Tapping Out With TBerg 06.19.09: Episode XXXVI: Best Of T.U.F.

Posted by Todd Bergman on 06.19.2009

With this weekend's The Ultimate Fighter Finale on the horizon, 411’s Todd Bergman, along with others from the MMA Zone, take a look at the Top 5 Fighters and Top 5 Seasons in the very short history of the show in this edition of Tapping Out With TBerg.

With nearly nine seasons of The Ultimate Fighter in the books, it's time to take a look back at the best of the best when it comes to everything related to this ground-breaking show. In those nine seasons, we, as MMA fans have witnessed just about everything that could possibly happen inside the Octagon. While the winners are guaranteed a six-figure contract, plenty of others, who have lost on the show, have found success inside the UFC and other companies as well. This ground-breaking show put MMA into the homes of the casual fan and people who had no idea what the sport was about. The show has also done a great deal in promoting MMA as a sport and not as a brutal street fight, as it was once portrayed by a leathery, old, out-of-touch politician. Each passing season seems to have its own life and reality. Whether it's great personalities, fights, pranks, or even the occasional unauthentic coaches challenge, there's always something to enjoy when it comes to The Ultimate Fighter. While it was certainly not an easy job to rank the Top 5 Fighters and Top 5 Seasons of all Time, it was with a great deal of help from fellow 411'ers that I present to you, the Best of The Ultimate Fighter.



When I first began to conjure up the possible rankings for fighters and seasons, I knew that obviously my picks would be different from everyone else's. So I did what I always do when I want a broad spectrum of opinions, I went to the 411 message boards. After sifting through the random threads of "I hate this guy" and Jeff Harris calling everyone "keyboard warriors", I found some great MMA talk. Of course, you would then have to ignore a vast majority of the super-special 411 Columnist Boards due to random hating of all kinds. Anyway, I asked for some help, and here are the guys that helped me out.

Samer Kadi- He's the Mike Tenay of MMA.
Jonathan Solomon- He's like if Ron Burgundy covered MMA.
Scott Kuczkowski- He's like Wilson from Home Improvement always using his innuendos to describe MMA.

Top 5 Fighters Of All Time
Now that we know the players, let's have a look at who they picked.

Samer Kadi:

5. Michael Bisping- Michael Bisping is perhaps the biggest star to emerge out of TUF this side of Forrest Griffin. Many have doubted his fighting ability, but his only loss so far came in a razor thin decision at the hands of former UFC Light Heavyweight champion Rashad Evans. Following that loss, he dropped down to the 185 lbs division where he is currently set to take on Dan Henderson at UFC 100 with the winner becoming the number 1 contender for Anderson Silva's title.

4. Diego Sanchez- Diego Sanchez was the middleweight winner of the first TUF season. Since then, he first dropped to the welterweight division where he had some very memorable fights against the likes of Nick Diaz and Karo Parisyan. Recently, he dropped to the lightweight division where he had a successful debut against former top contender Joe Stevenson. A win against Clay Guida this weekend can grant Diego a title shot.

3. Kenny Florian- How good is Kenny Florian? He was the MIDDLEWEIGHT finalist of TUF 1. He has moved down to his natural weight class of 155 lbs since, and came up short in an attempt to gain the title when he lost a decision to Sean Sherk. But Kenny has come a long way since then, as he now possesses what might be considered the best Muay Thai in the division and an excellent ground game on top of that. He is currently on a 6 fight winning streak and is set to take on BJ Penn this August in another attempt to claim the lightweight crown.

2. Forrest Griffin- Initially I had him locked for the top spot, until I looked at things a little closer. Make no mistake about it however, Forrest Griffin is one of the UFC's top stars at the moment. His personality, charisma, attitude and hard work helped him become a fan favorite. But most importantly, Forrest is a fantastic fighter. From his war with Stephan Bonnar to his gigantic upset when he submitted Shogun Rua, Forrest has been involved in some of the most memorable moments in UFC history. His fairytale story culminated when he edged out Quinton Jackson in one of the best fights of 2008 to gain the UFC Light Heavyweight title.

1. Rashad Evans- Why did I place him above Forrest? Well until recently, was undefeated in his MMA career, with a win over Griffin himself to his record. Rashad is another fighter who has come a long way since the days of being regarded as a one dimensional wrestler. He holds two of the best knockouts in UFC history over Sean Salmon and the legendary Chuck Liddell. The latter earned him a shot at the Light Heavyweight title, then held by Griffin. Rashad stopped Forrest with strikes in the third round to become the top 205'er in the world.

Jonathan Solomon

5. Diego Sanchez - Tough is trying to narrow this list down to just five men. Sanchez has had tremendous success since leaving the show. He won a fight of the year candidate in 2006 against Karo Parisyan, a decision against Nick Diaz and Joe Stevenson and knocked out Joe Riggs and Kenny Florian. Sanchez is not just a strong wrestler with great ground and pound skills, he is a dangerous threat with his boxing. Now at lightweight, he looks as dangerous as any other fighter.

4. Michael Bisping - Bisping may not have many fights against elite competition, but you cannot deny his success. He is the face of the UFC in England. His only defeat came via a close split decision to Rashad Evans. Despite not winning via submission since 2005 (his pre-UFC and TUF days), he is capable of winning a fight in many ways. He challenges Dan Henderson in July and many will pick him as the favorite.

3. Scott Smith - Smith has become synonymous with great, entertaining fights. You may not remember him being on TUF because he is such a low key guy. But he was a member of Season 4 and the famous fight with Pete Sell occurred on the TUF4 Finale. It took a boring decision loss to Patrick Cote for him to pledge to never have another, and he has kept that promise. He became more of a notable fighter after his series of fights with Robbie Lawler, one of which was featured on CBS. Prior to his recent loss to Nick Diaz, he was a two-fight knockout winning streak, both in exciting fashion. Smith has carved out quite the niche for himself because unlike many others, people want to see Scott Smith fight.

2. Rashad Evans - While on the second season of TUF (as a heavyweight), Evans was not exactly known for his striking. That changed in 2006 when he knocked out Jason Lambert and Sean Salmon in explosive fights. He fought Tito Ortiz to a draw, then handed Michael Bisping his first loss. The wild ride for Evans continued with a knockout of Chuck Liddell and championship victory over Forrest Griffin. Despite losing to Lyoto Machida earlier this year, Evans is still in prime position to return to the top spot in the UFC's premiere division.

1. Forrest Griffin - These top two spots were difficult to distinguish. I ended up picking Griffin because he has had one hell of a career. The famous fight with Stephan Bonnar helped make MMA in the United States (and arguably saved the UFC). He fought Tito Ortiz (before he was shot) and lost a razor thin split decision (like many others, I felt Griffin won the fight). A knockout loss to Keith Jardine did not set him back as he went on to choke out Shogun Rua in his UFC debut. That result shocked many. Griffin went on to defeat Rampage Jackson to become the UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. Sure he lot the belt, but he has wins over top competition, is entertaining to watch and is a great fighter.

Scott Kuczkowski:

5. Mike Swick - "Quick" Swick has maintained his appearance of being one of the most personable fighters in the UFC, which says a lot for someone whose gone 9-1 in his UFC career (13-2 overall) but has never been considered a serious title contender. Swick started off as a Light Heavyweight and took a lot of shit throughout the first season from Chris Leben, who holds a knockout win over Swick. Swick earned a spot on the UFC roster and enjoyed success as a Middleweight before getting defeated by Yushin Okami and dropping to welterweight. Swick has since gone 4-0 in the 170 pound division.

4. Josh Koscheck - Koscheck walked in to the UFC and decided he would be himself and not apologize to anyone who liked or disliked him. Since that time, his sometimes cocky and often brash persona has earned him more than a few admirers who consider him the perfect heel on the UFC's roster. Koscheck first fought as a Middle weight before dropping to Welterweight and finding his most success. Though Koscheck has suffered a few setbacks recently with losses to Thiago Alves and Paulo Thiago, he is expected to be a mainstay in the Welterweight division for quite some time.

3. Kenny Florian - Florian flew under the radar for the majority of TUF, though his performances in the octagon left impressions (and scars) on several people. Known for having some of the sharpest elbows around, Florian started his UFC career as a Middleweight. After dropping to Welterweight and then finally to Lightweight, Florian prides himself in finishing fights, something he has done in 8 of his 9 octagon victories. If a non-MMA fan met Kenny Florian on the street, one might be inclined to think he worked in computer repair to some other tech-related industry. However, "Ken Flo" now finds himself knocking on the door of the Lightweight title.

2. Rashad Evans - Rashad Evans used his striking and wrestling to win Season 2 of TUF, during which he soundly defeated several Heavyweights, to include Mike Whitehead and Brad Imes. Evans wisely dropped to Light Heavyweight after the show and enjoyed tremendous success in the octagon, culminating in a win over Forrest Griffin for the Light Heavyweight title. Evans' first defense saw him drop the title to Lyoto Machida, but Evans has already been tagged to coach TUF Season 10 opposite the always entertaining Quentin "Rampage" Jackson. Look for Evans to remain a force in the Light Heavyweight division.

1. Forrest Griffin - My number one pick is of course the first TUF alumni to capture a world title (I don't count Serra due to him being a UFC fighter prior to his stint on TUF). Forrest is the typical working-man's fighter, whose self-described style that he waits to get punched in the face before deciding his game plan has won him fans the world over. Forrest was a standout character on the first season who relished in having exciting fights and never minded walking away bloody or roughed up. Arguably one of the most popular and charismatic fighters from the show, Griffin was also the first fighter to return to the show to coach his own team.

Todd Bergman

5. Kenny Florian- Truth be told, I really never thought that much would come from Florian in the land of MMA, but like most things in life, I was completely wrong. As you've read above, Florian is ready for his second shot at a World Title. Obviously, this is something most fighters only receive one shot at; however, Florian is living proof that MMA is truly technique over power. The biggest thing of note when it comes to Florian is his ability to finish fights in the 155 lbs division. While it seems like a ridiculous statement to make, the Florian killer instict really shines in a division full of wrestlers who would prefer to lay and prey instead of getting risky with the finish.

4.Matt Serra- Complain and laugh all you want, but Matt Serra's career shot up the charts with his win on the show. Sure, the title victory over GSP did wonders as well, but would anyone really care about Serra had he not been on Season 4? He was long known as the guy who Shonie Carter KO'ed with that beautiful spinning back fist at UFC 31. Serra went on to become a coach as well on the show, and that lead to a showdown with his rival, Matt Hughes, nearly a year after it was originally supposed to take place. Say what you want about Serra's title run or fight with Hughes, but "The Terror" should be in everyone's Top 5 when it comes to talking about the Best of The Ultimate Fighter.

3.Michael Bisping- While Barrack Obama has struggled with foreign policy, the UFC has struck gold with this foreign ambassador. The Season 3 Light Heavyweight Winner, "The Count," is one of the biggest stars in the UFC, and it's for good reason as well. His charisma matched with pinpoint striking have this Brit looking forward to a Middleweight Title showdown in the near future. What really earns Bisping a shot on this list is that he is a chameleon inside the octagon. No matter who he is facing, he is always ready to go. Whether it's Matt Hamill, Rashad Evans, or his upcoming fight with Dan Henderson, you simply won't be able to hold him down and ride out a decision victory.

2.Rashad Evans- As I cringle typing his name here, I do need to give a lot of respect to the Season 2 Heavyweight Winner and former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. Evans has grown leaps and bounds when it comes to being a fighter. On the show, Rashad did nothing but wrestle his opponents to the ground and essentially lay on them for the decision. There was the occasional boorish dance that drove Matt Hughes crazy as well. Moving to Greg Jackson's camp in New Mexico is one of the reasons that Evans was able to capture gold inside the Octagon. Evans has certainly earned himself a quality list of victories in the UFC and he should go down as one of the best fighters to come from the show.

1.Forrest Griffin- Little did I know that Forrest Griffin was the most popular fighter in the UFC. I guess I should've realized that when the UFC put his monkey face on the American cover of the UFC Undisputed 2009 Video Game. Whether it's fighting or just adding the off-the-wall statement, Forrest Griffin has won over most of the MMA world in such a short time. His victories of Shogun Rua and Rampage Jackson added more credibility to his already stellar resume.

Honorable Mention: Diego Sanchez, Josh Koscheck, Mike Swick, Scott Smith, Bobby Southworth, Chris Leben


Random Funny Moments


Top 5 Seasons Of All Time

Samer Kadi

5. Season 4- I might be in the minority here, but I liked season four. For starters I was already familiar with a lot of the fighters, and the concept was a refreshing change of pace. Shonie Carter's weird antics kept me entertained, and Matt Serra really grew on me with his personality. As a matter of fact, this season has grown on me, in retrospect. While, at first, I hated the fact that the winner received a title shot, it ended up giving us the biggest upset in MMA history. It also featured Matt Hughes' now infamous "do you want me to teach you how to defend an armbar?" comment to George St. Pierre, which sounds really funny now after their third fight. If that wasn't enough, it was also the beginning of the Hughes-Serra rivalry which culminated just one month ago.

4. Season 3- Honestly, from the moment it was announced, I knew I couldn't miss an episode. I'm a fan of neither Tito Ortiz nor Ken Shamrock, but everyone loves a good feud. And let's face it, who doesn't enjoy Ken Shamrock embarrassing himself? While the pull apart brawls looked really choreographed and the trash talk was borderline childish, it still made for entertaining television. It also introduced the world to Michael Bisping, who would go on to become one of the biggest stars to ever emerge from the show. Add to that the inspiring and later on heartbreaking story of Matt Hamil, and you've got a memorable season on your hands.

3. Season 8- Yes the antics were over the top at best, and downright disgusting at worst. Junie Browning was unbearable at times, but I still think more good than bad came out of last year's season. The fighters were all solid for the most part, with very few weak links. From Junie Browning's struggle to make weight and his subsequent battle with Rori Delgado, to the latter's MacDojo black belt, to Escudero's submission of Browning, the show had many memorable moments. On top of that, I think the coaches were fantastic. I'm a huge Big Nog fan and he came out looking like the nicest man on the planet (which he may very well be). Frank Mir's arrogance and charisma were a nice change of pace and it made for an interesting contrast in personalities.

2. Season 5- I love this season. I still can't put my finger on why exactly do I rate it that highly, but I do have a soft spot for it. While not exactly on Tito and Ken levels of hatred, BJ Penn's feud with Jens Pulver was very interesting, with Pulver's previous upset win over Penn providing a good back-story. I also think this season provided the most talented group of fighters (maybe next to season 1): Nate Diaz, Manny Gamburyan, Gray Maynard, Joe Lauzon, Matt Wiman and Cole Miller. This is one extremely talented group. The fights were great, Pulver and Penn playing Ping Pong was awesome, and we got the most technical street fight in history. What's not to like?

1. Season 1- This was an obvious choice but I had to go with it. This show changed the history of The Ultimate Fighting Championship. Never mind the fact that the show featured the two most popular stars in the history of the UFC as coaches, or that it produced the man who would become the first TUF winner to hold a world title, this show helped making the UFC what it is today. Forget everything that happened on the show, just watch the finale. Griffin and Bonnar turned in one of the greatest fights in UFC history and catapulted the Ultimate Fighting Championship into greatness.

Jonathan Solomon

5. Season 4 -It's rough trying to come up with a good season because most of them just stick together in the memory bank. However, I'll with the fourth season since it did have some new aspect to it, bringing back former UFC fighters for the chance to earn a championship shot. Matt Serra and Travis Lutter earned chances to fight for the welterweight and middleweight titles, respectively. Sadly, Lutter could not make weight and ended up being choked out by Anderson Silva while Matt Serra shocked the world and knocked out GSP. This season was the birth of the feud between Serra and Matt Hughes, saw Shonie Carter on television (which is ALWAYS a good thing) and some solid action. The most memorable fight was a bloody mess that saw Edwin DeWees defeat Gideon Ray despite bleeding buckets. On the finale, we also saw the highlight reel fight between Scott Smith and Pete Sell.

4. Season 8 - Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Frank Mir, this was the fight this season promoted. Except everyone and their mother believed Big Nog would wipe the floor with Mir. That made this season hilarious because of Mir's trademark confidence and he slowly turned into the bad guy throughout this season. Big Nog may be the nicest man in the universe and to see him train with his team was watching one big happy family. Mir's team was not so cohesive. The infamous Junie Browning ran wild, ultimately losing to Efrain Escudero. Krzysztof Soszynski played ribs on as many people he could find. Vinny Magalhaes talked crap behind Nogueira's back and the two argued in Portugese. David Kaplan (who I'm still trying to figure out what Mir saw in him, besides his ability to name capitals) was KNOCKED THE F$#* OUT~! Not to mention all the nasty things the fighters did to each other (all I will say is Kyle Kingsbury is a sick MFer). The coaches challenge was a game of soccer where Frank Mir appeared immobile. All that mattered little at UFC 92 when Mir knocked Nogueira out for the first time in his career.

3. Season 5 - Each coming off losses, BJ Penn and Jens Pulver needed something fresh. TUF was the answer and we had an interesting season. Tensions returned as this was another rivalry amongst coaches. So much so that chaos erupted during team selection, it was hilarious. This season was infamous for Gabe Ruediger who was too fat, could not cut weight, and has not been in the UFC ever since. The coaches played ping pong as intensely as they fight. Memorable fighters included the tall Corey Hill who only had one pro fight heading into the show. Andy Wang could not follow BJ Penn's instructions during his fight and cried about it afterwards. The infamous moment of the season came in the form of the "world's most technical street fight" between Noah Thomas and Marlon "I fought and defeated 1,000,000 men in a fight once" Sims with the Boston Lobstah guy as referee. All three were correctly kicked off the show. Plus, NATE DIAZ, the eventual winner, was around and even managed to rile up Karo Parisyan. Plus, entertaining fighters Joe Lauzon, Matt Wiman and Cole Miller were around, too. The season's finale saw two memorable fights. Rob Emerson and Gray Maynard knocked each other out leading to a no contest and in the main event, BJ Penn chocked out Jens Pulver, on SpikeTV.

2. Season 3 - Tito Ortiz. Ken Shamrock. Enough said...but I shall continue. This season in 2006 began the superstar drawing ability of Tito and would lead to historic TV ratings and PPV buyrates later in the year. Quality wise, the season was great. The world was introduced to cocky Michael Bisping and the first deaf fighter in UFC history, Matt Hamill and their great rivalry. The fighters may not have been as good as seasons past but who can forget Team Dagger (Solomon Hutcherson and Kendall Grove) and the infamous Noah Inhofer, who chose to leave the show because his girlfriend thought he cheated on her. His decision led to another classic Dana White promo. The season had a lot of tension between Tito and Shamrock, heated rivals who had at least two pull apart moments. Perceptions changed when Ken Shamrock turned out to be an awful coach while Tito was great and took Hamill under his wing, albeit pissing Bisping off in the process. The only thing Shamrock won during his feud with Tito was the billiards game they played during this show.

1. The Original, Season 1 - The original is always the best and TUF is no exception. For many this was their introduction into the world of MMA and it revolutionized the sport. Before it was the "cool" thing to do, we had Chris Leben as the troubled dude in the house fighting his own demons while trying to earn a big UFC contract. The little feud between Leben and Josh Koscheck/Bobby Southworth was great television. You can never forget the build to the big fight between Leben and Koscheck. Dana White's first awesome promo came during this season, remember "Do you want to be a f&*$ing fighter?!" Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar may have been the oddest fighters in the house, especially Griffin who waited the longest until he actually fought. Our first introduction to the trouble of weight cutting came here with Southworth, too. Plus, the biggest group of successful UFC combatants came from this collection as Diego Sanchez, Griffin, Kenny Florian, Koscheck, Mike Swick, Bonnar, Leben and Nate Quarry are all still with the organization. Perhaps most important was the amazing finale fight between Griffin and Bonnar which had everyone talking about the UFC afterwards.

Todd Bergman

5. Season 4- I agree with the statements that others have made about this season, but when you look back upon it, there's really something to be acknowledged here. There really weren't any coaches taking up the spotlight and it truly was about some of the "older" fighters trying to rekindle some success inside the Octagon. This season revived the careers of Matt Serra, Travis Lutter (albeit a short one), Patrick Cote, Scott Smith, and Chris Lytle. It also helped a guy like Shonie Carter, who for the most part was unknown by the newer audience that The Ultimate Fighter was bringing in.

4. Season 5- I'm a huge BJ Penn fan, so when I first heard the news that Penn would be a coach on this season, I was pretty stoked to say the least. What a tremendous season that featured the rare combination of great coaching and great fights. The Penn/Pulver rivalry was really something of a hidden gem that dated back to an "older" UFC, and once again, the newer audience got a history lesson. Mix that in with fighters like Diaz, Maynard, Lauzon, Manny, Matt Wiman, and Cole Miller and you have a great show. You can also figure in comments like, "beautiful Wang" and "I saw a naked guy out there by the pool and thought that we were in Africa or something."

3.Season 8- Clever marketing tool here by the UFC: take one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time (Big Nog) and match up him with the former boy-wonder in Frank Mir. What you got really was a very nice guy against a very confident guy. I don't particular care for many of the fights that took place on the show, but this was one of the most important seasons in the history of The Ultimate Fighter. The season was about building Nog to the casual fan while reintroducing the man that captivated audiences years ago before being injured in a horrible traffic accident. Plus, seeing a former male nurse beat the crap out of your average meat heads was pretty funny as well. I'm also a sucker for pirates, and "Buckets of Blood" acting like a Pirate made for some quality TV.

2.Season 3-What does a deaf guy, your common ginger, a Brit with decent teeth, and two horrible trash talkers all have in common? They were all featured on Season 3, baby. This really was my favorite season of all time for the simple fact of the Ortiz/Shamrock feud. Ken isn't, and probably won't ever be, the best talker in the world, but he does make for some hilarious TV. When Tito and Ken weren't being strategically placed next to each other by TV producers, they were caught in the middle of the Bisping/Hamill rivalry along with the Noah Inhofer situation. Add in Team Dagger along with golden showers on someone's head gear and you've got a very memorable season. I wonder what Tait Fletcher is doing now-a-days?

1.Season 1- The question that you have to ask yourselves is, "Do you want to be a fucking Ultimate Fighter?" That simple question really does sum up the season that started the mass hysteria known as MMA for most people. I know that a lot of quality fighters have come from the show, but the real reason that this season ranks as the best is because of the interactions between the fighters. Whether it was Leben "spritzing" on Jason Thacker's bed, or the infamous asparagus/father incident between Sanchez and Bonnar, there are plenty of hidden gems here. The guys over in the Wrestling Zone would call them Hidden Highlights. I'm not sure why, but the first season seemed more brutal with injuries and cuts than any other season. While they were corny, the challenges were also something that I would like to see added back to the show. I'm not asking for dudes rolling around on a wrestling mat trying to grab each other's socks, but it would be nice to see more team-building activities going on with the show.

So there it is folks, your Top 5 Fighters and Top 5 Seasons so far when it comes to The Ultimate Fighter. I'm certain that everyone will have a different opinion, so please be sure to add your lists and thoughts below. Don't forget that 411mania.com is a great website and you should make it your homepage as well. If you can't part with the porn homepage, then at least bookmark the site for easy internet accessibility. Remember to support your local MMA and keep your tapping hand strong.