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One of the UFC's most iconic creations is The Ultimate Fighter reality TV series. TUF's first installment introduced the MMA world to MMA legends Forrest Griffin, Stephan Bonnar and Diego Sanchez. Furthermore, TUF 1 was responsible for launching the promotion into the mainstream spotlight.
It helped prevent a potential financial disaster for the promotion and various installments of the series have launched since. While the promotion's intention with the series is to unearth new stars to spearhead future generations, that doesn't always pan out.
Sometimes, TUF winners don't always find success under Dana White's banner. Curiously, some fighters who fail to reach the finals of the series or lose in the finale itself work their way back into the promotion and manage to reach the top of their divisions. This list covers five such fighters.
#5. Joe Lauzon, former UFC lightweight
Joe Lauzon has never fought for a UFC title nor does a glance at his MMA record give an accurate account of the skills he possessed during his prime. The truth of the matter is that 'J-Lau' is a classic case of a long-tenured fighter who refuses to retire despite no longer being in his prime.
Years ago, he took part in the fifth installment of The Ultimate Fighter. While he did reasonably well, he suffered a loss in the semifinals of the tournament. Despite the loss he suffered, Lauzon carved a thrilling career for himself. He is known for having the fourth-most post-fight bonuses in UFC history.
His most impressive accolade, however, is being tied with Charles Oliveira for the second highest number of finishes in the history of the promotion's lightweight division. These are significant achievements from a fighter who once failed to win The Ultimate Fighter.
#4. Paulo Costa, UFC middleweight
At the onset of his MMA career, Paulo Costa was a fairly unremarkable fighter. While he was well-muscled and physically strong, he didn't have much to offer besides Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Unfortunately, 'Borrachinha' didn't have strong-enough takedowns to reliably drag his foes to the mat.
Worse than that, his cardio was poor so he wasn't capable of grappling consistently. Back in 2014, he appeared on The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3 edition of the series but lost to Márcio Alexandre Jr. in the elimination round of the middleweight bracket, forcing him to return to the Brazilian regional MMA scene.
Over the next three years, he evolved as a fighter and developed a bruising pressure-fighting game as he became one of the best cage-cutters in MMA. He extended his undefeated record by finishing every opponent he faced before eventually defeating Yoel Romero via unanimous decision at UFC 241.
The win earned 'Borrachinha' a title fight against Israel Adesanya. Alas, the Brazilian lost but has remained at the top of the 185 lbs weight class since.
#3. Kenny Florian, former UFC middleweight/welterweight/lightweight/featherweight
Kenny Florian is widely regarded as one of the greatest fighters to never win a UFC title. The multi-division star was an action-fighter in his heyday who was known for his thrilling bouts. Before he started wowing crowds with his spectacular performances, 'KenFlo' was a TUF hopeful.
While he managed to storm his way into the finale of the first-ever TUF tournament, he suffered a first-round TKO loss to Diego Sanchez. Despite the loss, he managed to rebound from the defeat to become a three-time title challenger.
He faced all-time MMA greats like B.J. Penn and José Aldo, and was notoriously difficult to finish throughout his entire career. After failing to dethrone 'Scarface', Florian made the decision to retire from MMA before sustaining any unnecessary damage.
#2. Rose Namajunas, former UFC women's strawweight champion
There is a massive difference between the version of Rose Namajunas that appeared on the 20th season of The Ultimate Fighter and the version of her that captured championship gold years later. Despite a promising run in the tournament, 'Thug Rose' lost the final against Carla Esparza.
At the time, she was a slick submission specialist with an odd arsenal of kicks. Her striking wasn't nearly as polished as it later became, nor was her distance management refined. Instead of wallowing in her failure, she improved as a fighter after joining forces with Trevor Wittman.
The experienced coach sparked an evolution in Namajunas' game, turning her into one of the best strikers in WMMA. He sharpened her jab and helped her develop the distance management tools that eventually made her a two-time UFC champion.
#1. T.J. Dillashaw, former UFC bantamweight champion
Trying to imagine a bantamweight division without T.J. Dillashaw as a constant presence at the top is strange. But after sustaining a severe shoulder injury, the former Team Alpha Male standout announced his retirement from the sport.
While he's remembered for his bitter rivalry with Cody Garbrandt and his back-and-forth bout with Dominick Cruz, some may not remember that T.J. Dillashaw was once a TUF contestant. He was part of the 14th season of The Ultimate Fighter and fought his way to the finale.
Unfortunately, he suffered a stunning knockout loss to future flyweight star John Dodson. It was a humiliating defeat but the he dusted himself off before embarking on an all-time great journey that saw him eventually become a two-time bantamweight titleholder.
