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The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) recently returned to our screens, with prospects fighting under coaches Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega for a spot on the UFC’s roster.
TUF has been producing UFC fighters for the best part of two decades now, with some graduates going onto achieve huge success. But there have also been some major disappointments too.
Some TUF winners have gone on struggle in the UFC, failing to replicate the success of the likes of Michael Bisping and Rashad Evans. On that note, let's have a look at the five least successful TUF winners in UFC history.
#1 Colton Smith – TUF 16 (UFC record: 1-3)
TUF 16 was widely considered one of the worst seasons in history, with few memorable moments, a lack of coaching rivalry between Shane Carwin and Roy Nelson and Julian Lane’s infamous “let me bang bro!” rant.
It should come as no surprise that few of the season’s fighters went on to achieve any success in the UFC, and eventual winner Colton Smith was no different.
A sergeant in the US Army, Smith made his way to the TUF finals by using his wrestling. He outgrappled Mike Ricci to win the season finale, but it was hardly barn-burning stuff.
And in his first post-TUF appearance in the UFC, Cheap Shot was easily beaten by a raw Robert Whittaker, showing that the former probably lacked the overall skills to survive in the octagon.
Two more UFC fights followed for Smith. But they both ended in one-sided losses against Michael Chiesa and Diego Ferreira, respectively. And that was it for the sergeant, who was then cut from his contract.
Overall, Smith’s run – from his TUF victory through to his eventual release – was completely underwhelming.
#2 Zhang Lipeng – TUF China (UFC record: 2-2)
TUF China in 2014 was largely ignored by UFC fans outside of China. Many observers believed that Chinese MMA simply hadn’t reached the level to produce UFC-calibre fighters at that point.
Those doubters were largely proven right by the performances of eventual winner Zhang Lipeng, who failed miserably to make a mark in his brief UFC run.
Lipeng defeated Sai Wang to win his season of TUF in what was, unfortunately, one of 2014’s worst UFC fights, period. While he followed that up with a questionable win over Brendan O’Reilly, that was as good as it got.
Lipeng suffered two one-sided losses to Chris Wade and Kajan Johnson. That was enough for the UFC to give up their Chinese experiment, at least for a few years, until the likes of Song Yadong and Weili Zhang emerged.
As for Lipeng, it’s safe to say that he showed at least some improvement after leaving the UFC. While none of his opponents stood out, his record since leaving the promotion is 21-2-1, meaning his UFC return at some point wouldn’t be a shocker.
#3 Jonathan Brookins – TUF 12 (UFC record: 2-3)
TUF 12 was built more around the rivalry between coaches Georges St. Pierre and Josh Koscheck than the fighters themselves. And unfortunately, it meant that the roster was a weak one.
While defeated finalist Michael Johnson would go on to achieve some UFC success, the same could not be said for the season’s eventual winner, Jonathan Brookins.
It was always odd to see Brookins, a career 145 lber, fighting up at 155 lbs, and it came as no surprise when he dropped back to featherweight after his TUF victory. However, after spending nearly a year on the shelf, he was defeated by Erik Koch in his first post-TUF UFC appearance.
While Brookins did knock out Vagner Rocha in his next outing, back-to-back submission losses to Charles Oliveira and Dustin Poirier – long before both men became contenders – saw the former wash out of the UFC with a losing record.
Since then, Brookins has not come close to a return, going 3-4 on the regional scene.
#4 Reginaldo Vieira – TUF Brazil 4 (UFC record: 1-2)
TUF Brazil was undoubtedly the most successful of UFC’s efforts to expand the TUF brand internationally. The four seasons produced high-level UFC fighters such as Francisco Trinaldo, Warlley Alves and Cezar Ferreira.
However, by the time the fourth and final season came around, the talent pool appeared to have dried up a little. So the season’s eventual winners were largely underwhelming.
Bantamweight winner Reginaldo Vieira was perhaps the most disappointing. He was defeated in his first TUF fight by current UFC contender Matheus Nicolau but returned as an injury replacement to eventually win his bracket.
However, his TUF win over Dileno Lopes would be his only one in the UFC. Vieira failed to shine in that fight and then dropped back-to-back clashes with Marco Beltran and Aiemann Zahabi.
With a largely dull fighting style and a 1-2 record, it came as no surprise when the UFC cut him in 2017. Since leaving the UFC, he has failed to win a fight.
#5 Eddie Gordon – TUF 19 (UFC record: 1-3)
Another of the largely-forgotten TUF seasons, TUF 19’s two winners went on wildly divergent paths in the UFC and in MMA in general.
The season’s light-heavyweight bracket was won by Corey Anderson, who developed into a high-level contender in the UFC and is now a top-ranked fighter in Bellator. Middleweight winner Eddie Gordon, on the other hand, struggled greatly for any traction, both in the UFC and outside it.
Truck came into TUF with a solid 6-1 record, knocking out Dhiego Lima to win the season in an impressive showing. It looked like the sky would be the limit for him.
However, Gordon was knocked out in violent fashion by Josh Samman in his first post-TUF UFC appearance. And from there, he lost his next two fights too, falling to Chris Dempsey and Antonio Carlos Junior.
That brought his UFC record to 1-3, and so it was no surprise when the promotion cut him out. Unfortunately, he has lost another three fights in the PFL promotion, meaning any chance of a UFC return is unlikely.
