The Ultimate Fighter reality show helped launch the UFC to its current level of success -- not to mention produced very talented series champions. So where do these champions stand now in their current UFC careers? And where are they heading?
There is no denying the impact ‘The Ultimate Fighter' reality show has had on the growth of Mixed Martial Arts in America. Despite the fact that fans who are ‘in the know' love to trash TUF and the fighters who participate, the show has given people who had previously thought of MMA as a brutal no rules bloodbath a chance to see how far the sport has evolved from the early days of the UFC.
This is not to say the show is perfect. Questionable fighters have been given a chance to fight. Danny Abbadi anyone? The ‘reality television' angle is often played up too much. And once getting off the show, TUF fighters are often protected in order to look good.
Still, there is no doubt in my mind that without TUF the UFC would have a microcosm of the success it enjoys today.
Apart from this, the show has also produced winners that are making serious names for themselves in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
So since it has been a slow week as far as news goes – let us take a look at how the Ultimate Fighter champions have been doing thus far in their young UFC careers.
Note: I am excluding TUF Season 4 winners Travis Lutter and Matt Serra since they had extensive UFC experience before the show.
Season 1:
The season that started it all is also probably the best one to date. This series saw some good fights as well as good fighters. Besides the winners, there are still many names from this season still performing very well in the UFC to this day. These fighters include Josh Koscheck, Mike Swick, and Kenny Florian.
‘The Nightmare' made easy work of the middleweight class in route to his Season 1 championship. After being crowned the Season 1 winner he immediately dropped to the welterweight division where he started to climb the ranks of the UFC 170-pounders.
Grade since winning TUF: A-
Diego has put together the most impressive resume of any TUF alum since getting off the show. After easily defeating Brian Gassaway in his first UFC fight since winning the show, Sanchez went on a tear. His next streak of wins came against Nick Diaz, John Alessio, Karo Parisyan, and Joe Riggs. Now that is impressive.
The problem for Diego is that just as he was poised for his title shot he suffered his first defeat when he lost to arch nemesis Josh Koscheck. Not only that, but this was a terrible loss. In the fight ‘The Nightmare' looked hesitant and discouraged. This was something that fans were not used to seeing. It was clear that Koscheck was in his head and Diego had no answer.
Potential (1-10): 7.5
The Koscheck fight brought Diego back down to Earth. Before it, the sky was the limit for the Greg Jackson trained fighter. However, now he must go back to the drawing board. The Joe Riggs fight gave people a false sense of how good Diego's striking had gotten. It simply is not as far along as it should be which means he will run in to trouble when he can't get the fight to the ground. Take a look at the John Alessio fight to see a prime example of this.
Still, Sanchez is a hard worker with tons of heart. His wrestling will have to get better in the wrestler saturated welterweight division in order for him to get to the top. But don't be surprised to see him there one day.
Forrest Griffin won the light-heavyweight division of Season 1 when he defeated Stephan Bonnar in the finals. The now classic fight helped put MMA on the map in mainstream America and afterwards Griffin started his quest for bigger things.
Grade Since winning TUF: C
Since winning TUF, Forrest sports a lackluster 3-2 record. His wins have come against suspect competition in the form of Bill Mahood, Elvis Sinosic, and the fallen Stephan Bonnar. Forrest greatest moment since winning TUF was probably his split decision loss to Tito Ortiz. At the time this was the biggest fight for any TUF alum. Even though he lost, Griffin earned the respect of many people and gave a sense of legitimacy to all TUF fighters. Most recently, Forrest suffered a heartbreaking loss to Keith Jardine.
Potential (1-10): 5
The bubble may have burst on Forrest Griffin after his last fight. So far his biggest attribute has been his ability to take a beating and come back for more. This isn't going to get him to a title anytime soon. His main problem is that he is decent in a lot of aspects of his game but not dominant in any.
Still, there is always room for improvement. He was winning the fight against Jardine before getting caught and losing. If he comes back hungry he may be able to start working his way back. His first fight with Bonnar brought him lifelong recognition in MMA and thus he will always have a job. However, his role may turn out to be more of a gatekeeper - rather than a contender.
Season 2:
Season 2 of TUF saw fights between heavyweight and welterweight divisions. The fights of this season left much to be desired but many of the fighters have emerged as UFC regulars. These fighters include Josh Burkman, Keith Jardine, and Melvin Guillard.
The season also produced perhaps the best combination of winners in the shows history.
Joe ‘Daddy' cruised to TUF finals with submission victories in the first round against Marcus Davis and Jason von Flue. Stevenson then went to an exciting 3 round unanimous decision victory over Luke Cummo in the season finale.
Grade since winning TUF: B+
Stevenson had a rough start to his UFC career when he suffered a punishing defeat to Josh Neer in his first fight since winning TUF.
Afterwards, Joe dropped to the newly reformed lightweight division and began his ascent to the top. He has rolled off 3 impressive victories starting with highly regarded veterans Yves Edwards and Dokonjonosuke Mishima. Then, to cap-off his win streak Stevenson choked out Melvin Guillard] in less than 30 seconds.
Potential (1-10): 9
Joe Stevenson has perhaps more potential than any other TUF winner. He has over 30 fights under his belt and is only 24 years-old.
Stevenson's ground game is as good as anyone in the lightweight division and he is a strong wrestler as well. His striking could use some work but he caught Guillard with a stiff jab that led to the guillotine – so maybe his hand improvements have already arrived.
With his latest victory Stevenson put himself in line for a title shot at the winner of the anticipated Sherk/Franca bout. His next fight could be against Franca's training partner Kurt Pellegrino and Stevenson will need a victory to keep his place on the ladder. Expect this to happen since he has looked superb since his drop to 155.
Former Michigan State University wrestler Rashad Evans won the heavyweight division with nothing but decisions. Then, in the season finale he punished Brad Imes for 3 straight round but once again could not finish the fight.
Grade since winning TUF: B+
In his first fight since winning TUF Rashad went to a split decision with Sam Hoger. He then followed the win up with a mauling of Stephan Bonnar in a unanimous decision. Despite winning both bouts it looked as if Evans would never be able to actually finish a fight.
Things changed in Evans' next fight against Jason Lambert in which he scored the most impressive of all his wins. Evans decimated Lambert and mounted him for a KO victory in the second round. Next up for Rashad was Sean Salmon. Despite losing the first round, Rashad came out with fury in the second and knocked Salmon cold with a high-kick to score the KO.
Potential (1-10): 8.5
Out of all TUF winners, Rashad has shown the most improvement. He originally won the show mainly due to his superior wrestling and the lack of competition in that season's heavyweight division. In his fights against Hoger and Bonnar, Evans showed little improvement and resorted to his wrestling instincts. The Lambert fight was awesome however, and his ability to transition to full mount to win the fight showed that Rashad was making strides in becoming a well-rounded fighter.
Currently, Evans trains with Greg Jackson's camp in New Mexico which is one of the best camps around. His hands and BJJ look better every fight. Rashad's upcoming bout with Tito Ortiz will be huge. If Evans wins he will most likely get a title shot and his excellent wrestling skills could be problematic for Liddell.
Season 3:
Season 3 is known for the Tito/Ken feud which took the spotlight over most of the season. Still, there were some good fights especially in the middleweight division. Some talented fighters were on the season and those who are still in the UFC include Rory Singer, Ed Herman, and Matt Hamill.
Perhaps the most unlikely of TUF winners was Kendall Grove. The Hawaii native came on the show with a lack luster 7-3 record. Grove made great improvements under the guidance of Tito Ortiz and was able to win a close decision over Ed Herman on the season finale.
Grade since winning TUF: B
Grove has only had 2 fights since TUF victory and that is the main reason why this grade isn't higher. You can only beat the people who are put in front of you and so far Grove has done that with ease. First, he tapped out Chris Price due to strikes in the first round and most recently he destroyed Alan Belcher in a second round submission victory. The fight with Belcher was the more impressive of the two as it was supposed to be an even contest. This was not the case as Grove used his huge reach to keep Belcher on the outside and then took him down at will. Grove showed impressive submission skills by finishing Belcher with a D'Arce choke.
Potential (1-10): 6.5
More than anything else Kendall is an enigma. You just can't be quite sure how good he is going to get. He is very young at age 24 and looks to be improving everyday. He has a very unique build with 185lbs built into a 6'6 body. If he can start to learn how to use his reach more effectively he will have a huge advantage over anyone else in the division. However, his long limbs may become a problem when he steps into the octagon with superior wrestlers.
In the end, expect Grove to have a very solid career. He may even one day get a title shot, but don't expect him to be wearing the gold.
The most dominant path through TUF came from Michael Bisping. The England native defeated both opponents on the show in the first round and then laid a beating on Josh Haynes in the season finale.
Grade since winning TUF: B-
Just like Grove, Bisping has only had two fights since winning TUF. He won both fights decisively first beating Eric Shafer and next Elvis Sinosic. The reason Bisping gets a B- instead of a B is because in both fights he got himself into trouble. First, against Shafer when he almost got submitted in a kimura and next, against Sinosic when he got dropped by a knee and almost caught in a submission.
He was able to overcome both setbacks and went on to victory.
Potential (1-10): 8
Bisping has a world of talent. His stand-up is great and his ground game is formidable. He will need to work on his takedown defense and wrestling in general in order to climb into the top level of UFC light-heavyweight but this can be done. He also has plenty of experience with his 13-0 record.
The UFC would love to groom Michael into a poster-boy. He is charismatic and has a very exciting fighting style. They seem to be bringing Bisping along slowly, but expect a higher level of competition in his next fight which should give us a better idea of just how good he really is.
Conclusion
From the above list you can see the quality of fighters that The Ultimate fighter has produced. Do any of the fighters on the current season have a chance of reaching the level of their predecessors? Only time will tell.
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