The 10: Ultimate Fighter Tournament Finals

There have been some memorable and meaningful wins over the previous seasons, and with the duel between Team Grasso and Team Shevchenko set to come to a close on Saturday, there is no better time than now to look back on some of those outstanding previous efforts.

(Note: these are presented in chronological order)

Forrest Griffin vs Stephan Bonnar (TUF 1 Light Heavyweight Finals)

Almost 20 years later, it’s still remarkable to think about how the first season of the pioneering reality TV program wrapped with an absolute classic between Griffin and Bonnar.

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Honestly, if someone pitched this ending to you as the ending of a movie, you’d tell them it was too on the nose, as Griffin and Bonnar spent the full 15 minutes they were allotted beating the heck out of one another, leaving every ounce of energy they had in the Octagon in hopes of securing the opportunity to compete on the biggest stage in the sport.

There are surely some people that think the reaction to this fight in the moment and mythologizing of this fight since is overblown, and those people are soulless ghouls and tasteless hacks that fail to recognize what a transformative moment this was for the UFC, and what a classic scrap Griffin and Bonnar delivered.

This was a Hollywood cliffhanger ending to a captivating season that launched the careers of myriad long-term UFC competitors, and remains the best TUF tournament finals fight of all time.

Kendall Grove vs Ed Herman (TUF 3 Middleweight Finals)

A couple seasons after Griffin and Bonnar threw down in epic fashion, Grove and Herman offered up their best tribute to the OGs, with UFC CEO Dana White making the same on-the-spot decision to award both the victorious Grove and vanquished Herman UFC contracts.

Each man rolled through their half of the bracket to reach the finals — Grove submitting Ross Pointon and Kalib Starnes, while Herman did the same to Danny Abbadi and Rory Singer — and when they stepped in against one another at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, neither had any interest in going home empty handed.

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There have been several instances over the years where one competitor in the finals was just clearly the superior talent or carried a massive stylistic advantage over their opponent, but the magic happens when the two combatants are so evenly matched that every entanglement is captivating, every round is tooth-and-nail, and when the final horn sounds, both are left lying on the canvas exhausted.

That’s what Grove and Herman delivered in this back-and-forth battle.

Matt Serra vs Chris Lytle (TUF 4 Welterweight Finals)

The stakes changed in Season 4 of The Ultimate Fighter, as rather than casting hopefuls looking to break into the UFC, the welterweight and middleweight tournaments were made up of fighters that had previously competed inside the Octagon, but never challenged for UFC gold, with the winner of each tournament being guaranteed a championship opportunity.

Serra submitted Pete Spratt in the opening round and earned a modicum of revenge against Shonie Carter in the semis, beating him by unanimous decision to advance to the finals after “Mr. International” had famously knocked him out with a spinning back fist five years earlier. Lytle earned his spot in the final pairing by submitting Mikey Burnett in the quarterfinals and then out-working Din Thomas in the semis, setting up the showdown with Serra.

This was one of those rare instances where the judges were not only split in how they saw things, but as far apart as they could possibly be, as two officials scored the entertaining affair 30-27 for Serra, while the other had the same score for Lytle.

While this fight probably benefits as a result of what happened next — Serra went on to score a shocking stoppage win over Georges St-Pierre to win the welterweight title — it was a competitive scrap between two highly respected veterans looking to make the most of a unique opportunity, one that would be tweaked for future seasons down the line.

Court McGee vs Kris McCray (TUF 11 Middleweight Finals)

This collection isn’t comprised exclusively of the most knock-down, drag-out battles to ever take place during the 31 seasons of The Ultimate Fighter; it also includes a handful of outstanding endings to tremendous stories, as well.

McGee was the breakout star of Season 11, not because of his performance, but because of the road he took to land inside the house. The Utah native detailed his history as an addict, sharing with this housemates (and the world) that he had battled substance abuse issues and was clinically dead at one point a handful of years earlier.

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The bearded workhorse actually lost his first fight in the house, but was brought back into the competition as an injury replacement for Rich Attonito. “The Crusher” then went on a submission spree, tapping out James Hammortree in the quarterfinals, Brad Tavares in the semifinals, and Kris McCray in the finals to win the middleweight competition.

Following his win, an emotional McGee delivered an outstanding, passionate speech about perseverance to all those struggling with addiction.

John Dodson vs T.J. Dillashaw (TUF 14 Bantamweight Finals)

With the featherweight and bantamweight divisions having been added to the UFC fold after the WEC closed its doors, it only made sense for those two weight classes to be featured on the next season of The Ultimate Fighter.

Dodson, an experienced talent representing Jackson-Wink MMA was the first pick of coach Jason Miller, while Dillashaw, a prospect from Team Alpha Male, was the second choice of Michael Bisping, with each working their way to the finals without much trouble. Dodson bounced John Albert and Johnny Bedford in his first two fights in the house, while Dillashaw was able to dispatch Roland Delorme and Dustin Pague, setting up the highly anticipated showdown.

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This was a classic “veteran versus prospect” battle, as Dodson came in with 16 fights under his belt compared to Dillashaw’s four, and while many forecasted the Team Alpha Male upstart winning the battle, Dodson had other plans. Just before the three-minute mark of the opening round, Dillashaw pressed forward and Dodson connected with a swift left hand that shook his equilibrium and sent him tumbling to the canvas, with the quick flurry of follow-up blows ending the contest.

While Dodson earned the victory and title of “The Ultimate Fighter,” both men would go on to have tremendous careers in the UFC, as Dodson challenged for the flyweight title on two occasions and Dillashaw would go on to become a two-time bantamweight champion.

Michael Chiesa vs Al Iaquinta (The Ultimate Fighter: Live Lightweight Finals)

As with McGee’s victory, sometimes the story is what really makes the performance stand out that much more, and never was that truer than with Chiesa during the one-and-only live season of The Ultimate Fighter.

A week into the competition, Chiesa, then a shaggy-haired 24-year-old prospect, was pulled aside and instructed to call home, learning that his father Mark had passed away following a lengthy battle with leukemia. He returned home to attend the funeral, then rejoined the group, advancing to the finals against Iaquinta by earning a unanimous decision win over Jeremy Larsen in the preliminary round, top pick Justin Lawrence in the quarterfinals, and James Vick in the semifinals.

Prior to his passing, Chiesa promised his father that he wouldn’t let anything stop him from chasing his dream, and he departed for the show knowing it was possible his father would pass while he was gone. True to his word, Chiesa pushed forward, and midway through the opening round of his bout with Iaquinta, he sunk in a rear-naked choke, put him to sleep, and joined the fraternity of Ultimate Fighter winners.

Kelvin Gastelum vs Uriah Hall (TUF 17 Middleweight Finals)

Who doesn’t love a good “David vs. Goliath” situation?

Gastelum was a baby-faced prospect with limited experience when he walked into the competition, resulting in his being the final pick of coach Chael Sonnen and the second-last fighter to join a team; Dylan Andrews was the last man standing, and joined the team coached by Jon Jones. By comparison, Hall had logged a handful of fights on the rugged East Coast regional circuit, and on the third episode, Sonnen’s second pick knocked out Adam Cella with a devastating spinning hook kick that instantly established him as the clubhouse leader to win the entire competition.

The two men worked their way to a “Team Darkside” finale, with Gastelum submitting Bubba McDaniel, knocking out Collin Hart, and submitting Josh Samman to earn his place in the final pairing, while Hall collected stoppage wins over Cella, McDaniel, who won a wild card fight to re-enter the competition, and Andrews to land opposite Gastelum.

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For 15 minutes, the teammates, who would go on to be close friends, battled back-and-forth, neither ever garnering a clear, commanding advantage, leaving everyone waiting with bated breath as the scores were being read. Gastelum emerged on the happy side of the split decision verdict, becoming the youngest fighter and latest pick to win The Ultimate Fighter, at the time.

This was a competitive fight and an outstanding wrap to an entertaining season, with the underdog Gastelum finding a way to get it done against the intimidating, heavily favored Hall.

Carla Esparza vs Rose Namajunas (TUF 20 Strawweight Finals)

Changing the stakes of the competition is always a good way to create additional interest and up the ante in these seasons, and Season 20 did just that, as the UFC introduced the strawweight division in full with a 16-person tournament to crown the division’s inaugural titleholder.

For the first time in the series’ history, the competitors were seeded and the opening round matchups were predetermined as a result.

Esparza, who entered as the reigning Invicta FC strawweight titleholder, was the No. 1 seed, and methodically worked through the trio of Angela Hill, Tecia Torres (now Pennington), and Jessica Penne to earn her place in the finale. Namajunas entered as the seven seed and propelled herself to the finals by submitting Alex Chambers, Joanne Calderwood (now Wood), and Randa Markos.

Similar to the finals pairing between Dodson and Dillashaw some years earlier, this was a classic matchup between an established standout and a rising star with a bright future, and on this night, experience won out. Esparza played to her strength and wrestled Namajunas to the ground, neutralizing her dynamic offense and ultimately submitting her early in the third round to claim the strawweight title.

In terms of UFC success, this is the most accomplished TUF finals pairing of all time, as both Esparza and Namajunas held the strawweight title on two occasions. Ironically, Esparza beat Namajunas both times, while “Thug Rose” first won the title by stopping Joanna Jedrzejczyk before claiming it for a second time by knocking out Zhang Weili.

Ricky Turcios vs Brady Hiestand (TUF 29 Bantamweight Finals)

Following a couple years on ice, The Ultimate Fighter returned in 2021 with teams coached by featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski and top contender Brian Ortega.

Turcios and Hiestand, both of whom represented Team Volkanovski, battled their way to the finals, with the former earning decision wins over Dan Argueta and Liudvik Sholinian, and the latter out-hustling fellow Spokane native Josh Rettinghouse before stopping Vince Murdock.

The final pairing, which took place at the UFC APEX on a card headlined by Giga Chikadze and Edson Barbosa, was a scramble-filled, grimy affair, with Turcios bringing his signature unpredictable style and Zen approach to the Octagon and Hiestand countering with the “never say die” mentality that has become his trademark.

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After 15 minutes, the trophy and title of “The Ultimate Fighter” rested in the hands of the judges, and they were split in how they saw things, with Turcios emerging on the happy side of the scorecards. 

Brad Katona vs Cody Gibson (TUF 31 Bantamweight Finals)

The casting for last season of The Ultimate Fighter came with a wrinkle, as the sets of bantamweights and lightweights were split up into UFC veterans and prospects looking to land a place on the roster for the first time. Conor McGregor selected both sets of prospects, while Michael Chandler was tasked with coaching the veterans.

Katona, who had won the featherweight competition on Season 27 as a member of Team Cormier, returned for a second time, was initially part of Team Chandler, but switched squads following his opening round win, allowing him to work with his coaches from SBG Ireland. After out-working Carlos Vera in the quarterfinals, the Dublin-based Canadian edged out Timur Valiev to advance to the finals.

Gibson had a much cleaner road to the finals, stopping Mando Gutierrez in the first round of their quarterfinal pairing before doing the same to Rico DiSciullo, the lone prospect to advance beyond the first round, in the semis, setting up a showdown with Katona at UFC 292.

Up until Sean O’Malley wrapped the evening by winning the bantamweight title, Katona and Gibson were the standout performers of the night in Boston, combining for an all-action, 15-minute brawl that earned Fight of the Night honors. Katona claimed the unanimous decision win with scores of 29-29 twice and 30-27 once, becoming the first person to win The Ultimate Fighter twice, while Gibson impressed enough to earn another opportunity to compete inside the Octagon, as well.