[Instant Legend]

Enjoyed this piece here

debate away gents (and ladies)



Suture Magazine: TUF's 10 Toughest

[Instant Legend]

of course


to make it conveniant


part 1



Bag on SpikeTV’s “The Ultimate Fighter” all you want. The fact still stands: “TUF” has produced some legitimate contenders, and serious stars. Not every guy we see in the house is going to see success, but real fighters are real fighters, TV time or no TV time. Spike’s hit reality show has now hosted seven seasons of the hardest hitting reality on the tube today. This here, is just my little submission of recognition. Take it, leave it, love it, hate it, it is what it is: recognition.

#10 Nate Diaz (Season 5)

Nate Diaz, while still a relatively new addition to the UFC line up, has already offered an intense display of skills, heart and determination. The younger brother of former UFC fighter Nick Diaz is carving out his own place in UFC history, fight by fight. After bulldozing his way through The Ultimate Fighter Season 5, Nate has seen some serious success inside the cage. After making his official debut at the TUF Season 5 Finale (where he defeated Manny Gamburyan when Manny injured his shoulder), Nate has gone on to compile three impressive wins. At Ultimate Fight Night 11 he choked veteran Junior Assuncao out in the first round. He returned at Ultimate Fight Night 12 where he disposed of the larger Alvin Robinson in just 3:39. The fight stopper? Submission, or course - that nifty triangle of his. Most recently he disposed of the very dangerous Kurt Pellegrino in the second round. Once again, he utilized that frightening triangle choke of his to end the match. While Nate hasn’t had an abundance of time to prove himself a legitimate threat at 155 pounds, he’s already shown that he can best better than average. Nate’s future looks bright, and a potential clash with Tyson Griffin could put Nate’s name on the map in a remarkable way.

#9 Keith Jardine (Season 2)

While Keith has recently fallen on rough times, there’s no denying that this light heavy weight is a serious threat. A member of Season 2, Jardine has since gone on to compile some excellent wins inside the Octagon. Since the Ultimate Fighter Season 2 Finale, Jardine has recorded five wins with three losses. At UFC 76, “The Dean Of Mean” really put himself on the map with an impressive decision victory over UFC ace Chuck Liddell. With his only three losses come to elite competition Wanderlei Silva, Stephan Bonner and Houston Alexander, Jardine looks to be legitimate obstacle course for anyone at 205 pounds. Just ask (the aforementioned) Chuck Liddell, Wilson Gouveia and Forest Griffin.

#8 Matt Hamill (Season 3)

From the TUF 3 Finale on, Matt Hamill has been doing an excellent job of beating up just about everyone put in front of him. An incredibly gifted wrestler, Matt has put together four wins for the UFC (including victories over Seth Petruzelli and Tim Boetsch) , and suffered only one defeat. That defeat came at the hands of Michael “The Count” Bisping, and it is still one of the most controversial decisions in Mixed Martial Arts history. While Hamill could definitely be more active, his few UFC appearances have been more than noteworthy. With a couple wins over competent light heavy weights, Hamill could easily find himself in line for a title shot within the next two years.

#7 Michael Bisping (Season 3)

The fact that I’ve placed Bisping ahead of Hamill in this top 10 may very well earn me an abundance of hate mail. I could care less. While it is more than reasonable to say that Matt won their long anticipated clash at UFC 75, there’s a valid reason for my listing. Since the Season 3 Finale, Bisping has piled up six wins, with only a single defeat. Yes, Bisping’s bout with Hamill is absolutely debatable, however, the fact of the matter stands: the judges saw the fight in Michael Bisping’s favor. Since that bout, Bisping has recently dropped down to 185 pounds and continued to face strong competition. At UFC 85 Michael completely outclassed Jason Day. At UFC 83, he obliterated Charles McCarthy. His only questionable feat since the Hamill match came against Rashad Evans, a fight in which Bisping lost via split decision. What makes “The Count” stand out is not necessarily his record, but the manner in which he fights. Since his drop to 185 pounds Bisping has looked like a monster, pushing the pace and finishing all of his opponents. Do we have a future title challenger? It’s still too early to call, regardless, Michael Bisping is for real.



#6 Joe Stevenson (Season 2)

With five wins and only two losses inside the UFC realm, this lightweight prospect is more than deserving of the number six slot in our countdown. While “Daddy” may have come up short in his title bid against BJ “The Prodigy” Penn, it should be noted that Joe has steamrolled a large chunk of the light weight division already. Having beaten Kurt Pellegrino, Melvin Guillard, Dokonjonosuke Mishima, Yves Edwards and Luke Cummo, Joe has clearly proven he’s far more advanced than the average athlete, and more than deserving of the number six slot. Where Joe will go now (after suffering humiliating defeat at the hands of BJ Penn) is unknown, but it’s likely Stevenson will resume smashing the rest of the light weight division until the time for a rematch has come. Assuming “The Prodigy” still holds the belt when that day finally comes.

[Instant Legend]

and

part 2


#5 Kenny Florian (Season 1)

A serious TUF underdog, Kenny has more than proven he belongs battling the upper echelon light weights. Initially appearing on season 1 of the Ultimate Fighter, Kenny has cut some weight, and earned some great success. Though he competed at 185 pounds for the SpikeTV reality show, Florian is a natural light weight, and since the show, has opted to compete at 155 pounds. Good for him, it’s working. After being bombarded by Diego Sanchez on the Season 1 Finale, Kenny has been on a pretty solid tear amassing seven wins and only one single loss. That lone loss was delivered by then light weight champion Sean Sherk, one of the greatest light weights competing today. “Kenflo’s” victim list stretches frequently, and already contains the names Din Thomas, Joe Lauzon, Alvin Robsinson, Dokonjonosuke Mishima and Sam Stout. A clash with fellow prospect Roger Huerta looms, and the winner is likely to earn a title shot with BJ Penn early next year.

#4 Diego Sanchez (Season 1)

Ahh, the Zen Master, some love him, some hate him. Which way I lean doesn’t matter. What matters is, Diego Sanchez has beaten some very good competition, and he’s never been widely outclassed. His two defeats were relatively close affairs, and though not the most scintillating bouts in history, they’re both a far cry from Shamrock/Gracie II. While his undefeated record no longer remains intact, his 8-2 record inside the octagon is, by today’s standards, on this talent level, incredible. Josh Koscheck and Jon Fitch are the only men to exit the fight with a W against “Nightmare”. Kenny Florian, Nick Diaz, Karo Parisyan, Joe Riggs, and most recently Luigi Fioravanti. That list speaks for itself, the Season 1 middle weight winner belongs at number 4.

#3 Rashad Evans (Season 2)

Season 2’s heavy weight winner Rashad Evans has compiled a UFC record of 6-0-1. Damage recipients amongst those six foes include Michael Bisping, Stephan Bonner, Brad Imes, and The Punisher himself, Jason Lambert. That’s a solid list to say the least. Rashad’s combination of strong wrestling and slick striking has made him a force to be reckoned with. The top is calling his name, and he’ll need another victory soon. In order to obtain that victory he’s going to have to have to beat down former long time champion Chuck Liddell. No easy task, for anyone. September 6th is the date. By the 7t we’ll know what Rashad Evans is all about.

#2 Josh Koscheck (Season 1)

Koscheck is the strongest wrestler to emerge from the TUF series to date. A 4 time division 1 All-American, Josh brings a dangerously fast paced grappling pedigree that few can deal with. Josh has had his ups and downs inside the Octagon, but consistently improves, and has shown himself to be a serious threat to anyone at 170 pounds. With an 8-2 record fighting for the UFC, Josh has already disposed of Pete Spratt, Dave Menne, Jonathan Goulet, Jeff Joslin, Diego Sanchez and most recently Dustin Hazelett. His only defeats came at the hands of Drew Fickett (whom Josh dominated for 14 plus minutes before running into a devastating knee) and welter weight champion Georges St. Pierre. A fight with Matt Hughes could be a potential match up in the future, pitting the new breed of wrestler against the ‘older’ breed.

#1 Forrest Griffin (Season 1)

“The Original Ultimate Fighter” Forrest Griffin has offered up strength, heart, will, courage and determination in just about every fight he’s had for the UFC. From his epic debut clash with Stephan Bonner to his destruction of Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Forrest shows up and gives 110% every fight. A UFC record of 6-2 could easily stand at 7-1, as Griffins “loss” to Tito Ortiz is more than questionable, in fact to my eyes I think the decision was ludicrous. It doesn’t matter however, Forrest did not let the set back deter him, and he’s only faltered once since, the infamous match with Keith Jardine. Though Forrest was doing a good job of controlling the action early, Jardine was able to connect with an upper cut that left Griffin in La La Land. Forrest was never able to recover from the damaging barrage of punches Keith unleashed, and Forrest Griffin suffered his first legitimate loss inside the Octagon. Griffin has since bounced back with two consecutive wins, including the aforementioned Shogun bout. His striking is vastly improved, and his cardio looks as good as ever. A title clash with current champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson is slated for July 5th, where the TUF product will have a serious chance at exiting the new champion.

Well, apparently we’re seeing a trend. The talent pool is apparently shrinking, or the big wigs at The Ultimate Fighting Championship are picking the wrong guys. Seven of ten fighters on the list emerged from the first two seasons of The Ultimate Fighter. Sure those guys have had more time to prove themselves, regardless, we haven’t seen the talent rise, we’ve seen it plummet dramatically. From Chris Leben to Marlon Sims to Jeremy May, we’re not exactly battling an incline of talent. Oh well, this list is proof that Spike’s hit reality (whether on a decline or not) show does produce elite fighters. Never mind the naysayers.

The following is a list of quality fighters from the TUF series, their UFC records and the season in which they appeared.

(Season 1) Stephan Bonnar (UFC Record: 5-3)
(Season 1) Mike Swick (UFC Record: 7-1)
(Season 1) Chris Leben (UFC Record: 8-3)
(Season 5) Gray Maynard (UFC Record: 3-0-0-1)
(Season 1) Nathan Quarry (UFC Record: 5-1)
(Season 2) Marcus Davis (UFC Record: 6-1)
(Season 2) Josh Burkman (UFC Record: 5-4)
(Season 6) Mac Danzig (UFC Record: 2-0)
(Season 2) Luke Cummo (UFC Record: 3-3)
(Season 3) Ed Herman (UFC Record: 3-3)
(Season 3) Kendall Grove (UFC Record: 4-2)
(Season 5) Manuel Gamburyan (UFC Record 2-1)
(Season 5) Joe Lauzon (UFC Record: 3-1)
(Season 5) Matt Wiman (UFC Record: 4-1)
(Season 7) Amir Sadollah (UFC Record: 1-0)
(Season 6) George Sotiropoulos (UFC Record 2-0)
(Season 7) CB Dolloway (UFC Record: 0-1)

[StonedWheat]

#10 Nate Diaz (Season 5)

#9 Keith Jardine (Season 2)

#8 Matt Hamill (Season 3)

#7 Michael Bisping (Season 3)

#6 Joe Stevenson (Season 2)

#5 Kenny Florian (Season 1)

#4 Diego Sanchez (Season 1)

#3 Rashad Evans (Season 2)

#2 Josh Koscheck (Season 1)

#1 Forrest Griffin (Season 1)

I think Matt Serra should at least get honorable mention...he was the champ after all

[Instant Legend]

based on the article, I'm guessing the Comeback season wasnt really counted - which i can understand - those guys all had plenty of UFC time prior to that season

[run and hide]

leben should have made the list

[Instant Legend]

it's crazy to think Lebens had 11 fights for the UFC already - is that the most for any tuf guy?

[SilenceKit]

Originally Posted by StonedWheat

#

I think Matt Serra should at least get honorable mention...he was the champ after all

I don't think they included fighters who previously won UFC fights.

[machine29]

JESUS Christ

Keith Jardine continues to be the most disrespected UFC fighter EVER

Dude beat CHUCK the motherfucking Iceman Liddell and KO'ed Forrest and he is ranked 9th from TUF?

What a stupid Fucking list.

[Instant Legend]

lol


he was also obliterated by wandy and houston

i think its a relatively fair ranking - maybe 2 slots higher would be good - keiths a little inconsistant though, at least imo