10 of the most unforgettable moments in the history of The Ultimate Fighter
Over the 13-year, 28-season history of The Ultimate Fighter, there have been plenty of memorable fighters produced by the reality show. A huge number of them have been massively successful – TUF has produced UFC champions like Rashad Evans, Michael Bisping and TJ Dillashaw as well as perennial contenders like Diego Sanchez, Tony Ferguson and Kelvin Gastelum.
However, the reality show hasn’t always been focused purely on great fighters. Like all great reality TV, plenty of the seasons over the years saw a large focus on some completely outrageous incidents; things that you never imagined would happen on the show. TUF has seen a roll call of fighters that became legendary following these moments, and while some people were shocked by them, at times they were also massively entertaining.
Due to the longevity of TUF and the number of seasons over the years, this was a hard list to make, but here are the 10 most outrageous moments in the history of The Ultimate Fighter.
#10: Jackson jumps the fence (Season 4)
2006’s Season 4 of TUF was subtitled ‘The Comeback’, and the cast featured 16 fighters who had previously appeared in the UFC and were looking for a way back into the world’s top promotion. The producers were pushing these 16 as real veterans, and thus they were all supposed to be highly professional. Outrageous incidents were expected to be at a minimum, but the season still managed one classic.
Still, the only man to outright knock out Nick Diaz, Jeremy Jackson was bringing a 7-4 record onto the reality show and was considered one of the favourites to win his season’s Welterweight tournament. But before he could even step into the Octagon, he wound up being booted from the house by Dana White.
His mistake? He decided that he’d jump over the fence – for those who don’t know, TUF contestants aren’t supposed to have contact with the outside world – to meet up with a female lifeguard he’d got talking to during a trip to a pool earlier that day. To take such a risk - particularly when the TUF house is literally packed with cameras - was a stunning move.
Unsurprisingly, Dana White was horrified due to the clear violation of the reality show rules, and quickly expelled Jackson from the house. To date, this remains the only time that a fighter on TUF has broken this rule.