T-Berg's Top Ten 09.18.09: TUF's Top Ten Fighters

Posted by Todd Bergman on 09.18.2009

Who is the best fighter to ever come from The Ultimate Fighter? 411’s Todd Bergman presents his Top 10 list in this edition of T-Berg’s Top Ten. Click inside to find out who topped the list.

The 10th season the highly criticized and sometimes acclaimed Ultimate Fighter got underway this past Wednesday night. Since this is the 10th season of the show, I've decided to produce a list of what I believe to be the Top 10 fighters in the history of the show. Much like last week, there will probably be a lot of complaining and arguing and someone disappointed soul wanting Houston Alexander in the list as well. I will head the suggestions that many of you made and will start the list with #10 instead of #1. I've always hated seeing lists that started with the last person first, but to appease the masses, I will make the most of your suggestions. Without wasting anymore time, let's get to the list.


10. Nate Quarry

I truthfully struggled when deciding upon who should get this spot. It came down to either Scott Smith or Nate Quarry. However, from there it was an easy pick. While Smith is an exciting fighter, he isn't, and won't ever be, as accomplished as Nate Quarry. "Rock" was an after thought on Season 1 because he never fought. He was injured by his coach, Randy Couture, in a freak accident. Quarry has a wonderful story and his comeback from back surgery is nothing short of remarkable. While he might only be remembered by some as the guy that Rich Franklin destroyed, Quarry is a threat to finish any fight and he also was the first The Ultimate Fighter member to get a title shot. That's a fact that is overlooked on a daily basis when it comes to people talking about Quarry and the show in general.




9. Mike Swick

Other than being a regular contributor to my articles, Mike Swick has been a terror inside the cage. After a drop in weight from Middle to Welterweight, it seems that Swick has found his best possible weight class. After dominating Marcus Davis, Johnny Goulet, and Ben Saunders, Swick found himself one fight away from a title shot. However, Swick got injured and, therefore, won't be able to take on Martin Kampmann this weekend and possibly gain that coveted title shot. With that said, rumors are slowly beginning to leak that seem to have Swick taking on former "King of the Welterweight Division," Matt Hughes. This would be a tremendous fight on Swick's resume and, with a victory there, it would appear that Swick could be next in line for a shot at GSP. I highly doubt that Swick would be able to stop the takedowns of GSP in that fight but, hey, a title shot is a title shot.


8. Michael Bisping

I'm going to start this off by saying, yes, I know that Bisping got his ass kicked by Dan Henderson at UFC 100. It always seems like when you mention Bisping, you also have to mention that he indeed did get his ass kicked and that shot by Hendo was legal. You also have to realize that Bisping has done huge things for the UFC when it comes to obtaining the foreign market for the Zuffa-owned company. It will most certainly be interesting to see what Bisping does to change up his game following the loss to Henderson. Bisping has been extremely hit or miss when it comes to fighting good wrestlers. He struggled against Matt Hamill but looked decent against Rashad Evans. Bisping could always move up a list like this with a few wins against credible fighters. Beating the Elvis Sinosic's of the world won't get you into the Top 5.


7. Keith Jardine

My wallet is not a fan of Keith Jardine. He generally looses the fights that he is suppose to win and wins the fights that he's suppose to lose. It's always hit or miss with the "Dean of Mean." In the Liddell, Jackson, and Griffin fights, he looked really good and mentally tough. Then, he goes and gets completely destroyed by Houston Alexander and Thiago Silva. It's for those inconsistencies that Jardine doesn't crack the Top 5 either. The double-edged sword continues because, while Jardine does have those poor showings, he also has some of the bigger wins in the UFC's 205lbs division. Obviously, Jardine has a great set of fighting tools and comes from a tremendous camp, but his lack of consistency costs him in the list.



6. Diego Sanchez

If you've followed my previous Tapping Out With TBerg then you know that I think Sanchez will dethrone BJ Penn at UFC 107 in Memphis, Tennessee. Is there really any other fighter in the UFC that is as crazy as Diego? Sanchez is the type of fighter that gives it his all no matter what the outcome might be. For that fact, Sanchez is either extremely loved or hated. There is no middle ground in your stance when it comes to Sanchez. Loses to his The Ultimate Fighter Season 1 rival Josh Koscheck and a rejected candidate from Season 1 John Fitch plagued Sanchez in the Welterweight division. With the move to the Lightweight division Sanchez has big wins over Joe Stevenson and probably the fight of the year victory against Clay Guida already under his belt. I often wonder what would've happened if Diego wouldn't have gone through all that madness the night before his UFC 69 showdown with Josh Koscheck. It's an interesting thought, but only time will tell how the legacy of Diego Sanchez will be told by the future fans of MMA.


5. Josh Koscheck
While he's been known as a tough interview from time to time, Josh Koscheck is a serious MMA talent and he still hasn't tapped his full potential. It was generally assumed that Koscheck would lay and prey on his opponents throughout his entire UFC career. And, in some fights, he most certainly has. However, Koscheck has come a long way with his striking and his aggressiveness. The big turning point in his career had to be the loss that he suffered against Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre back at UFC 74, which was one fight after his of Sanchez. From there Kos put together back-to-back exciting defeats of upcoming talent Dustin Hazellett and Chris Lytle. Kos also stepped up the competition at UFC 90 and was soundly beaten by former number one fighter Thiago Alves before Josh shocked a good portion of the MMA world with an earth-shattering KO of Yoshiyuki Yoshida. Perhaps Kos got a big head after that fight because he blatantly disrespected Paulo Thiago and paid the price. This weekend at UFC 103, Kos again challenges a credible fighter in Frank Trigg. Kos makes the Top 5 based on the caliber of opponents that he has faced and is ranked one spot higher than Diego Sanchez based on the simple fact that he did beat Diego. I hate justifying his spot on that, and I rarely, if ever, think that someone should be ranked over another simply based on a fight that happened two years earlier, but Kos deserves the spot over Sanchez.



4. Kenny Florian

If not for the incredible talent above him, Kenny Florian would be number one on this list. Florian has an amazing nine wins inside the UFC. Those wins have come against some of the best in his division including: Joe Stevenson, Roger Huerta, Sam Stout, Joe Lauzon, and Dokonjonosuke Mishima, just to name a few. Florian wasn't a favorite to win the 1st season of The Ultimate Fighter but his tremendous heart and skill took him to the finals where he was defeated by Diego Sanchez. Now fighting at his normal weight of 155, Florian has excelled and has challenged, on two occasions, for the Lightweight title, coming up short on both occasions. Yet you must remember that not everyone gets one shot at a title, let alone two title shots, so Florian makes it into the Top 5 based on that and his career wins after the show. Florian will be a fixture in the UFC's Lightweight division for a very long time, and anyone that wants a shot at the title will have to go through him first.



3. Matt Serra

I'm not going to split hairs about whether Serra deserves to be on this list or not. Matt Serra won the 4th Season of the show and went on to shock the world by defeating Georges St. Pierre at UFC 69. What was a pretty ho-hum career became a sudden rocket ship of fame for Serra. Very few have benefited financially and professionally from the show as much as Matt Serra has. His appearance also gave birth to his feud with Matt Hughes. That parlayed itself into a coaching gig and an eventual marquee fight at UFC 98. Serra did lose his rematch with GSP and the fight with Hughes at UFC 98, but without the show, Matt Serra wouldn't have gotten to that point. Always cocky and ready to fight, Serra is another fighter where you either love him or hate him.



2. Rashad Evans

Of course by seeing Rashad at #2, you know who #1 is going to be. Rashad fits at two because, while he has been the Light Heavyweight Champ, he hasn't always fought the best of talent and hasn't always looked the best while doing it. The loss to Machida does no damage here, but poor showings in fights against Bisping, Ortiz, and Sam Hoger really hurt Rashad even though he didn't suffer a defeat. I personally think that the UFC botched any attempt of marketing Evans and that's why his title run felt like it lasted five minutes instead of six months. Evans is now invested into the newest season of the SPIKE TV show and will eventually fight former Light Heavyweight Champion Rampage Jackson, once Rampage "pities the fool." If Rashad is able to win that fight then he can truly be called the best The Ultimate Fighter of all time.



1. Forrest Griffin

Before I'm accused of being a lackey for Griffin, I'm going to tell you all that I really can't stand Forrest and enjoyed watching Anderson Silva dominate him. With that said, Griffin deserves to be #1 on this list because, when you think of The Ultimate Fighter, he is the guy that immediately comes to mind. Griffin has shocking wins over Shogun Rua and Rampage Jackson, who, at the time, were two of the top five pound-for-pound fighters. Strong showings against Tito Ortiz and Stephan Bonnar (twice) also compliment his status for being ranked at the top of this list. It will be interesting to see where Griffin's careers goes after the tough loss to Anderson Silva and the subsequent temper tantrum that he threw afterwards. However, if it wasn't for Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar, the sport of MMA might not have taken off with such velocity.


That brings this Top 10 list to a close. Let me know below what you loved and hated. Next week, I will return with a Top 10 look at the Best Rising Talent in MMA. Do you have any suggestions on who should make that list or do you have an idea of what topics I should cover in the future? Feel free to let me down below in the comment box or via e-mail. Remember to support your local MMA and keep your tapping hand strong.