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With the 30th season of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) nearly coming to an end, with the heavyweight finals now set, it’s worth having a look back at some of the previous finals we’ve been treated to over the years.
Ever since the first TUF finals back in 2005, we’ve seen some absolutely fantastic bouts to end the various seasons, with some of them up there with the best fights in UFC history.
With that in mind, here are the 10 greatest TUF finals in UFC history, ranked.
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#10. Kamaru Usman vs. Hayder Hassan – TUF 21 Finale (2015)
The 21st season of The Ultimate Fighter was a unique one. Not only did it not feature a pair of coaches, but rather than feature a tournament format, it pitted two of the United States’ most successful MMA gyms – American Top Team and the Blackzilians – against one another, with $500k on the line.
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The final, then, was set up by both teams choosing their strongest welterweight. In the end, it was a no-brainer who would be selected. Kamaru Usman of the Blackzilians had won two fights during the tapings of the show in impressive fashion, while Hayder Hassan of American Top Team had won three, including one with a brutal knockout.
However, while Hassan’s performances on the show were more explosive, it was Usman who imposed his will in their bout at the show’s finale. Unlike some of his other fights in the octagon, though, it didn’t come easily.
‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ dominated the opening round with his grappling skills, but in the second, Hassan caught him with a huge uppercut that had him reeling for a moment. Undeterred, though, Usman quickly tackled ‘The Hulk’ to the ground and eventually finished him with an arm-triangle choke.
The fight was an excellent one and instantly suggested that Usman had a bright future in the UFC. While Hassan didn’t quite pan out in the end, he did hold up his end of the bargain and gave ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ one of his tougher tests.
#9. Carla Esparza vs. Rose Namajunas – TUF 20 Finale (2014)
Two seasons of TUF featured tournaments for a brand new UFC title. While TUF 26, which introduced the women’s flyweight title, was largely forgettable, TUF 20 was a big hit, unleashing the women’s strawweight division into the promotion with a bang.
The likes of Felice Herrig, Angela Hill, and Tecia Torres all went onto success inside the octagon. But the final, which saw the inaugural UFC strawweight title on the line, pitted hot favourite Carla Esparza against up-and-comer Rose Namajunas.
Despite ‘Cookie Monster’ having plenty of experience over ‘Thug Rose’, the fight was tricky to pick given that Namajunas had dispatched three more established fighters on the show.
Sure enough, the underdog came out hard in the first round of the final, cracking Esparza with some early strikes and looking to impose a torrid pace. However, ‘Cookie Monster’ weathered the storm and eventually took over the bout with her takedowns and ground control.
By the midway point of the second round, it was clear which way the tide had turned, and after continuing to work her over on the ground, Esparza eventually found a fight-ending rear-naked choke early in the third stanza.
Overall, though, this fight was an excellent inaugural title bout and instantly added credibility to the UFC’s new division. More to the point, it was a far better clash than their 2022 rematch turned out to be!
#8. Efrain Escudero vs. Phillipe Nover – TUF 8 Finale (2008)
2008’s TUF 8 is usually remembered for two things; firstly, for launching the MMA career of future Bellator titleholder Ryan Bader, and secondly, for the sheer chaos that went on inside the house, usually courtesy of the controversial Junie Browning.
However, when it came to the finale, all the hype was in the lightweight final between Efrain Escudero and Phillipe Nover.
The two men had been teammates on the show. After blowing through their opponents and looking impressive in doing so, they ended up on a collision course against one another with the title of TUF champion on the line.
Interestingly, it was Nover, who had been dubbed the “new Anderson Silva” by Dana White, who had all of the hype on him coming into the bout. However, despite his most frantic efforts, attempting some wild submissions and even landing a big body kick in the second round, it was Escudero’s night.
‘Hecho en Mexico’ was able to consistently take down ‘The Filipino Assassin’. While he didn’t really come close to finishing him, the fact that he had so much ground control, as well as landing a big slam to end the second round, earned him the nod via unanimous decision.
The fight definitely lived up to expectations, though, and at the time, it felt like the fans were being treated to a battle between two of the lightweight division’s future stars, even if it didn’t turn out quite like that.
#7. Cezar Ferreira vs. Sergio Moraes – UFC 147 (2012)
The first season of TUF: Brazil was one of the more entertaining editions of the reality show. When it came to the finals, which took place at UFC 147, disaster struck in the middleweight division.
Instead of a final featuring Cezar Ferreira taking on Daniel Sarafian, the bout was changed at the last minute, with Sergio Moraes stepping in for the injured Sarafian. This felt like a disappointing move, particularly as ‘The Panther’ had been knocked out by the man he was replacing.
Surprisingly, though, the fight delivered above and beyond all expectations. After a slow first round that saw Ferreira use his striking to back a seemingly reluctant Moraes up, things changed entirely in the second.
Moraes was dropped by a spinning back kick from ‘Mutante’ and that seemed to wake him up entirely. Suddenly, he began to chase forward with wild combinations, and although they didn’t have much success, the fight quickly turned into a bizarrely entertaining brawl.
‘The Panther’ was dropped another two times in the third and final round and ended up on the wrong end of a unanimous decision. However, he’d put up a better fight against Ferreira than anyone expected, and won a pro-‘Mutante’ crowd over in the process.
Overall, this fight probably stands as the most underrated TUF final of them all, and is well worth checking out today.
#6. Rashad Evans vs. Brad Imes – TUF 2 Finale (2005)
It’s probably fair to say that the heavyweight fights on the second season of TUF were massively disappointing. Most of them featured a distinct lack of action and so hopes weren’t exactly high for the final bout between Rashad Evans and Brad Imes.
Remarkably, though, the two men put on a brawl for the ages when they finally squared off. If the fight didn’t feature much in the way of great technique, both Evans and Imes demonstrated as much heart and desire as had ever been shown in the octagon.
The staredown was a bizarre one, as the 6’7” Imes towered over Evans, who was giving up nearly a foot in height and over 25lbs in weight, too. However, that didn’t turn out to matter.
When the fight began, ‘Suga’ decided to take it to ‘The Hillbilly Heartthrob’, chasing him down with wild strikes from the off. In the end, the fight descended into one of the wildest brawls in UFC history, with both men continually exchanging crazy combinations despite seemingly running out of gas entirely in the second round.
In the end, a pair of knockdowns, one in the first round and one in the third, basically won the fight for Evans. From there, ‘Suga’ didn’t look back. He dropped to 205lbs and eventually became UFC light heavyweight champion, while Imes ended up washing out of the promotion entirely after a handful of further fights.
While this bout appears to have been forgotten today, it remains one of the best back-and-forth brawls in UFC heavyweight history, and definitely stands amongst the best TUF finals.
#5. Yair Rodriguez vs. Leonardo Morales – UFC 180 (2014)
Given that he’s now one of the biggest stars in the UFC’s featherweight division, it’s easy to forget that Yair Rodriguez actually emerged from one of the lesser-remembered seasons of TUF; the first edition of TUF: Latin America.
The few fans who watched the season, though, were not left disappointed. The show produced some truly wild fights that featured other future UFC stars such as Marlon Vera and Alejandro Perez. When it came to the finals, which took place at UFC 180, the fighters didn’t slow down.
The featherweight final saw Rodriguez faced with the largely unknown Nicaraguan fighter Leonardo Morales. While ‘El Pantera’ came in as the favorite, it was hard not to be thrilled by his opponent, who had scored one of the season’s most memorable knockouts over Masio Fullen.
In the end, Rodriguez came out on top, but the fight was a fantastic one and remains one of the only times that an opponent largely got the better of the Mexican standing.
Morales was able to hurt ‘El Pantera’ on multiple occasions on the feet. It was only Rodriguez’s superior ground skills and takedowns that ended up winning him the day. The fight was filled with so many crazy moments that it’d be hard to list them, and it came as a surprise when the two men didn’t receive a bonus for the Fight of the Night.
Unfortunately, while Rodriguez went onto stardom with the UFC, Morales ended up washing out of the promotion after just one more fight. Regardless, though, the Nicaraguan will always have this fight, and it remains one of the best TUF finals of them all.
#4. Joe Stevenson vs. Luke Cummo – TUF 2 Finale (2005)
The welterweight bracket on the second season of TUF featured a number of hot favorites, with most fans figuring that King of the Cage stalwart Joe Stevenson would make the finals. After all, ‘Joe Daddy’ had been on the verge of securing a UFC contract prior to the reality show.
However, with other regional standouts like Jorge Gurgel and Sam Morgan also part of the cast, nobody really expected the largely unknown Luke Cummo to be the man facing Stevenson in the final bout.
‘The Silent Assassin’ turned out to be the season’s surprise package, as he took out two more favored fighters to secure his spot. Still, nobody was really giving him a chance of beating ‘Joe Daddy’.
While Stevenson did come out on top, though, his win didn’t come without a fight. Incredibly, Cummo stunned everyone by taking the fight to the hot favorite, surviving some horrendous positions on the ground and dropping him in the second round of the fight, entirely winning the crowd over in the process.
In the end, though, ‘Joe Daddy’ had enough to survive the tough spot and outworked Cummo on the ground to claim a decision. The fight was so good, though, that Dana White himself labelled it “Griffin vs. Bonnar, but on the ground.” It made stars of both Cummo and Stevenson, even if Cummo never came close to the standards of this bout again.
#3. Kendall Grove vs. Ed Herman – TUF 3 Finale (2006)
In the history of TUF, just two of the finals have seen Dana White decide to award both fighters with a vaunted six-figure contract with the UFC. We’ll get to one a little later, but the other took place at the finale of the third season of the reality show.
Nobody was really sure quite what to expect from the season’s middleweight final between Ed Herman and Kendall Grove, largely because Grove was such a question mark.
‘Da Spyder’ seemed to have benefitted from the coaching of UFC legend Tito Ortiz more than any other fighter on the show, and he’d performed brilliantly in his fights there. However, Herman possessed far more experience in high-level bouts and came into the final as the red-hot favorite.
Despite ‘Short Fuse’ being favored, though, it quickly transpired that Grove could match him in every area of the fight. From start to finish, the two fighters went toe-to-toe on the feet and hold-for-hold on the ground, with both men coming remarkably close to finishing the fight with chokes at numerous points.
The action essentially didn’t slow down for a second. When the final buzzer sounded, it was such a close fight to call that it seemed unfair to label either man a loser. In the end, Grove was handed a tight decision, but White was so impressed by Herman that he quickly awarded him the same contract.
Remarkably, while Grove is now long gone from the promotion, Herman remains a staple of the roster some 16 years later, justifying the president’s decision entirely.
#2. Diego Brandao vs. Dennis Bermudez – TUF 14 Finale (2011)
Interestingly, the majority of great TUF finals have all seen bouts go the distance, largely showing the heart and desire of the fighters involved. However, the featherweight final of TUF 14, which pitted Diego Brandao against Dennis Bermudez, lasted just a single round, yet featured more action than most three-round clashes.
Coming in, it was clear that Brandao was the hot favorite. ‘Ceara’ had destroyed three opponents on his way to the final bout and was essentially like the boogeyman of the cast. Bermudez had been more understated, but no less effective in his three wins, meanwhile, but still seemed overmatched.
Sure enough, when the final got underway, Brandao approached things with his usual frenetic aggression. Bermudez did well early on to absorb the onslaught, but eventually, ‘Dennis the Menace’ was dropped twice, first with a right hand and then with a flying knee.
Showing his toughness, though, he survived. When Brandao charged in to finish him off, Bermudez countered with a straight right hand that dropped him like a ton of bricks.
The fight appeared to be over, only for ‘Ceara’ to somehow snap back into consciousness once he hit the ground. Bermudez pounced to finish him off, but with seconds to go in the round, the Brazilian countered with a picture-perfect armbar from nowhere, forcing ‘Dennis the Menace’ to tap out.
The fight remains one of the wildest and most entertaining one-round bouts in UFC history. While Brandao didn’t go onto the stardom many fans expected him to, he should always be remembered for this stone-cold classic.
#1. Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar – TUF 1 Finale (2005)
The greatest TUF final in UFC history remains the light heavyweight clash between Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar, which took place on the finale of the inaugural season way back in April 2005.
While some of the mythology surrounding this bout might’ve become exaggerated over the years, the impact it had still holds up some 17 years later.
TUF 1 itself was somewhat of a slow burner, but by the midway point of the season, it was clear that the UFC had stumbled upon an excellent format. The promotion was gaining more new fans by the week.
Still, nobody could’ve anticipated what would happen at the finale. After Diego Sanchez easily crushed Kenny Florian to win the middleweight bracket, it was easy to imagine the whole thing turning into a damp squib.
Instead, though, Griffin and Bonnar, who were always remarkably evenly-matched, stepped into the octagon and simply threw caution to the wind. For 15 minutes, they exchanged blows in a battle more akin to a Rocky movie than an actual UFC bout.
Both men took their fair share of licks. While Griffin largely edged out the exchanges, visually at least, he came off the worst thanks to a nose that appeared to be entirely smashed in. Was the fight a technical masterpiece? Absolutely not, but in terms of pure action, it delivered in spades.
In the end, Griffin came away with a razor-close decision win, but both men were transformed into superstars thanks to their performances. Bonnar was even awarded the same contract as his foe by a stunned Dana White.
Whether the fight really saved the UFC as has been claimed so many times is a bit of a question mark. But overall, this remains not only the greatest TUF final of all time, but one of the best fights ever, period.
