10 most successful TUF champions in UFC history - ranked
This weekend’s UFC Fight Night features the finals of the 30th season of The Ultimate Fighter, as four more fighters will battle to attempt to be crowned the latest TUF champions.
Over the years, numerous fighters have been able to win their season of TUF before going onto more success in the UFC, but who is the most successful TUF champion of all time?
Ahead of the #TUF30 finale this Saturday, here are some of the most legendary alumni in @UltimateFighter history 🎞
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It’s an interesting question, purely because at this point – 17 years after the reality show’s inaugural season – a number of TUF champions have been able to claim gold in the octagon.
Here, then, are the UFC’s 10 most successful TUF champions – ranked.
#10. Matt Serra – former UFC welterweight champion (TUF 4)
When fans discuss the biggest upsets in UFC history, one bout that instantly comes to mind is Matt Serra’s 2007 welterweight title victory over Georges St-Pierre. Nobody was really giving ‘The Terror’ a shot at winning, and one reason for this was that he’d only earned his title shot by winning his bracket on TUF 4.
Serra had hardly set the world alight on the reality show, defeating journeymen Pete Spratt and Shonie Carter before outpointing Chris Lytle in the finals. St-Pierre, meanwhile, had shellacked not only legendary champ Matt Hughes, but other top fighters like Sean Sherk and Frank Trigg.
In the end, though, that didn’t matter. ‘The Terror’ stunned ‘GSP’ with a wild right hand to the temple and finished him off inside the first round to become the first TUF winner to claim gold inside the octagon.
avenged the loss and never tasted defeat again!13 years ago today...
Matt Serra knocked out Georges St-Pierre in one of the biggest upsets in UFC history 🤯
The 🐐 avenged the loss and never tasted defeat again! https://t.co/RcgHciElLJ
The fact that Serra dropped the title right back to St-Pierre – and then went on to lose two of his final three bouts before his 2010 retirement – means he can’t be ranked any higher than this, but his huge upset title win definitely makes him one of the most successful TUF winners of all time.
#9. Nate Diaz – UFC welterweight contender (TUF 5)
While he’s never claimed gold inside the octagon – he came up short against then-lightweight champ Benson Henderson in his lone title bout in 2012 – it’s fair to say that Nate Diaz’s overall accomplishments make him one of the UFC’s most successful TUF champions.
Diaz was just a prospect back in 2007 when he defeated Manny Gamburyan to win TUF 5, a season that is usually remembered as one of the toughest and most entertaining editions of the reality show.
The native of Stockton, California, went onto make a huge and popular name for himself with wins over the likes of Takanori Gomi, Donald Cerrone and Jim Miller, but it was his 2016 win over Conor McGregor that really catapulted him out of the shadow of his older brother Nick.
OTD in 2016...
📆 OTD in 2016...
Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz went to war at #UFC196 👊
https://t.co/SRm2yOHDTg
Following his win over ‘The Notorious’, Diaz found himself renowned not only as one of the UFC’s biggest superstars, but one of the promotion’s biggest drawing cards, too.
His rematch with McGregor broke the promotion’s pay-per-view buyrate record at the time, and his subsequent bouts with the likes of Jorge Masvidal and Leon Edwards have earned him plenty of money as well – making him a comfortable entry on this list.
#8. Julianna Pena – former UFC bantamweight champion (TUF 18)
Prior to 2021, it looked like Julianna Pena would probably be able to count herself among the TUF champions who did well for themselves in the UFC, but never achieved anything truly remarkable.
‘The Venezuelan Vixen’ became the first female winner of the reality show in its 18th season back in 2013, but while she was able to pick up big wins over the likes of Cat Zingano and Jessica Eye, some serious knee injuries hampered her development, and she also suffered a couple of disappointing defeats, too.
When she was matched with dominant bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes at UFC 269, then, few fans were giving her a shot at winning. After all, ‘The Lioness’ hadn’t been beaten since 2014 and had laid waste to every fighter in her path, even legendary former champs like Cris Cyborg and Ronda Rousey.
Incredibly, though, Pena put on the fight of her life and ended up stunning Nunes with a second-round rear-naked choke to become the latest TUF champion to claim gold in the octagon.
#UFC269JULIANNA PENA SHOCKS THE WORLD 🌎 #UFC269 https://t.co/LNr4amWe94
‘The Venezuelan Vixen’ has since lost the title back to Nunes in a rematch, but the fact that she defeated her in the first place means that she definitely belongs on this countdown of the most successful TUF winners.
#7. Forrest Griffin – former UFC light heavyweight champion (TUF 1)
Few TUF champions have ever ascended to the same levels of popularity as Forrest Griffin, who won the light heavyweight bracket of the reality show’s inaugural season back in 2005.
Griffin’s fight with Stephan Bonnar at the finale – a wild brawl for the ages – drew countless numbers of new fans to the UFC and is widely credited with helping the promotion to soar to new heights in the years that followed.
However, while some fans wrote Griffin off as a flash in the pan and a one-dimensional brawler, he quickly proved them wrong with a string of impressive performances that ended with him claiming UFC gold after back-to-back wins over Shogun Rua and Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson.
Jul5.2008
9 years ago today,
Forrest Griffin def. Rampage Jackson to become the new UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. https://t.co/Al5IzDgotz
Griffin’s reign as champion didn’t last too long – he was unseated by Rashad Evans in his first title defense just five months after claiming the gold – but he remained near the top of the 205lb division until his 2012 retirement, and is still part of the promotion today, albeit in an office role.
There can be no doubt, then, that he belongs on any list of the most successful TUF winners.
#6. Rashad Evans – former UFC light heavyweight champion (TUF 2)
Rashad Evans, who unseated Forrest Griffin for the UFC light heavyweight title, was also produced by TUF, winning the second season of the reality show. ‘Suga’ never quite gained the popularity of the man he took his title from, but overall, he probably accomplished slightly more in the octagon.
Evans’ run on the reality show wasn’t all that impressive, as he came under fire for his performances despite outpointing four larger men to win the heavyweight bracket.
However, a drop to 205lbs sent his career skyrocketing as he defeated opponents such as Michael Bisping and Chuck Liddell before overcoming Griffin to become a UFC champion in the final bout of 2008.
Like Griffin, Evans’ reign as champion was a short one, as he too was defeated in his first defense, falling to Lyoto Machida. ‘Suga’ fared a little better in his post-championship career, though, posting wins over ‘Rampage’ Jackson, Tito Ortiz and Chael Sonnen, amongst others, before a slide in form saw him retire in 2018.
Overall, though, Evans remains one of the most accomplished fighters of his era and was deservedly entered into the UFC’s Hall of Fame in 2019, making him one of the greatest TUF winners.
UFC announces Rashad Evans as a 2019 Hall of Fame inductee. First fight I ever attended as a journalist was an Evans main event. Lucky to have covered his career. I'll never forget the first time he did his imitation of his mother in an interview, had me rolling. Congrats.
#5. Tony Ferguson – former interim UFC lightweight champion (TUF 13)
Positioned as a major villain during the tapings of TUF 13 thanks to a drunken rant that alienated nearly all of his castmates, Tony Ferguson became a TUF winner by violently knocking out opponent Ramsey Nijem.
At the time, though, few fans could’ve foreseen the huge success that ‘El Cucuy’ would go onto. After suffering a broken arm in a 2012 defeat to Michael Johnson, Ferguson returned in late 2013 and went on an absolute tear through the lightweight division, culminating in an interim title win in 2017.
Oct7.2017
Tony Ferguson finishes Kevin Lee with a triangle choke,
to become the interim UFC Lightweight Champion https://t.co/eakdaXEUmV
Along the way, ‘El Cucuy’ put together a huge 12-fight win streak, defeating the likes of Donald Cerrone, Rafael dos Anjos and Edson Barboza, marking himself out as arguably the world’s best lightweight at one point.
Unfortunately for Ferguson, injuries prevented him from ever truly proving that in a bout with Khabib Nurmagomedov, and he eventually suffered a defeat at the hands of Justin Gaethje. Since then, ‘El Cucuy’ has lost three more fights, pushing him down the rankings.
At his best, though, Ferguson lived up to his nickname – he really was the lightweight division’s boogeyman, and there’s no doubt at all that he belongs highly on any list of the UFC’s most successful TUF winners.
#4. Carla Esparza – current UFC strawweight champion (TUF 20)
2014’s TUF 20 was the first season of the reality show to feature a tournament with a UFC title on the line. In the end, Carla Esparza was left as the last woman standing. ‘The Cookie Monster’ overcame Angela Hill, Tecia Torres and Jessica Penne before submitting Rose Namajunas in the finals to become the inaugural strawweight champion.
However, Esparza’s time as champion was short, as she lost her crown to Joanna Jedrzejczyk in her first defense, just three months after claiming the gold. Had her octagon career then petered out, she’d be much lower on this list.
Instead, though, ‘Cookie Monster’ rebounded. Sure, she suffered some losses along the way, but beginning with a win over Virna Jandiroba in early 2019, she quickly hit her stride again. A further four opponents were defeated, earning Esparza another title shot. Just like in their first fight, she defeated Namajunas to claim the gold for a second time.
#UFC274
Carla Esparza defeats Rose Namajunas a second time to become the strawweight champion 🏆 #UFC274 https://t.co/kVbs5Q0JdG
Sure, the quality of the fight itself was lacking – and Esparza’s reign may end up being a short one again – but for being able to become a two-time UFC champion, it’s hard not to rank ‘Cookie Monster’ highly in a list of the promotion’s most successful TUF winners.
#3. Robert Whittaker – former UFC middleweight champion (TUF: The Smashes)
2012’s TUF: The Smashes might’ve flown under the radar somewhat – it was the fourth season of the reality show to air that year – but it did produce one of the UFC’s most successful TUF champions in the form of former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker.
In a season filled with pranksters and less serious characters, ‘The Reaper’ stood out from day one thanks to his focused nature, and it came as no surprise when he quickly established himself as Team Australia’s fighter to beat.
Whittaker duly won the season’s welterweight bracket, outpointing Brad Scott in the finals, but despite some early success, it was once he moved to 185lbs in 2014 that ‘The Reaper’ really reached his potential.
Thanks to his striking power, and surprising speed and dexterity, Whittaker defeated the likes of Derek Brunson and Jacare Souza before stunning Yoel Romero to claim the middleweight crown in 2017.
Robert Whittaker's performance (with a grade two medial tear in his knee) vs Yoel Romero at UFC 213 tells you all you need to know about 'The Reaper' 👊
Tough. As. Nails.
#UFC243 https://t.co/pVxmvvF7t4
While injuries limited him to just one successful title defense, the fact remains that the only man to ever beat him at 185lbs is current champion Israel Adesanya – and were it not for ‘The Last Stylebender’, Whittaker would likely still hold his title. That marks him out as one of the upper echelons in terms of the UFC’s most successful TUF champions.
#2. Michael Bisping – former UFC middleweight champion (TUF 3)
It’s probably fair to say that in terms of sheer talent, Michael Bisping – who won the light heavyweight bracket of TUF 3 in 2006 – probably wouldn’t rank too highly in a list like this. However, for his persistence, longevity and eventual accomplishments, it’s hard to top ‘The Count’.
Early on in his UFC career, it was easy to write Bisping off as a product of the promotion’s attempts to break the UK market, rather than seeing him as a serious contender. That all changed, though, when he dropped to 185lbs in 2008.
Bisping immediately began to reel off impressive wins over highly respected fighters like Denis Kang, Chris Leben and Yoshihiro Akiyama. Although he suffered his fair share of defeats too, it was clear that he was a genuine threat to the UFC middleweight title, even if it never looked like he’d actually win it.
Incredibly, it took him a whole decade to prove that idea wrong. By 2016, Bisping appeared to be slowing down, and an emotional win over former middleweight kingpin Anderson Silva in front of his countrymen in London seemed to mark his highest point in the octagon.
However, just four months after that win, ‘The Count’ accepted a late-notice title shot against middleweight champ Luke Rockhold and pulled off one of the UFC’s all-time great upsets by knocking him out to finally claim the gold.
Two years ago today, a dream came true for Michael @Bisping 🏆
The Count stepped in on 17 days notice to avenge a defeat against Luke Rockhold. He did that and more... 🇬🇧 https://t.co/0ATZoxJ7I0
Bisping’s career lasted just three more fights – his successful defense against Dan Henderson, his title loss to Georges St-Pierre, and one final defeat at the hands of Kelvin Gastelum. By that point, though, he’d marked himself out as one of the greats of his generation, and he’d done it all through persistence and self-belief – making him a worthy entrant near the top of this countdown.
#1. Kamaru Usman – current UFC welterweight champion (TUF 21)
Given that, in the near future at least, there could be an argument for him being considered the greatest welterweight in UFC history, it’s hard to dispute that TUF 21 winner Kamaru Usman should be considered the most successful TUF winner in the history of the promotion.
Strangely enough, unlike the other entrants on this list, ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ didn’t actually win a tournament during his stint on the reality show.
TUF 21 used a unique format that pitted fighters from American Top Team against their equivalents from the Blackzilians, and as the most accomplished fighter from the latter camp, Usman was selected to fight in the final, where he submitted Hayder Hassan to become the season’s winner.
Seven years and 14 fights later, Usman has still not tasted defeat inside the octagon, giving him the record for the most consecutive wins in UFC welterweight history.
Along the way he’s defeated opponents such as Demian Maia, Rafael dos Anjos and Tyron Woodley, claiming the welterweight title from 'The Chosen One' in 2019. Since then, he’s defended his title successfully on five occasions, leaving him just four wins short of Georges St-Pierre’s record number of nine.
WHAT A KO 🤯
@USMAN84kg left Jorge Masvidal out on the mat and ran over to Dana White. https://t.co/Xp2kLNAesj
If Usman can equal or break the great Canadian’s record, then there’d be no question as to his spot as the greatest welterweight of all time. Either way, ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ is a generational talent who has more than earned his spot at the top of this list.