5 current UFC contenders whose TUF runs have been completely forgotten

#4. Max Griffin – UFC welterweight (TUF 16)

Max Griffin has been the most successful fighter from TUF 16

A decade after it first aired, it’s safe to say that time hasn’t been kind to TUF 16. The edition of the reality show, which was coached by Roy Nelson and Shane Carwin, is largely better remembered for Julian Lane’s drunken ranting than any of the fights that took place. Of the 16 fighters who competed in the house, only Sam Alvey remains part of the UFC’s roster.

However, a fighter who had a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it appearance on this edition of the show is still competing in the octagon and he’s actually doing a pretty good job for himself, too. That fighter is current welterweight contender Max Griffin.

‘Max Pain’ actually fell to a submission defeat at the hands of the thoroughly unremarkable Matt Secor in the preliminary rounds of the season, which meant he didn’t make it into the TUF house at all. Considering the bizarre and tiresome antics that took place there, it’s probably fair to say that it was probably for the best.

In the end, Griffin returned to the regional scene following his TUF failure, but subsequently reeled off seven wins while only suffering one loss, and that was enough for the UFC to ink him to a deal.

And while ‘Max Pain’ lost to Colby Covington in his octagon debut, he’s since put together a record of 6-7, which doesn’t look good on paper, but seems a lot better when you consider he holds wins over the likes of Carlos Condit and Mike Perry.

In fact, as bizarre as it seems, there’s probably an argument that Griffin should be recognized as TUF 16’s most successful fighter!

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#3. Vicente Luque – UFC welterweight (TUF 21)

Vicente Luque's appearance on TUF 21 has largely been forgotten now

2015’s TUF 21 put a different twist on the usual format of the reality show, as it pitted fighters representing American Top Team against fighters representing the now-defunct Blackzilians gym. All of the fights took place in Florida, the home state of both gyms.

Unfortunately, despite some incredibly exciting fights and plenty of drama inside the house, the season wasn’t all that well-received and went largely ignored by most UFC fans. Of course, the season did produce a major success: reigning UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.

However, while Usman’s time on TUF 21 is well remembered as he was considered the de facto champion of the season, it seems that the fact that current welterweight contender Vicente Luque’s appearance on the same edition has been forgotten.

In a lot of ways, that’s surprising. ‘The Silent Assassin’ was involved in two of the season’s more memorable bouts alongside Nathan Coy and Hayder Hassan. Of course, as so few people were watching, they flew largely under the radar.

As it goes, Usman and Luque are now the only remaining fighters from TUF 21 on the roster. While the Brazilian hasn’t quite reached the level of success that ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ has, he’s still one of the best welterweights on the planet right now, as he’s ranked at No.6 in the division and has a win over former champion Tyron Woodley.

With that in mind, the fact that nobody really remembers his time on The Ultimate Fighter honestly doesn’t matter.