Starting the series from scratch just for kicks and I forgot just how many savages and brawlers there were.
Diego
Forrest
Stephan
Leben
Our very own Swick(who was fighting at LHW no less)
KenFlo
Etc…
I mean, pretty much everyone of the guys went on to be a fucking killer with great careers. Hell, some of them are STILL fighting.
So I ask, is there another cast that had as many true veterans and influential fighters?
Season 2, 5 and the one with Dillashaw. (As fighter not coach)
I’d say the season Matt Serra won was the best personally. But I never watched TUF a lot for some reason. I think I thought I was too cool or something.
The first couple had loads of future champs/contenders but I think season 1 edges it
Yes.
Wonder what season of TUF has the highest UFC winning percentage post TUF
Bisping is the best talent from tuf
Most of them were being brought in for a shot in the UFC regardless. Others were considered fillers.
I kinda got that when Dana said “we truly think you guys are the best in the country right now”.
Also, Forrest popped up for a personal and my wife was like “Oh he was such a baby”. Lol
Hell no, The season with Diaz, Gray maynard, Joe Lauzon, Cole Miller Matt Wiman Many Gamburyan… and others. It was a great season
I’d probably put Florian above him.
No one on that season won a title I believe.
Forrest was UFC LHW champ.
Multiple fought for belts as well (Kos, Sanchez, Florian 2x).
I get those guys are more popular, but Diaz was a title contender once, and lost 50-45 and looked like shit. Before the Conor fight he was a guy ranked in the 8-10 range pretty consistently. Lauzon is awesome, but only cracked the top 5 for a brief period…Gray got a couple shots at Frankie and was very close…
However, Kenny Florian spent more time in the top 5 than all those guys, Diego was a top contender for a while, Forest was the fucking world champion…plus guys like KOS who top contenders and fought for the title. Season 1 most definitely had the “best” guys on it in terms of how they performed in their careers.
Don’t know about “best” - but TUF 2 had the most memorable roster, at least to me anyway.
Just started the season finale and immediately get a Goldie-ism.
“History will be made for the first time in history”.
Damn I miss Goldie.
Good points. Gray fought for a title 2, and depending on who the ref that was that night, could have won both fights. And for a while, at least I believe, Lauzon had maybe the most “of the night finishes” or fights in general. But either way your right. Good points.
If there was ever a 10-7 round in MMA, it should have gone to Gray. He beat Frankie from one side of the cage to another for the entire first round and Frankie had zero defense or offense.
oh 100%, Lauzon is fucking awesome. There were some really good fighters from all those seasons, but I think if we’re “best” as guys who won at a higher level, I think TUF 1 has to be the clear winner.
Everyone is all over Nate Diaz, but he was consistently ranked outside the top 5, typically lower in the top 10. He moved up to 170 and did ok there too, but was pretty consistently a .500 fighter in the UFC while fighting tough guys. Since that time, he won 2 fights, and is still a .500 fighter…his wins are over Conor (the 145 pound champ fighting at 170 pounds for the first time ever) and Pettis. Still impressive, not saying he sucks…but when he’s the biggest “star” from that season, and also has a win over Maynard, I think we have to consider Nate to be the best fighter from that season. Wiman, Miller and Gamburyan were all good too, but not guys headlining shows or fighting elite guys.
As annoying as Diego is, he was a top guy for a while, and if not for BJ Penn, he’s likely the champ for a period of time. Kenny Florian was consistently fighting top guys, and had 3 different title shots because he kept winning fights. Forest was the champ, and beat some excellent “all time great” type fighters. KOS was also a guy that likely would have been champ if not for all time great GSP. You have to get down to the 5th or 6th best fighter (Leben or Swick?) to find guys that are similar to Wiman or Miller, and I do think both Leben and Swick were better fighters than Miller and Wiman. Fuck, even Bonnar was a really good fighter for a little while there.
Both seasons were great, but TUF 1 was awesome.
And, to further your point, Diego and Kenny are both the only 2 fighters that have fight in 4 different weight classes in the UFC. I concede. Season one was the best. Look at us having a bit of discourse over the sport we love with well thought out points and factual evidence… We must be some kinda fags or somethin…