("Congrats buddy, here’s your piece of jagged f*cking glass." Photo courtesy of UFC.com)

MMA Junkie reported yesterday that TUF 11 winner Court McGee will return to the Octagon at UFC 121 (October 23rd, Anaheim) against Ryan Jensen. In doing so, the well-bearded Utah native follows a proud tradition of Ultimate Fighter winners who take on middling veterans directly after winning their six-figure contracts, and beat them (most of the time) before eventually dropping in weight (some of the time). As a helpful reference, we decided to put together a timeline of those first post-TUF fights, as well as some relevant statistics. Starting at the beginning…

Season 1 light-heavyweight winner: Forrest Griffin
First post-TUF opponent: Bill Mahood (0-0 in the UFC at the time)
Result: Griffin via submission (rear-naked choke), round 1
Is Mahood still in the UFC? No, the fight against Griffin was Mahood’s only Octagon appearance.
Does Griffin still compete at light-heavyweight? Yes

Season 1 middleweight winner: Diego Sanchez
First post-TUF opponent: Brian Gassaway (0-0 in the UFC at the time)
Result: Sanchez via submission (strikes), round 2
Is Gassaway still in the UFC? No, the fight against Sanchez was Gassaway’s only Octagon appearance.
Does Sanchez still compete at middleweight? No. Sanchez immediately dropped to welterweight after the show, and has spent the majority of his UFC career there.


Season 2 heavyweight winner: Rashad Evans
First post-TUF opponent: Sam Hoger (2-1 in the UFC at the time)
Result: Evans via split decision
Is Hoger still in the UFC? No, he was cut after a subsequent loss to Lyoto Machida.
Does Evans still compete at heavyweight? No. Evans immediately dropped to light-heavyweight after the show.

Season 2 welterweight winner: Joe Stevenson
First post-TUF opponent: Josh Neer (1-1 in the UFC at the time)
Result: Neer via unanimous decision
Is Neer still in the UFC? No, he was cut (for the second time) last year, following back-to-back losses against Kurt Pellegrino and Gleison Tibau.
Does Stevenson still compete at welterweight? No. Stevenson dropped to lightweight following his loss to Neer.

Season 3 light-heavyweight winner: Michael Bisping
First post-TUF opponent: Eric Schafer (1-0 in the UFC at the time)
Result: Bisping via TKO, round 1
Is Schafer still in the UFC? No, he was cut (for the second time) earlier this year, following back-to-back losses against Ryan Bader and Jason Brilz.
Does Bisping still compete at light-heavyweight? No. Bisping dropped to middleweight after three more fights at 205 pounds.

Season 3 middleweight winner: Kendall Grove
First post-TUF opponent: Chris Price (0-0 in the UFC at the time)
Result: Grove via submission (strikes), round 1
Is Price still in the UFC? No, he was cut after a subsequent loss to Ed Herman.
Does Grove still compete at middleweight? Yes

*Season 4 middleweight winner: Travis Lutter
First post-TUF opponent: Anderson Silva (2-0 in the UFC at the time)
Result: Silva via submission (elbows), round 2
Is Silva still in the UFC? Yes, and he’s still the middleweight champion.
Does Lutter still compete at middleweight? Yes, but not in the UFC. Lutter holds the distinction of being the only Ultimate Fighter winner to ever be released from his contract.

*Season 4 welterweight winner: Matt Serra
First post-TUF opponent: Georges St. Pierre (8-1 in the UFC at the time)
Result: Serra via TKO, round 1
Is St. Pierre still in the UFC? Yes, and he’s been the undisputed welterweight champion since defeating Serra in a rematch the following year.
Does Serra still compete at welterweight? Yes

Season 5 lightweight winner: Nate Diaz
First post-TUF opponent: Junior Assuncao (1-1 in the UFC at the time)
Result: Diaz via submission (guillotine choke), round 1
Is Assuncao still in the UFC? No, he was cut directly after his fight with Diaz.
Does Diaz still compete at lightweight? No. The crazy S.O.B. actually moved up to welterweight earlier this year, and will meet Marcus Davis at UFC 118.

Season 6 welterweight winner: Mac Danzig
First post-TUF opponent: Mark Bocek (1-1 in the UFC at the time)
Result: Danzig via submission (rear-naked choke), round 3
Is Bocek still in the UFC? Yes
Does Danzig still compete at welterweight? No. Danzig immediately dropped to lightweight after the show.

Season 7 middleweight winner: Amir Sadollah
First post-TUF opponent: Johny Hendricks (0-0 in the UFC at the time)
Result: Hendricks via TKO, round 1
Is Hendricks still in the UFC? Yes, and he’s still undefeated.
Does Sadollah still compete at middleweight? No. Sadollah immediately dropped to welterweight after the show.

Season 8 light-heavyweight winner: Ryan Bader
First post-TUF opponent: Carmelo Marrero (1-2 UFC record at the time, but hadn’t competed in the Octagon in two years)
Result: Bader via unanimous decision
Is Marrero still in the UFC? No, he was cut (for the second time) directly after his fight with Bader.
Does Bader still compete at light-heavyweight? Yes

Season 8 lightweight winner: Efrain Escudero
First post-TUF opponent: Cole Miller (4-1 in the UFC at the time)
Result: Escudero via KO, round 1
Is Miller still in the UFC? Yes
Does Escudero still compete at lightweight? Yes

Season 9 welterweight winner: James Wilks
First post-TUF opponent: Matt Brown (3-1 in the UFC at the time)
Result: Brown via TKO, round 3
Is Brown still in the UFC? Yes
Does Wilks still compete at welterweight? Yes

Season 9 lightweight winner: Ross Pearson
First post-TUF opponent: Aaron Riley (2-3 in the UFC at the time)
Result: Pearson via TKO, round 2
Is Riley still in the UFC? Yes
Does Pearson still compete at lightweight? Yes

Season 10 heavyweight winner: Roy Nelson
First post-TUF opponent: Stefan Struve (3-1 in the UFC at the time)
Result: Nelson via TKO, round 1
Is Struve still in the UFC? Yes
Does Nelson still compete at heavyweight? Yes

Season 11 middleweight winner: Court McGee
First post-TUF opponent: Ryan Jensen (2-4 in the UFC at the time)
Result: McGee via submission (arm-triangle choke), round 3
Is Jensen still in the UFC? Yes
Does McGee still compete at middleweight? Yes

* The stunt-premise of The Ultimate Fighter 4: The Comeback was that the contestants all had previous UFC experience, and the winners would get title shots for their first post-TUF fights. Rather than compare apples and oranges, we’ll just exclude this season from the following data.

– Success rate of TUF winners in their first fights after the show: 80% (12-3)

– Number of TUF winners who still compete at their TUF weights: 8 out of 15
…excluding the six most recent winners from TUF 8-11: 2 out of 9

– Of the TUF winners’ first post-TUF opponents, number who had winning records in the UFC at the time: 5 out of 15 (Hoger, Schafer, Miller, Brown, Struve)
…excluding TUF 8-11: 2 out of 9

– Of the TUF winners’ first post-TUF opponents, number who still compete in the UFC today: 7 out of 15 (all from season 6 or later)

– Overall UFC record of TUF winners to date, excluding their finale fights: 61-32-1 

(BG)

Last updated: 10/25/10