Ranking every season of The Ultimate Fighter from best to worst
By Chad Porto
We’re ranking every season of the Ultimate Fighter ahead of its return.
The Ultimate Fighter is coming back. The point of the famed reality series was to market their top fighters, create new stars, and create moments all to attract the less-dedicated base of fans. Reality TV attracts all sorts of fans and you never know who will be watching the product. Manly men watch Project Runway and people who don’t care about pro wrestling will watch Total Divas. This isn’t new, and the UFC knew this.
That’s why each season was always headlined by an entertaining crop of coaches, bitter rivals, or marketable stars. After all, this is a star-driven sport and a star-driven company. So if the company isn’t using putting stars out there, then what’s the point of tuning in?
The show has to work, that’s a huge and obvious “duh”. So if the season didn’t produce top talent, then it doesn’t matter how good the fights were, there’s no point in tuning in to see the forgotten getting brained in amateur bouts.
Lastly, the show has to have great moments. Now, that can include great fights, but it’s not a prerequisite. It can be great characters, a la Forrest Griffin in season one, or a huge knockout, like Uriah Hall’s in season 17.
The more boxes a season checks off, the more likely it’ll be higher on the list. The more stakes, the more fighters made, the more drama, and the more memories created, the higher it’ll be. Give us stars, give us prospects and give us some entertainment. Those are the hallmarks of a great season of MMA-based television.