Ranking every season of The Ultimate Fighter from worst to best

2. The Ultimate Fighter 5

For some die-hards, season five of TUF could be number one. It was the perfect storm of quality fighters and entertaining coaches.

Jens Pulver was the face of the UFC lightweight division before BJ Penn came along. Penn, at his peak, was not only a deadly fighter, but a great wordsmith. They didn't like each other, which made for incredible television. On top of that, you have outspoken fighters like Nate Diaz making his way to the UFC, while other budding stars like Gray Maynard and Joe Lauzon brought true skill to the show.

There are too many takeaways from this season to count. From Maynard's finale fight ending in a double-knockout to Andy Wang getting a shot on the show with an abysmal 5-6 record, there are so many memories for fans to remember. Penn was so disappointed with Wang's effort that he kicked him off the team.

The feud between Pulver and Penn was so deep that their reconciliation a few years later was a big deal for MMA fans.

1. The Ultimate Fighter 1

The first season of TUF was by far the best. Not only did a lot of the cast, including future champion Forrest Griffin, grow into future superstars, but the fights themselves help build the hype for MMA as a sport.

The season was entertaining, especially with fighters like Diego Sanchez and Chris Leben, but it also introduced fans to the training and personality side of fighters. Josh Koscheck and Mike Swick were close friends and teammates at the American Kickboxing Academy. Kenny Florian is widely celebrated as one of the best fighters to never win a UFC title and made it to the final against Sanchez.

The big story from this season was the light heavyweight finale. With Spike TV airing the live fight card, Griffin and Stephan Bonnar put on a show for the ages. To this date, this fight is recognized as the main driving factor in building the UFC train into the locamotive it is today.

For the UFC as a company, the first season was also key in setting up the rivalry between Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture, the first two coaches to grace the show. Their rivalry was also a massive proponent in growing the UFC.