage of knees and punches.

Mills was one of the fighters who attempted to earn his way into the house on TUF 9, but he was defeated by eventual winner James Wilks by heel hook.

Mills has looked impressive more often than not since that time, though, and it would be interesting to see if he could avenge the loss that set back his career.

Ryan Bader vs. Tom Lawlor

These two are in different weight classes, are at different points in their careers and would really have no business fighting each other at all.

But if this is the fight that has to happen to keep Tom Lawlor in the UFC, then I’m begging Joe Silva and Sean Shelby to make it happen.

Nam Phan vs. Cody McKenzie

Cody McKenzie is one of the more interesting characters to ever come out of the show, but he has been struggling in his UFC career so far.

Phan has looked competitive in all of his UFC bouts but currently is just 1-2 inside the Octagon, so he has a ways to go before he enters title contention at 145 lbs.

If McKenzie decides to drop down to featherweight, where he has fought in the past, a rematch with Phan would be extremely entertaining.

Roy Nelson vs. Kimbo Slice

To be fair, Kimbo doesn’t deserve a spot in any upper-tier MMA promotion, let alone the UFC, but it would be fun to see the exposure he would get if he got one more fight inside the Octagon.

Nelson absolutely dominated the first fight, and a sequel would go the same way, but everyone loves a little Kimbo sometimes.

Brad Tavares vs. Seth Baczynski

This fight took place twice already, once on the show and once on the TUF 11 Finale, with Tavares coming away with the win both times.

But Baczynski has looked like a new fighter in his two UFC fights since returning to the promotion, and a third fight would be a tough one to call.

Kyle Kingsbury vs. Krzysztof Soszynski

Another fight that has serious potential to take place in the near future, Kingsbury and Soszynski are in a similar place in the UFC’s light heavyweight division.

While both fighters are entertaining on the feet, Soszynski’s submission game makes this a tough matchup for Kingsbury, who will need to improve the grappling he showed against Stephan Bonnar.

Andre Winner vs. Ross Pearson

These two Brits are highly entertaining, but for some reason their fight to win the TUF title for Season 9 ended up falling a bit flat.

Without the pressure of a TUF championship hanging over their heads, I feel pretty confident that these two could easily put on a great fight once Winner earns his way back inside the Octagon.

Gray Maynard vs. Nate Diaz

Gray Maynard has recently lost two straight title fights, but prior to Frankie Edgar his toughest matchup was easily Nate Diaz.

Diaz submitted Maynard while in the TUF house, and the two had a close fight at UFC Fight Night 20 in early 2010 in which Maynard was victorious.

Diaz is still convinced that he won the second fight and would definitely welcome a rubber match.

Rashad Evans vs. Keith Jardine

I’ll be honest—this fight is never going to happen.

Not only is Jardine no longer with the UFC, but if he were to return, he is nowhere near Rashad’s level of competition.

Throw in the fact that these two are longtime training partners, and it throws another wrench into this possible fight.

C.B. Dollaway vs. Tim Credeur

This fight could actually happen if the UFC wants it to, and it’s a pretty great idea if you’re Joe Silva.

Both fighters have recently been stuck in losing streaks, and their styles are decently entertaining, which could lead to a potential Fight of the Night on a future FX card.

Josh Koscheck vs. Diego Sanchez

A fight between two of the top welterweights in the world would be a rubber match.

Sanchez earned the win over Koscheck during his time on the show, and Kos returned the favor with a victory of his own at UFC 69.

A third fight would make a lot of sense somewhere down the line and could provide some closure between the two fighters.

Ramsey Nijem vs. Tony Ferguson

The finalists of TUF 13, both Nijem and Ferguson have looked extremely good since leaving the confines of the TUF house, and a rematch between the two is not out of the question.

Ramsey got caught by a huge punch from Ferguson early on in their fight, but it would have been interesting to see how the fight played out if he hadn’t.

Kyle Noke vs. Kris McCray

Noke was a favorite to win the show from the second he made the house on TUF 11, but McCray came back from earning a wild-card win and upset the Aussie in the quarterfinals.

McCray has since been released by the UFC, but if he was to make a return in the next year or so, it would be interesting to see if his first win was a fluke.

Matt Mitrione vs. James McSweeney

Now one of the best up-and-coming heavyweights in the sport, it’s hard to believe that Mitrione was eliminated by James McSweeney on the show.

McSweeney didn’t earn himself many fans during his run on TUF 10, and this fight is mostly on here so we can see Mitrione earn some revenge, but more importantly, it’s an excuse to see McSweeney get beat up.

Ryan Bader vs. Kyle Kingsbury

If someone would have told me earlier this year that Kingsbury would be opening a PPV main card while Bader was stuck on the Spike prelims, I would have thought they were insane.

But that’s exactly what happened last weekend, and with Bader winning impressively and Kingsbury looking average in defeat, this is a fight that could happen again pretty quickly.

Cole Miller vs. Joe Lauzon

As of right now, this fight makes no sense from a matchmaking standpoint, but it would be a fantastic fight to see again.

Both Miller and Lauzon have underrated stand-up skills, but they both excel on the mat, which would make this one a BJJ battle to remember.

To add to the intrigue, Miller actually defeated Joe’s younger brother Dan at UFC 108.

Tim Credeur vs. Matt Riddle

These two first met in the quarterfinals of TUF 7, and they put on a show, with both giving a glimpse of their future success before Credeur locked in a fight-ending armbar.

Both fighters are likely a loss away from being cut from the promotion, and they currently compete in different weight classes, but a rematch would be fun to see somewhere down the line.

Josh Koscheck vs. Chris Leben

As Koscheck has been rumored to move to middleweight for a while now, it’s safe to say that if/when the move does happen, this will be one of his first fights at 185.

The rivalry between Koscheck and Leben is still the best in TUF history after 14 seasons, and fans would love to see these two go at it again.

Amir Sadollah vs. Matt Brown

If Matt Brown somehow keeps his job after losing at UFC 139, a rematch with Amir Sadollah would be a great fight for the fans.

Amir shocked a lot of people when he defeated Brown on TUF 7, as Brown was considered one of the toughest fighters in the house.

Of course, Amir would go on to shock everyone a few more times when he won the show as an underdog, defeating C.B. Dollaway for a second time at the finale.

Brendan Schaub vs. Roy Nelson

The final of TUF 10 came down to Nelson, the man who was labeled the favorite the second the roster was announced by everyone who knew more names than just Kimbo Slice, and Brendan Schaub.

Nelson finished Schaub pretty early in their bout, winning by knockout, but Schaub has improved by leaps and bounds since then and would put up a much better fight this time around.

Court McGee vs. Nick Ring

In one of the most controversial decisions in TUF history, Nick Ring got the nod over Court McGee in the second round of the TUF 12 tournament.

Ring eventually had to bow out of the competition due to injury, and McGee took his spot and ended up winning the show, leaving fans wondering if Ring would have run the table himself if not for his knee problems.

Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar

The fight that started it all would be a fun one to see happen for a third time.

While Griffin has gone 2-0 against Bonnar in his career, these two have styles that complement each other quite well, and a third fight wouldn't make any fans angry by any means.

It would be a nice blast from the past if the UFC decided to throw these two against each other on a FOX card in 2012.