The 25 Best Fighters in Ultimate Fighter History

The end of another season of The Ultimate Fighter is upon us, and for the first time a featherweight and bantamweight champion will be crowned.

Most seasons featuring new weight classes usually end up producing a few stars, and this one will likely be no different.

The fighters on this list are the best in the history of the competition, and in a year or two it wouldn’t be surprising if a few of the cast members of TUF 14 were added to their ranks.

25. Marcus Davis

Marcus Davis did something that almost no fighter has done, and that’s lose the TUF competition and work his way all the way back to the UFC.

After he got second shot at the big time, Davis went on a tear, winning eight of his first nine inside the Octagon.

After that his downward spiral started and he dropped four of his last five fights and was cut by the promotion.

24. Matt Mitrione

The wild card on season 10 of TUF, Mitrione was a mediocre fighter on the show, but he has since proven that he is able to evolve and has become one of the best heavyweights in the sport.

Mitrione recently dropped a decision to Cheick Kongo at UFC 137, but he can easily get back into the hunt in a weak division with a win in his next fight.

23. Mike Swick

Fighting two full weight classes above his current division, Mike Swick was one of the many fighters on TUF season 1 that ended up making a name for himself inside the organization.

Over the last few years Swick has battled numerous injuries that have kept him outside of the cage, but it looks likely that he will return at some point in 2012.

22. Stephan Bonnar

After losing arguably the most important fight in UFC history, fans were interested to see where Stephan Bonner’s career would go.

Since his battle with Forrest Griffin in 2005, Bonnar has been a middle of the pack light heavyweight but has put on fan friendly fights that have made sure he is unlikely to ever lose his roster spot.

21. Keith Jardine

“The Dean of Mean” was one of the most popular fighters in the UFC for a while, with his knockout power and unorthodox style endearing him to fans.

However, sometimes being a fan favorite isn’t enough to keep your job, and despite wins over Forrest Griffin and Chuck Liddell, Jardine was cut by the promotion after losing four straight fights.

20. Nate Quarry

The man who kept the house from exploding in TUF season 1, Quarry was the voice of reason in a group of young fighters when he competed in the middleweight tournament.

Unfortunately an injury forced him out of the competition before he got a chance to compete, but he ended up doing okay without the competition and was the first TUF fighter to ever get a UFC title shot.

19. Patrick Cote

Patrick Cote may not have the name value as a lot of other guys on the list, but he once earned a title shot against Anderson Silva, so he deserves some respect.

Cote was let go by the promotion early last year, but he still had a decent amount of success inside the Octagon

18. George Sotiropoulos

One of the favorites to win The Ultimate Fighter 6, Sotiropoulos was upset in the tournament by Tommy Spear.

George got his shot inside the UFC anyway, and won his first seven fights inside the Octagon including wins over TUF veterans Joe Lauzon and Joe Stevenson.

Sotiropoulos has gone from a top contender to on the verge of losing his roster spot after losing two straight fights in 2011.

17. Roy Nelson

For a while, Roy Nelson was known simply as the fat guy who beat up Kimbo Slice on TUF 10.

Since then, Nelson has become a legitimate heavyweight in the UFC defeating everyone but the very best in the division and recently retired MMA legend Mirko Cro Cop.

16. Chris Lytle

The king of bonus checks, Chris Lytle has made more money by putting on exciting fights than anyone else in UFC history.

Lytle suffered against top competition during his UFC career, but no one really seemed to care as he always came to fight and was one of the most exciting fighters of all time.

Lytle retired in 2011, after his victory over Dan Hardy, which fittingly earned him two bonus checks at the end of the night.

15. Melvin Guillard

One of the hardest hitters in the entire organization, Melvin Guillard can knockout anyone in the lightweight division with just one well timed punch.

After moving his way up the division, Guillard was upset by Joe Lauzon at UFC 136 and needs to beat Jim Miller in early 2012 in order to get back into the title mix.

14. Joe Lauzon

In an odd twist, Lauzon came into The Ultimate Fighter 5 with a win over one of the coaches, Jens Pulver.

Luckily, any awkward situations were avoided when he was drafted onto BJ Penn’s team and he was immediately considered one of the favorites to win the whole thing.

Lauzon has since had a successful UFC career and is inching his way towards a title shot.

13. Ryan Bader

The winner of TUF season 9, Bader had a rough start to 2011, losing fights to Jon Jones and Tito Ortiz, but he recently bounced back with a knockout win over Jason Brilz at UFC 139.

With the win, Bader moves back into the title hunt and he’s set to try and ruin Rampage Jackson’s return fight in Japan at UFC 144.

12. Matt Hamill

The only TUF fighter to defeat their coach, Matt Hamill had a pretty decent UFC career before he decided to hang up his gloves earlier this year.

With wins over Tito Ortiz, Keith Jardine and Mark Munoz, Hamill really started to make a name for himself before falling off in 2011.

11. Chris Leben

The original Ultimate Fighter bad guy, Leben went on several drunken rampages during his time on TUF season 1, most noticeably when he was provoked by Josh Koscheck into destroying the house.

Since then, Leben has been a fan favorite inside the Octagon and has put on some of the most entertaining fights in UFC history.

10. Nate Diaz

The younger Diaz was impressive inside the Ultimate Fighter house, and has only continued to look like a high level fighter since winning season 5 of the show.

Winning multiple fights in both the lightweight and welterweight divisions has raised Diaz’s stock considerably over the last few years and he is currently working his way back up the 155 lb. ladder.

9. Joe Stevenson

The winner of The Ultimate Fighter 2 was one of the first TUF fighters to ever earn a UFC title shot when he fought BJ Penn at UFC 80.

Since that fight he has had an up and down career and after losing four straight fights in 2010-2011, “Joe Daddy” has been released by the UFC.

8. Michael Bisping

One time TUF winner and two time coach, Bisping has appeared in more episodes than any other fighter in the history of the show.

To date, Bisping has struggled against top competition, but if he is able to defeat Mayhem Miller this weekend it will likely put him in position to earn himself a title shot with another victory.

7. Diego Sanchez

The original Ultimate Fighter winner, Sanchez has gone on to have a highly successful UFC career.

With wins over Nick Diaz, Clay Guida and Martin Kampmann, Sanchez has had some serious wars in his UFC career and even earned a title shot against BJ Penn back at UFC 107.

6. Gray Maynard

After going undefeated in his UFC career since the moment he walked out of the Ultimate Fighter house, Maynard finally tasted defeat earlier this year at UFC 136, where he lost his second straight title shot.

Even though Maynard hasn’t won a fight since August of 2010, he is still a legitimate threat in the UFC’s lightweight division.

5. Josh Koscheck

One of the many season 1 alumni on this list, Koscheck went from a drama starter in the TUF house to… well, a drama starter in the UFC’s welterweight division.

To be fair, Koscheck is currently one of the best fighters in one of the UFC’s toughest divisions and is probably the fighter who has improved the most from the time he was on the show to now.

4. Kenny Florian

After going 0-3 in title fights, it seems like Florian is a little underrated by the MMA community, but he is easily one of the best fighters in TUF history.

After coming up short against Diego Sanchez in the first ever TUF championship fight, Florian has gone on to have an extremely successful UFC career.

3. Matt Serra

To quote Mike Goldberg, Matt Serra “shocked the world” when he took out Georges St-Pierre at UFC 69 to win the UFC welterweight title.

Since that fight Serra has struggled a bit, but as he is one of only three TUF fighters to win a title, he deserves the spot in the top 3.

2. Forrest Griffin

The face of The Ultimate Fighter, Forrest won the biggest fight in TUF history when he beat Stephan Bonnar at the TUF 1 finale.

Since then, Griffin has beaten Rampage Jackson, Shogun Rua and Tito Ortiz and has a light heavyweight title win on his resume.

1. Rashad Evans

It really isn’t all that hard to figure out who the most successful fighter in TUF history.

Evans knocked out the No. 2 fighter on the list, Forrest Griffin, to win the UFC light heavyweight title back at UFC 92, and holds big wins over Chuck Liddell, Rampage Jackson, Tito Ortiz, and Michael Bisping.

Seems like a solid resume and is easily the best fighter in TUF history.