10 of the best fighters to come from The Ultimate Fighter
By Amy Kaplan
Nate Diaz
When Nate Diaz appeared on The Ultimate Fighter season 5 no one thought the finale would end up quite like it did. Diaz would win the season when his opponent, and teammate, Manvel Gamburyan was forced to tap due to his shoulder getting dislocated after an attempted takedown. Diaz is another one of those fan-favorites and became a household name when he became the first UFC fighter to defeat Conor McGregor
Season: 5
MMA record: 20-12
TJ Dillashaw
T.J. Dillashaw might be the most controversial name on this list. After all, he relinquished his title for PED use (which he freely admitted to) and is awaiting his return. He also didn’t win his season, unlike many others on this list. But we still felt he deserved to be in the top 10 and we’re willing to fight you about it too.
Season: 14
MMA record: 16-4
Rose Namajunas
Rose Namajunas didn’t win her season of The Ultimate Fighter but she would go on to be proclaimed one of the scariest women in the UFC. She would go on to win the strawweight title and defend it before losing it to Jéssica Andrade. Namajunas will step up to face Zhang Weili on April 24 in hopes of getting her title back.
Season: 20
MMA record: 9-4
Kamaru Usman
Kamaru Usman might be the most universally agreed upon TUF great. Not just for his in-cage performances but for his character outside as well. If we are looking for a great fighter to represent the TUF brand, it would be Usman.
Season: 21
MMA record: 18-1