Marlon Vera and 4 other TUF washouts who challenged for a UFC title
This weekend at UFC 299, Marlon Vera will attempt to become the latest product of 'The Ultimate Fighter (TUF)' to win gold inside the octagon despite not actually winning his season.
‘Chito’ won’t be the first 'TUF' washout to challenge for a UFC title, though, as before him, other fighters who did not win their season have done the same, some even claiming the gold.
It’s proof that the best fighter doesn’t always win 'TUF', and that failing on the reality show doesn’t mean a fighter won’t make it to the top.
Here are five 'TUF' washouts who challenged for a UFC title.
#5. Marlon Vera – UFC bantamweight contender
The latest 'TUF' washout to challenge for a UFC title is Marlon Vera, who, barring any strange circumstances, will face Sean O’Malley for bantamweight gold this weekend.
‘Chito’ has slowly worked his way up the rankings at 135 pounds and has developed from an exciting but limited fighter into a genuine threat to the title. Along the way, the Ecuadorian has claimed victories over the likes of Dominick Cruz and Frankie Edgar.
It’s a far cry from his stint on the first season of 'TUF: Latin America', which aired back in late 2014.
Fighting as part of Fabricio Werdum’s team of South Americans, Vera was largely portrayed as a hard-working family man more than anything. In fact, his goal was to earn enough to pay for facial surgery for his daughter.
Early on, it looked like he might achieve his goal when he knocked out highly touted Mexican Henry Briones with a brutal up-kick in the first round of the season’s bantamweight bracket.
However, before he could fight in the semi-finals, a skin infection forced him out of the running. Dana White ensured that he was brought into the UFC proper, but a loss to fellow castmate Marco Beltran was not exactly an ideal debut.
Vera kept chipping away, though, and after going 1-2 in his first three bouts, he hit his stride in 2016, and 22 fights later, the rest is history. If he can win the title this weekend, not only will he be the first Ecuadorian UFC champ, but he’ll also be the first undisputed titleholder from 'TUF: Latin America' too.
#4. Thiago Santos – former UFC light-heavyweight contender
The four seasons of 'TUF Brazil', which aired between 2012 and 2015, were largely fun shows to watch. However, they didn’t exactly end up producing too many high-level UFC contenders, with winners like Rony Jason and Leonardo Santos largely flattering to deceive in the octagon.
Remarkably, though, the second season of the show did produce a title challenger, albeit one who ended up competing in an entirely different weight class once he hit the UFC roster.
Thiago Santos ended up fighting Jon Jones for the light-heavyweight title in 2019 and pushed him arguably as hard as any of his challengers did during his lengthy title reign. In fact, ‘Marreta’ took Jones to a split decision.
Prior to facing Jones, Santos defeated high-level opponents like Corey Anderson and Jan Blachowicz, who went on to hold the title in his own right when Jones vacated in 2020.
On 'TUF', though, ‘Marreta’ fought at 170 pounds, although quite how he ever made that weight is a mystery.
After fighting his way into the 'TUF' house, he lost his first fight to William Macario but was given a second chance as a wildcard. After moving into the quarter-finals with a win over Pedro Irie, he then fell to eventual winner Leonardo Santos.
Essentially, nothing he did on the show suggested he could make it to the top of the UFC, let alone at 205 pounds, making his rise to prominence a huge surprise.
#3. Paulo Costa – UFC middleweight contender
Another product of 'TUF Brazil' to challenge for UFC gold was current middleweight contender Paulo Costa.
‘The Eraser’ appeared on the third season of the reality show in 2014 but hardly covered himself in glory. By the time he arrived in the promotion in 2017 – via a stint on the regional circuit – most fans had forgotten about his 'TUF' stint entirely.
Remarkably, Costa had just three professional fights to his name when he won his bout with Jose Roberto to earn a place in the 'TUF' house.
Part of Wanderlei Silva’s team, he was notable for two things: firstly, for being one of the few members of Team Silva to have any kind of respect for rival coach Chael Sonnen, and secondly, for his pretty-boy image.
Costa lost to eventual finalist Marcio Alexandre in his first and only official 'TUF' bout, and from there, he was largely forgotten until he arrived in the promotion three years later.
By that point, of course, he’d improved his record to 8-0 and had developed a brutal kickboxing game to go along with the reputation for powerful grappling that he’d had during his reality show run.
‘The Eraser’ won his first five octagon bouts to set up his 2020 title shot against then-middleweight champ Israel Adesanya, and although he lost, he remains ranked in the top 10 at 185 pounds.
#2. Raquel Pennington – UFC bantamweight champion
Despite running for a total of 41 seasons, including international editions, 'TUF' has only ever produced a handful of UFC champions, with the majority of them being winners of their respective seasons.
However, there are a couple of exceptions, one of which is Raquel Pennington. One of the most unlikely titleholders in UFC history, ‘Rocky’ claimed the vacant bantamweight title by defeating Mayra Bueno Silva earlier this year.
It was the culmination of a career dating back to 2012, with her appearance on 'TUF' coming on the 18th season of the reality show in 2013.
Pennington lost in the semi-finals of that season’s 135-pound bracket, but her wild brawl with Jessamyn Duke drew the eye of Dana White, who praised ‘Rocky’ for her heart and tenacity.
Despite this, when her 2015 defeat to Holly Holm brought her overall record to 5-5, it looked like she was simply not quite good enough to compete at the top level.
That wasn’t the case, though, and ‘Rocky’ surprised everyone by reeling off a four-fight win streak that took her all the way to a failed title shot at then-champion Amanda Nunes.
Pennington lost that bout by TKO and, again, appeared to be out of her depth. When she lost two of her next three bouts, it looked like her career was probably on the way down.
Remarkably, though, the veteran once again proved her doubters wrong. Her win over Marion Reneau in June 2020 kickstarted a six-fight win streak that culminated in her title win this year, and even if she doesn’t go onto a long reign, she’s already written herself into the history books.
#1. Brandon Moreno – former UFC flyweight champion
Back in 2016, when the UFC produced 'TUF 24' and put 16 regional flyweight champions into a tournament to find a new challenger for then-titleholder Demetrious Johnson, few fans would’ve realized they were watching two future champions in action.
Sure, at least a few people suspected that Alexandre Pantoja – who eventually made the semi-finals – would go on to reach the top. However, the same could not be said for Brandon Moreno, who lost to Pantoja in the first round.
‘The Assassin Baby’ came in as the WFF flyweight champ, but he was also the lowest-ranked fighter on the entire show, even if his record of 11-3 was solid enough.
Moreno eventually debuted in the octagon following his appearance on 'TUF' and surprised observers by winning his first three bouts there.
When he lost his next two, though, the Mexican appeared to have been exposed and was cut from his contract shortly after. For all intents and purposes, his career at the top level looked to be over.
That couldn’t have been further from the truth. ‘The Assassin Baby’ returned to the UFC after just one fight on the regional circuit and quickly went on a tear, going unbeaten in his next four fights.
Those wins were enough to set him up for a title shot against champ Deiveson Figueiredo, and although nobody really gave him a chance, Moreno proved his doubters wrong once again.
Showing incredible improvements, he secured a draw with ‘The God of War’ in their first bout and then stunned him to win the title in a rematch.
Since then, Moreno has become a two-time champ, and while he is now on a two-fight losing streak, he remains one of the best flyweights on the planet. It’s not a bad position for a fighter who looked like a 'TUF' washout to be in.