The Ultimate Fighter, with its perfect acronym TUF, has been around since 2005. Big Brother-style shows bring multiple contestants together in a mansion and pit them against each other until a winner is crowned. The best part is that the team is divided into multiple teams and the head coach of each group is a fighter.
Traditionally, coaches end up fighting in the finale, but that’s not always the case. In the early days, TUF winners could claim title contention in their division. This concept also no longer exists. Over the years, TUF winners have become UFC champions. On the other hand, there were some fighters who failed to reach their potential and complained to the UFC.
10 Chris Holdsworth – Season 18
Holdsworth, one of Team Alpha Male’s top prospects, was forced into early retirement.
© Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports Holdsworth isn’t on this list because it’s a failure. He was one of the best talents the show produced throughout the 2010s. Unfortunately, after his last fight victory over Davey Grant, “Hold It Down” only worked one fight in the UFC.
Holdsworth had to take a break from fighting after his win over Chico Camus at UFC 173. He suffered from post-concussion syndrome, a type of traumatic brain injury (TBI).
Rumor has it that his injury was caused by TJ Dillashaw in the Team Alpha Male training room. Holdsworth retired with a perfect record of 6-0 as a professional, 3-0 in exhibition fights (TUF) and 4-0 as an amateur.
9 Joe Stevenson – Season 2
Joe “Daddy” had a lot of potential but couldn’t live up to it.
via fssta.com Stevenson is a widely beloved veteran of the UFC who has had some respectable moments throughout his career. He fought his way through TUF Season 2, earning two submissions in the first round and defeating Luke Kumo in the final match. Joe Duddy lost his first UFC fight to Josh Neer, then moved down to lightweight and won four straight.
This earned him a shot at the lightweight title against BJ Penn, but he lost by submission in the second round. Stephenson was unable to get his UFC career back on track after the loss, going 3-6 in his next nine fights, including four straight losses that ended his UFC career.
Stephenson then competed in the 2017 TUF redemption season, but lost in the opening game and second wild card game.
8 Wally Alves – Season 3 Brazil
Alves looked like a formidable addition to the 170-pound division.
After edging out Wendell Oliveira in TUF’s opening round, Alves qualified for the finals by finishing second in the first round. He became the TUF champion in 2014, defeating Marcio Alexandre Jr. in the final by third-round guillotine. Alves followed up his TUF win with three straight wins against quality opponents in Alan Jouban, Nordean Taleb and Colby Covington.
At this point, Alves, only 24 years old and weighing 170 pounds, looked like a new contender. He was powerful on his feet and displayed deadly submission skills, especially at the guillotine. However, Wally went 3-3 in his next six fights and has lost four of his five since. They are currently on a four-game losing streak.
7 James Wilkes – Season 9 (USA vs. UK)
After a promising start, Wilkes had to cut his career short
Michael Bisping coached the British team and Dan Henderson coached the American team. Team Great Britain’s James Wilkes has played all three elimination matches. Wilkes won the season by defeating Damarquez Johnson by rear-naked choke in the first round.
“Lightning” has since fought three times in the UFC, losing twice. However, his losses came to strong opponents in Matt Brown and Claude Patrick. Wilkes was then scheduled to fight Rory McDonald and Amir Sadra, but had to withdraw due to injury.
In 2012, Wilkes announced his retirement after failing to recover from an injury. Doctors warned him that he risked paralysis if he continued to compete.
6 Mac Danzig – Season 6
Danzig was touted as a star candidate.
Kyle Terada – USA TODAY Sports Danzig enters the TUF house as an experienced champion who has won belts in multiple promotions. Known as a master of submissions, Mack landed three consecutive rear naked chokes in the first round of TUF qualifying. In the finale, he again lightly attacked his opponent, sending him off with a rear-naked choke just two minutes into the first round.
Unfortunately, Danzig were unable to capitalize on this momentum. He had a checkered run in the UFC, finishing his time with the promotion with a record of 5 wins and 8 losses. He had some memorable moments, but ultimately he didn’t make the breakthrough that fans had hoped.
5 Jonathan Brooks – Season 12
He fought off tough competition early in his career.
Matt Ryerson-USA TODAY Sports Brookins was coach GSP’s second pick, behind Michael Johnson. He earned two decision wins and secured one submission in the preliminary rounds. In the final, Brookins defeated Michael Johnson by unanimous decision.
Brookins developed a good relationship with GSP during the show, and it was clear that the welterweight champion saw potential in him. However, Brookins faced quality competition in the UFC and lost three of four fights before being cut. His last two matches were submission losses to Charles Oliveira and Dustin Poirier.
4 Colton Smith – Season 16
Smith only had three fights left in the UFC after his TUF win
Smith was an active military member when he competed in TUF. He needed special permission to participate. Before participating in the tournament, his record was 2 wins and 1 loss, and his professional experience was limited.
Smith won his four preliminary bouts by decision and advanced to the TUF finals against UFC veteran Mike Ricci. He caused controversy in his first fight by faking a glove touch before going for a takedown. Still, Smith fought his way to the end, defeating Ricci by decision in the final round.
However, this is his only official UFC victory. He dropped his next three matches against Robert Whittaker, Michael Chiesa, and Carlos Diego Ferreira. Smith is 4-1 in his next five fights outside of the UFC, with his only loss coming against Sean Brady. Perhaps the UFC was a premature move for Colton Smith.
3 Nicco Montaño – Season 26
Montaño’s stint in the UFC was a disaster
Mandatory Credit: USAToday Sports Nico entered the TUF house with a 3-2 record. She defied expectations by defeating each of her preliminary opponents. She faced Roxanne Modafferi in the finale.
A women’s flyweight division was introduced this season, with the winner being crowned the inaugural 125-pound champion. Montaño delivered the Performance of the Night in the finale, winning a five-round unanimous decision.
In her next bout, Montaño was scheduled to fight Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 288. However, she had to be hospitalized due to severe weight loss and was stripped of the title. Since then, Nico has missed multiple matches and was suspended for doping violations. After winning TUF, she only had one fight (bantamweight), a decision loss to Juliana Peña.
She was released by the UFC in 2021.
2 Travis Rutter – Season Season 4
Rutter loses title due to lack of weight
Travis Luther will go down as a TUF winner who was unable to achieve results in the UFC. He is a multiple-time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Champion, with seven of his 10 wins coming by submission. After defeating Patrick Cote via first-round armbar in the TUF finals, Rutter earned a title shot against 185-pound champion Anderson Silva.
Rutter was notorious for missing the weigh-ins for title fights, and the day of the weigh-in seemed like death’s door. The match was then changed to a three-round non-title bout. Rutter had some success early on and came close to finishing with heavy ground and pound, but Silva’s legendary chin stood firm.
Anderson eventually caught Rutter in a triangle in the second round. Travis lost two of his next three fights by knockout before retiring.
1 Jesse Taylor – Seasons 7 and 25
JT Money and UFC did not merge
via © Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports Taylor is perhaps the most successful failure in TUF history. He qualified for the season 7 finale. However, he was fired by Dana White after a drinking incident.
After his disappointment at TUF, Taylor was given another chance in the UFC, but lost to CB Dollaway in the first round and was cut. JT Money has had a lot of success outside of the UFC, winning titles in several promotions and multiple weight classes.
He was finally given a chance for revenge and competed in TUF Season 25. Nine years after his last appearance in the UFC, he defeated Diego Lima by second-round submission in the finale. Taylor was scheduled to face Belal Muhammad in his next bout, but was removed from the card after failing a USADA doping test. He was later released by the UFC.
Taylor continued to fight professionally, with an impressive record of 33 wins and 17 losses.
