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This weekend sees UFC 253 go down from Abu Dhabi's Fight Island. In the main event, Paulo Costa will be attempting to become the new UFC Middleweight champion when he takes on current titleholder Israel Adesanya.
'The Eraser' has seen plenty of UFC success thus far – winning five straight bouts in the Octagon. Thanks to this, it's easy to forget that, like many UFC stars, he's a graduate of the promotion's Ultimate Fighter reality show.
But Costa did, in fact, compete on the third season of TUF: Brazil, where he lost in the quarter-finals – his only career loss to date. If he manages to defeat Adesanya this weekend, though, he'll become the 10th graduate of TUF to hold UFC gold.
Here is a look at the previous nine TUF graduates to win a UFC title.
Note: As TUF 20 and TUF 26 featured tournaments for the inaugural UFC Strawweight and UFC Flyweight titles, respectively, winners Carla Esparza and Nicco Montano have not been considered for this list.
#1 Forrest Griffin (TUF 1) – UFC Light Heavyweight title
Forrest Griffin became an overnight sensation back in 2005, thanks to his wild brawl with Stephan Bonnar at the TUF 1 season finale. But nobody really expected him to go as far as he did. Seen as a talented journeyman at the time, Griffin appeared to hit his ceiling a year later when he dropped a decision to former UFC Light Heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz.
However, the native of Georgia improved dramatically in 2007 and ended the year by pulling off one of the UFC's all-time great upsets. Griffin defeated former PRIDE champion Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua, ruining the Brazilian's UFC debut.
The win netted Griffin a shot at then-UFC Light Heavyweight champ 'Rampage' Jackson – as well as his own coaching spot on TUF 7. But even then, nobody really expected him to win the title. Griffin proved everyone wrong once again, though, edging out Jackson in an epic fight at UFC 86 to claim the gold.
Unfortunately, Griffin's title reign only lasted five months, before he was dethroned by another TUF graduate – Rashad Evans – at UFC 92. Injuries then took their toll on his career, and he hung up his gloves in 2012 before being inducted into the UFC's Hall of Fame in 2013.
#2 Rashad Evans (TUF 2) – UFC Light Heavyweight title
Rashad Evans' run to the finals of TUF 2 was hardly inspiring, as he put on a number of dull fights. However, his war with Brad Imes at the show's finale made him a firm fan favorite. And when he got to the UFC proper, he began to improve rapidly and reeled off a series of impressive wins.
By 2008, 'Suga' was seen as one of the Light Heavyweight division's top prospects. And when he stopped former UFC champion and legend Chuck Liddell with a brutal right hook at UFC 88, it was clear that he was ready for a shot at the title.
Evans faced off with Forrest Griffin at UFC 92 in the first-ever all-TUF UFC title fight, and came out on top in the third round by TKO. Unfortunately, it wasn't a long title reign. 'Suga' would lose the title in his first defense, being knocked out by Lyoto Machida, but remained one of the promotion's top stars.
A mega-feud with 'Rampage' Jackson led to one of the UFC's biggest pay-per-view buy-rates when UFC 114 drew over a million buys. And another feud with former training partner Jon Jones captured the imagination of the fans two years later.
A late-career slide saw Evans end his UFC career with five straight losses. But as one of the best fighters of his generation, he was deservedly entered into the promotion's Hall of Fame in 2019.
#3 Michael Bisping (TUF 3) – UFC Middleweight title
Michael Bisping became the UFC's first British star when he won the Light Heavyweight tournament on the third season of TUF. And a drop to Middleweight in 2008 saw him quickly fly up the rankings. Thanks to his sharp tongue and brash attitude, 'The Count' also became one of the UFC's most notorious villains too.
Bisping was able to beat some great fighters over the years, from Chris Leben and Denis Kang to Yoshihiro Akiyama and Alan Belcher. However, for a long time, it seemed like he was destined to be recognized as one of the greatest fighters to never earn a shot at UFC gold.
That all changed in 2016. Despite being 37 years old and at the tail end of his career, Bisping picked up the biggest win of his UFC tenure by edging out former Middleweight kingpin Anderson Silva. And when Chris Weidman was forced out of his title fight with reigning UFC Middleweight champ Luke Rockhold, the promotion called on Bisping to take the fight on late notice.
Nobody could've predicted what happened next. Rockhold – who had beaten Bisping less than 12 months prior – simply came into the fight with far too much confidence. And 'The Count' capitalized, knocking him out in the first round to claim the title.
Bisping's title reign lasted for just over a year, but while he lost his crown in his second title defense, by that point, it didn't really matter. 'The Count' had reached the top of the mountain in the UFC – something that didn't seem possible at one point – and is now recognized as the best MMA fighter to be produced by the UK.
#4 Matt Serra (TUF 4) – UFC Welterweight title
The fourth season of TUF was aired in late 2006 and was subtitled 'The Comeback.' It featured 16 UFC veterans who'd slipped down the ladder, and the premise was that the winners of tournaments in the Middleweight and Welterweight divisions would be given a shot at the respective UFC titles.
Middleweight winner Travis Lutter was easily beaten by reigning champion Anderson Silva in his title shot, and little more was expected of Welterweight winner Matt Serra. 'The Terror' was given a shot at reigning 170lbs kingpin Georges St-Pierre – who'd cut a path of destruction through the division that'd ended with him dethroning long-time champion Matt Hughes.
Nobody gave Serra a chance, but the charismatic Long Island native didn't care. And at UFC 69, he pulled off one of the biggest upsets in UFC history, stopping St-Pierre with strikes in the first round to become arguably the most unlikely UFC champion of all time.
Sadly, Serra never really had a chance to defend his title. A back injury kept him out for a year, and upon his return, he was instantly dethroned by St-Pierre in a much-hyped rematch. 'The Terror' only went onto have three more fights – going 1-2 – before retiring in 2010.
2018 saw him inducted into the UFC's Hall of Fame – largely due to his upset title win – and he's gone onto coach top UFC fighters such as Chris Weidman and Aljamain Sterling.
#5 Tony Ferguson (TUF 13) – UFC Lightweight title (interim)
Currently rated as one of the best Lightweights on the planet, it's easy to forget that Tony Ferguson first emerged into the UFC by winning the 13th season of TUF, back in 2011. By that point, interest in the reality show had waned, and so 'El Cucuy' failed to gain the notoriety of past TUF winners like Michael Bisping and Nate Diaz.
Instead, Ferguson took the long road to UFC stardom. Following his victory over Ramsey Nijem at the season finale, 'El Cucuy' defeated Aaron Riley and Yves Edwards before, unfortunately, breaking his arm in a fight with Michael Johnson.
The injury kept Ferguson on the shelf for over a year, but when he returned, he went on a run never before seen in the UFC at 155lbs.'‘El Cucu'’ somehow defeated nine opponents in a row – including tough veterans like Josh Thomson and Edson Barboza. And by 2017, it was clear he deserved a title shot.
With the UFC Lightweight crown tied up thanks to ConorMcGregor'ss boxing match with Floyd Mayweather, though, the best the promotion could offer Ferguson was a shot at an interim title.'‘ ElCucuy'’ duly obliged, submitting Kevin Lee to claim the gold at UFC 216.
Sadly, a knee injury derailed his planned fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov for the undisputed title. And although Ferguson won another two fights to take his winning streak to 12, he was recently beaten in another interim title fight by Justin Gaethje – putting an end to his future title hopes, for now at least.
#6 TJ Dillashaw (TUF 14) – UFC Bantamweight title
The 14th season of TUF saw the Bantamweight and Featherweight divisions showcased on the reality show for the first time. And although it was John Dodson who came out on top in the 135lbs tournament, it would be the man he defeated in the final – TJ Dillashaw – who would go onto claim UFC gold.
Following his loss to Dodson, Dillashaw put together an impressive record of 5-1 to earn a shot at UFC Bantamweight champ Renan Barao at UFC 173. Few observers were giving him a chance, but the former collegiate wrestling standout shocked everyone by destroying the Brazilian with a slick kickboxing game to claim the title.
Two title defenses followed, but Dillashaw was then dethroned by former champion Dominick Cruz at the beginning of 2016. That wasn't the end of the story for him, though, as he rebounded with two wins to set up a shot at new champion Cody Garbrandt – his former training partner and the first man to defeat Cruz in a decade – in 2017.
Dillashaw knocked out '‘No Lov'’ to reclaim his title, and then ended their rivalry with another knockout in their 2018 rematch. Unfortunately, an attempt to become a double champion ended at the hands of then-UFC Flyweight champion Henry Cejudo in early 2019. And when he tested positive for EPO, Dillashaw was then stripped of his Bantamweight crown.He'ss currently still serving a suspension.
#7 Robert Whittaker (TUF: The Smashes) – UFC Middleweight title
2012 saw the UFC branch TUF out internationally, with the first edition of TUF: Brazil airing that summer. Later in the year, another series of the reality show – subtitled The Smashes – took place, and featured fighters from the UK and Australia facing off.
The winner of the show's Welterweight tournament was Aussie Robert Whittaker. But when a good start to his UFC career was halted with two straight losses, it seemed like he'd become just another TUF washout.
That couldn't have been further from the truth. 'The Reaper' decided to bulk up to 185lbs, and the move suited him well. He retained the speed he'd shown at Welterweight, but added some serious punching power – and reeled off seven straight wins to rocket to the top of the Middleweight division.
UFC 213 saw Whittaker matched with top contender Yoel Romero for the interim Middleweight title. And following a classic war, 'The Reaper' came away with his hand raised to claim the gold. By the end of 2017, Whittaker was promoted and became the UFC's undisputed Middleweight champ, and a year later, he defeated Romero in a rematch to defend his title.
2019 saw him dethroned by Israel Adesanya, who currently holds the title. But thanks to his win over Darren Till this past July, there's every chance that Whittaker could find himself back in the title picture in the near future.
#8 Rose Namajunas (TUF 20) – UFC Strawweight title
The 20th season of TUF featured a 16-woman tournament to decide the inaugural UFC Strawweight champion. And in the end, it came down to Carla Esparza and Rose Namajunas. It would be the more experienced Esparza who came out on top, choking 'Thug Rose' out in the third round to become the UFC's first 115lbs queen. But that wasn't the last we'd hear from Namajunas.
Esparza lost her title to Joanna Jedrzejczyk in her first defense, and the Polish fighter went on to cut a path of destruction through the division. By late 2017, she'd made five straight title defenses. And so when Namajunas – who'd put together a solid 4-1 record since losing to Esparza – was handed a title shot, nobody really gave her much of a chance.
At UFC 217, though, 'Thug Rose' shocked the world by knocking Jedrzejczyk out in the first round, claiming the UFC title that she'd missed out on three years prior. To cement herself as a true champion, she also out-pointed the Polish fighter in a rematch, proving her status as one of the best fighters on the planet.
Namajunas' second title defense didn't quite go to plan, as despite a strong start, she was TKO'd by challenger Jessica Andrade in the second round. But after spending more than a year away from the sport, she returned this summer to out-point Andrade in a rematch.
It's now expected that she will challenge current champion Weili Zhang for the title at some point in 2021 – giving her the chance to become a two-time UFC champion.
#9 Kamaru Usman (TUF 21) – UFC Welterweight title
2015's TUF 21 saw a format change, as rather than a single-elimination tournament, top MMA camps American Top Team and the Blackzilians did battle for a prize of £500k. $200k of that went to American Top Team, who picked up more wins during the reality show taping. But the destination of the remaining $300k was to be decided in a fight on the show's finale.
That fight saw ATT's Hayder Hassan choked out by the Blackzilians' Kamaru Usman, a hulking wrestler who'd beaten both of his opponents easily during the show's tapings. It was clear that 'The Nigerian Nightmare' was destined for big things – and he quickly began to reel off more UFC wins.
By 2019 – despite a reputation for somewhat dull fights – it was hard to deny Usman his shot at the UFC Welterweight title. He'd put together a run of nine wins in the UFC, but his title shot against long-time champ Tyron Woodley would be even more impressive.
Usman dominated 'The Chosen One' over five rounds to claim the gold in one of the most one-sided title fights in UFC history. And since then, 'The Nigerian Nightmare' has proven himself to be one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world.
His first defense saw him break the jaw of top contender Colby Covington – stopping him in the fifth round. Most recently, Usman comfortably defeated Jorge Masvidal to secure his second successful defense. Judging by his performances thus far, he could go onto be recognized as the greatest UFC Welterweight champion since the legendary Georges St-Pierre.
