Take Tito Ortiz for instance in a recent episode of season 11. Rather than just opening the door like us ordinary folks do, Ortiz decided it would be better just to blast it straight off it’s hinges instead.

Unconfirmed reports suggest that the fighter later asked for this to be marked down as an official knockout on his record.

The former UFC light-heavyweight champion is already in hot water after allegations of domestic abuse this week, so he can thank his lucky stars that the door decided not to press charges…

—

—

Tito’s actions look like a minor misdemeanor compared with season 10 coach Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson’s violent assault on another door at the TUF training center.

Speaking under the condition of anonymity several other doors at the facility stated that they now fear for their lives due to the spate of unprovoked attacks in the neighborhood.

—

—

TUF 7 coach Forrest Griffin is not immune to the effects of ‘door rage’ either…

—

This is by no means a new problem though. In fact historians points to the infamous Chris ‘The Crippler’ Leben’s drunken rampage back in season one as the starting point of this phenomenon…

—

—

So where does all this hate for doors come from?

Some suggest it simply stems from a lack of understanding about how doors actually work. Let’s face it, fighters aren’t always the sharpest tools in the box.

Take TUF 7’s Jesse Taylor for example. In the clip below we see that he clearly struggles with the basic concept of closing a dishwasher door…

—

—

With that in mind, consider the clip below from later in the series when Taylor decides to kick out the window of a limousine. At the time this looked like a random act of violence, and it cost him his place on the show.

On reflection though, could it in fact be that JT was in fact just trying to find an alternative way out of the vehicle after realizing he didn’t have the brainpower to figure out how to open the door?

Judge for yourselves…

—

Some fighters are apparently so confused by the concept of doors that they now avoid them altogether. In season 4 Mikey Burnett decided to stop using the front door and create his own make-shift route through a neighboring wall instead…

—

—

As the situation continues to escalate the Police are now investigating rumors that a group of vigilante doors have been plotting revenge attacks.

The first reported instance of this occurred when former TUF 1 fighter Bobby Southworth fought James Irvin at a Strikeforce event. As the two began the fight the action moved towards the cage door, which “accidentally” swung open causing both men to fall out of the cage, leaving Irvin with an injured knee…

—

—

So are the doors really beginning to fight back?

As far as I’m concerned it’s an open and shut case.

—

Further Reading:

Where Are They Now? – The Ultimate Fighters

Have You Been Punched, Kicked Or Choked By An MMA Fighter Yet?

MMA Stars In The Movies

Season 11 gets underway in the US on Spike TV tonight, with Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz serving as the coaches, and UK viewers can see the premiere on Saturday night at 11pm on FIVE USA.

It’s good news for the UK’s growing MMA fan base, though personally I would like to see the program airing closer to the U.S shows as thanks to the internet the results and major story-lines are generally old news by the time Saturday comes around.

Also, If you missed UFC 111 featuring the UK’s Dan Hardy then you’ll want to tune in to FIVE on Sunday, April 11th at 11.55pm when both the headline bout between Hardy and GSP, plus the co-main event starring Shane Carwin and Frank Mir will be replayed.

The biggest difference from previous TUF seasons that’s apparent in the clip is the new training center which the fighters have access to. It looks far bigger than the previous one and is stacked with the latest equipment so the fighters will have no excuses for turning up for their fights out-of-shape!

Another difference is the format of the fights as Dana White explains to the new batch of fighters.

‘”We’re going to have a wild card,” he reveals. “What that means is there’s 28 of you guys; 14 of you will get into the house. After the first seven preliminary fights, the coaches and I will choose two guys who we think deserve a second shot. Those two guys will take each other on. The winner will get the eighth spot in the quarterfinals.”

—

Fans can watch all 142 episodes of the show right now at www.ultimatefighter.com, as well as additional content such as fighter profiles, unseen footage and more.

“The ‘TUF’ Web site is a brilliant addition to our portfolio of deep, engaging vertical properties within the MTVN Entertainment Group,” Erik Flannigan, executive vice president, digital media, MTVN Entertainment Group, stated.

“The UFC and Spike are powerful and collaborative partners on air, and we are thrilled to be doing the same across digital platforms. For millions of fans, UltimateFighter.com unlocks what they have long been searching for on the web: the fights that launched the careers of their favorite fighters.”

This is a surprising but welcome move from the UFC, and gives fans all over the world access to the show which has had a significant part to play in the success of the company in recent years.

Watch below as Dana White introduces the new site.

—

On this season the fighters are coached by two former champions and long-time rivals Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell, both of whom have been a coach on the show in years gone by.

—

RICH ATTONITO
Hometown: Deerfield Beach, Fla.
Affiliation: American Top Team
Record: 7-3
Age: 32
A 2001 graduate of Hofstra University, Rich Attonito wrestled several different weight classes as a member of the Pride wrestling team, including the 167- and 197-pound divisions. Attonito has been training with American Top Team since he moved to Florida in 2006. He is the strength and conditioning coach for UFC veteran Luigi Fioravanti.

SETH BACZYNSKI
Hometown: Canyon, Ariz.
Affiliation: Apex MMA
Record: 11-5
Age: 28
Baczynski is a training partner to TUF 8 champion Efrain Escudero and TUF 9 alum Santino DeFranco. He is a full-time water inspector for Liberty Water.

CHARLES BLANCHARD
Hometown: Coconut Creek, Fla.
Affiliation: American Top Team
Record: 7-2
Age: 24
A two-time all-state wrester in high school, Blanchard is a single father. He is a jiu-jitsu brown belt as well as a published poet.

JOSH BRYANT
Hometown: Tulsa, Okla.
Affiliation: Absolute Combat Alliance
Record: 10-0
Age: 29
A member of the Absolute Combat Alliance camp in Tulsa, Okla., Josh is the manager of Mazzio’s Italian Eatery in Oklahoma.

CHRIS CAMOZZI
Hometown: Denver
Affiliation: Gumm MMA
Record: 11-3
Age: 22
Camozzi is a freestyle fighter who works as a bouncer in his spare time. Two of his three losses are to TUF alums Jesse Forbes (Season 3) and Jesse Taylor (Season 7).

BRENT COOPER
Hometown: Long Beach, Calif.
Affiliation: Team Oyama
Record: 5-1
Age: 31
Of Sioux Indian descent, Cooper is a pipe liner by day for Shell Oil, and a devastating striker by night, with four of his five wins coming via TKO.

JACEN FLYNN
Hometown: Meridian, Idaho
Affiliation: None
Record: 8-2
Age: 31
Jacen Flynn own wins over UFC veterans Denis Kang and Dean Lister. He is a social worker.

JAMES HAMMORTREE
Hometown: Ocala, Fla.
Affiliation: USA Martial Arts
Record: 4-0
Age: 23
Following one season at Weber International, where he starred on the football team as a linebacker and on special teams, Hammortree left the program in order to become a full-time fighter. He is a one-time high school wrestler and turned professional in 2009.

JOSEPH HENLE
Hometown: Thousand Oaks, Calif.
Affiliation: Big John McCarthy’s MMA
Record: 3-0
Age: 26
Joseph Henle splits time training at Big John McCarthy’s MMA and working as a substitute teacher and wrestling coach. Henle earned his MBA in financial planning from California Lutheran University in ’06. He speaks fluent Japanese.

CHARLEY LYNCH
Hometown: Mound, Minn.
Affiliation: Northway MMA
Record: 6-0
Age: 25
The self-proclaimed baddest man in Minnesota, Charley Lynch owns a 6-0 professional record with zero of his bouts going to decision.

KRIS MCCRAY
Hometown: Dumfries, Va.
Affiliation: Chute Boxe
Record: 5-0
Age: 28
The son of a military father, Kris McCray was raised in Germany, where he excelled on the soccer pitch. In 1999, McCray moved permanently to the United States, where he has served parts of 8 years (6 active, 2 inactive) as a member of the Army Reserve. He has an Associates degree in Social Studies from Northern Virginia Community College.

COURT MCGEE
Hometown: Orem, Utah
Affiliation: Throwdown Elite Fight Team
Record: 9-1
Age: 24
A Brazilian jiu-jitsu artist, Court McGee beat Season 9 runner-up DaMarques Johnson in 2007 by submission. He’s also 2-0 as a pro boxer.

CLAYTON MCKINNEY
Hometown: Orlando, Fla.
Affiliation: Jungle MMA
Record: 4-2
Age: 27
A teammate of Season 8 alum Tom Lawlor at Jungle MMA, McKinney is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt. He supplements his training by working security at a local bar.

KYLE NOKE
Hometown: Albuquerque, N.M.
Affiliation: Jackson’s MMA
Record: 16-4-1
Age: 29
Noke, from Mooloolaba, Australia, is the former bodyguard of “Crocodile Hunter” Steve Irwin. Noke defeated Season 6 alum George Sotiropoulos in June 2005 and current cast mate Kyacey Uscola in September.

VICTOR O’DONNELL
Hometown: Milford, Ohio
Affiliation: Vision MMA
Record: 8-1
Age: 27
O’Donnell suffered his first professional loss in September against cast mate Costantinos Philippou. Before that, he had won eight in a row, seven of which were by submission.

NORMAN PARAISY
Hometown: Coconut Creek, Fla.
Affiliation: American Top Team
Record: 5-1
Age: 23
Norman Paraisy was born and raised Paris. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu artist left France in order to pursue MMA in the U.S. and is now a member of the American Top Team.

COSTANTINOS PHILIPPOU
Hometown: Merrick, N.Y.
Affiliation: Serra-Longo MMA
Record: 5-1
Age: 30
Costantinos Philippou is a former boxer with three professional and over 80 amateur fights on his record. He was born and raised in Greece.

GREG REBELLO
Hometown: Buzzards Bay, Mass.
Affiliation: Sityodtong USA
Record: 9-2
Age: 27
Rebello under the watchful eye of highly regarded coach Mark DellaGrotte. Currently in peak physical condition, Rebello at one time weighed in over 300 pounds before dedicating himself to fitness at 18.

NICK RING
Hometown: Calgary, Canada
Affiliation: B.D.P. Martial Arts
Record: 10-0
Age: 30

Ring returned to MMA in May following a three-year stint away from the sport after suffering a devastating knee injury. In that time, Ring boxed professionally and was 4-1 with three knockouts.

JORDAN SMITH
Hometown: Clearfield, Utah
Affiliation: Throwdown Elite Fight Team
Record: 10-0
Age: 24
A seventh grade teacher, Jordan Smith is a former professional boxer who trains with cast mate Court McGee at Throwdown Elite Fight Team.

BEN STARK
Hometown: Tamarac, Fla.
Affiliation: American Top Team
Record: 3-1
Age: 27
Born and raised a practitioner of the Orthodox Jewish religion until the age of 6, Ben Stark began training with American Top Team in Florida as a sophomore in college. When not at the gym, Stark likes to breed snakes.

LYLE STEFFENS
Hometown: Tucson, Ariz.
Affiliation: Apex MMA
Record: 5-2
Age: 26
Steffens is a firefighter and an EMT and trains with cast member Seth Baczynski.

BRAD TAVARES
Hometown: Las Vegas Affiliation: Tapout Training Center
Record: 4-0
Age: 21
Tavares is the youngest of this season’s cast members. Originally from Hilo, Hawaii, Tavares recently relocated to Las Vegas and trains full-time with Tapout.

WARREN THOMPSON
Hometown: Marietta, Ga.
Affiliations: Team Khunpon/Roberto Traven BJJ
Record: 5-0
Age: 23
Thompson, known as “The Kool-Aid Man,” is a Muay Thai fighter and a volunteer firefighter.

KYACEY USCOLA
Hometown: Sacramento, Calif.
Affiliation: Team Alpha Male
Record: 18-15
Age: 28
Kyacey Uscola joins the cast with 33 professional MMA fights on his record. He trains with WEC star Urijah Faber.

CLEBURN WALKER
Hometown: Keller, Texas
Affiliation: Team Lutter
Record: 9-3
Age: 26
Cleburn Walker is a full-time fighter and an instructor at Team Lutter. He suffered a recent loss via submission to TUF Season 3 alum Jesse Forbes in June.

WOODY WEATHERBY
Hometown: Hudson, N.H.
Affiliations: Renzo Gracie Academy/Micky Ward’s Boxing Gym & Xtreme MMA
Record: 7-3
Age: 27
A former Navy officer, Weatherby currently works full-time as a corrections officer for the Hillsborough County jail in Manchester, N.H.

JAMIE YAGER
Hometown: Los Angeles
Affiliation: Kings MMA
Record: 2-1
Age: 25
A standout varsity letterman in baseball and football, Yager was the 2001 Athlete of the Year at South Pasadena High School in California. He picked up training MMA as a hobby, and went straight from training to the professional ranks in February 2008 as part of BET’s “Iron Ring” show.

—

The short trailer focuses on the head coaches, Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell, and reveals that the show will premier on Wednesday March 31st on Spike TV.

—

If you haven’t seen the previous articles yet then feel free to check them out first:

Part 1 (Seasons 1-2) :  Part 2 (Seasons 3-4) : Part 3 (Seasons 5-6)

—

Season 7:

Fighters still under contract with the UFC:  6

(Amir Sadollah, CB Dollway, Matthew Riddle, Gerald Harris, Tim Credeur, Matt Brown)

—

Mike Dolce

Mike Dolce earned his spot in the house with a KO victory but things didn’t go as well in the first round of the competition as he lost out to Jesse Taylor by rear naked choke. He wasn’t recalled for the season finale.

Since the show Dolce has continued fighting, but so far he has failed to make an impression, winning just one of his last five fights. His last two opponents, Shane Primm and Roman Mitichyan are also former TUF competitors, and both ended in defeat for Dolce. Fighting is not the only string to his bow however. Dolce is also a strength coach and nutritionist, and amongst other pursuits has developed ‘The Dolce Diet’, a weight cutting program that has been used and endorsed by fighters like Quinton Rampage Jackson, Michael Bisping and Chael Sonnen. He also recently made a return to The Ultimate Fighter as an assistant coach on the 10th season of the show.

With a pro record of 3-7 Dolce is hoping to get his fighting career back on track with a win at an Adrenaline MMA event in February against the Dennis Olson (8-2).

—

Gerald Harris

A decision victory against Mike Marrello earned Gerald Harris his spot in the competition during the prelims, but his next opponent turned out to be the eventual winner of the show, Amir Sadollah,  and he lost out byTKO in the second round.  Harris was later disappointed to learn that he wouldn’t be recalled for the season finale.

It was a tough time for Harris, but he wasn’t finished yet.  He set about rebuilding his reputation by fighting in a number of MMA promotions around Texas, going on an impressive six fight winning streak after the show.  Despite that there was no call from the UFC offering him a second chance in the promotion, so Harris decided to take matters into his own hands.  He phoned into a live broadcast on mmajunkie.com while Dana White was in the studio and jokingly pretended to be a Gerald Harris fan, saying that Dana should get him back in the UFC.  To his surprise White agreed, and a week later a new four fight contract with the promotion arrived.

Harris had his first official fight in the UFC in January of 2010, stopping John Salter by KO in the third round at UFN 20.  The 30 year old is now expected to fight again at UFN 21 against the Brazilian Mario Miranda.

—

Paul Bradley

Things started well enough On TUF 7 for Paul Bradley as he earned his place in the house with a decision win in the eliminator round. He barely had time to settle into his new surroundings though before being asked to leave the show after breaking out in a rash brought on by the “herpes Gladitorium” virus.  Though it is a fairly common occurrence among wrestlers and would likely clear in a matter of days with medication, Bradley was told by Dana White that he couldn’t remain on the show.

It was hard for Bradley to take, particularly since he had given up his day job as a university wrestling coach in order to compete on the show.  A ray of light appeared however when he signed a deal with Elite XC, but he was never called into action.  His deal was not exclusive however and he began competing on smaller shows and put together a four fight unbeaten run before a loss to Mike Pierce (who would sign for the UFC after the fight).   Despite that bump in the road Bradley got back to winning ways just two months later.

Now 11-1 in his career, Bradley’s form hadn’t went unnoticed, and in the summer of 2009 he made a breakthrough by signing a multi-fight deal with Strikeforce.  Making his debut at Strikeforce Challengers 3, Bradley earned a decision win over Levi Avera.  Next up is a tough match-up against the highly regarded Luke Rockhold at Strikeforce Challengers 6 on the 26th of February.

—

Jesse Taylor

In the cage everything appeared to be going to plan for Jesse Taylor as he successfully negotiated the eliminator, and then notched up further wins over Mike Dolce and Dante Rivera.  In the semi-finals he defeated Tim Credeur by unanimous decision to earn his spot in the final.  Taylor’s drunken antics outside of the cage, with including trashing the house and urinating on himself, were less well received however.  After the show ended Taylor celebrated making the final with several other cast members in Las Vegas, and security camera footage showed him kicking out a limousine window while drunk, and then being aggressive towards hotel security staff.  When Dana White heard of the incident he stripped Taylor of his place in the final.

Afterwards Taylor reportedly went to AA and attempted to get his back on track before calling Dana White several months later with an apology which resulted in him being given a second chance in the UFC.  His first fight back was against the man who had replaced him in the final – C.B Dollaway.  He lost in the first round and was subsequently released by the promotion with continued doubts over his attitude rumored to be part of the reason for his dismissal.  After defeating Drew Fickett to end 2008, Taylor began a relentless schedule in 2009, picking up five wins in six months.  Just one week after the last of those wins he found himself competing in DREAM on short notice, and gained a win after his opponent Dong Sik Yoon suffered an ankle injury in the opening round.

Despite his controversial past Strikeforce then took a chance on the 26 year old, and he made his debut against Jay Heiron in August of ‘09.  He lost, breaking his seven fight winning streak, and a further loss came In November against Luke Rockold at Strikeforce Challengers 4.  2010 started better however as he produced a first round submission victory over UFC veteran Jason Day in February at Aggression MMA.  Taylor remains under contract with both Strikeforce and DREAM, though he still harbors an ambition to one day return to the UFC.

—

Cale Yarbrough:

Cale Yarbrough had no pro fights on his record prior to competing in The Ultimate Fighter, yet he managed to make it through the preliminary round with a TKO, and then earned a controversial majority decision victory over Patrick Schultz. The quarter finals would be as far as he reached though after coming off second best against CB Dollaway.  He was then selected for the season finale, but injuries meant that he wouldn’t make his official debut until UFN 14 where he was promptly TKO’d by Tim Credeur.

Cut from the UFC after the fight, it was time for Yarbrough (who was still just 21 years old and holding a record of 0-1) to resort to the familiar post-UFC routine of building up his record in the smaller promotions.   So far it’s proven to be a successful strategy as he has went six fights without defeat to bring his record up to a respectable 6-1.

Now 23, Yarborough looks to continue his unbeaten run with a win over Timothy Woods on the 20th of February.

—

Other TUF 7 Competitors:

Jeremy May (6-6): May has a win and a loss on his record since the show.  He also recently competed in the Abu Dhabi World Pro BJJ trials, coming 3rd in the USA absolute division (only first place qualifies). He now has MMA fights lined up for February and March.

Dan Cramer (2-1):  Released from the UFC in the summer of 2009, Cramer has since picked up his second career win in December.

Patrick Schultz (8-1-1):  Hasn’t fought since the show but returns to action at CFX 8 on the 20th of February.  Schultz also runs his own MMA school, the ‘Cape Cod Fighting Alliance.’

Brandon Sene (2-1): After the show Sene lost his next fight, and hasn’t competed since.

Dante Rivera (12-4):   Rivera has had two wins and a loss since leaving the UFC.  He is scheduled to fight at an Adrenaline MMA event on the 26th of February.

Nick Klein (4-0): Hasn’t fought since the show.

Luke Zachrich (9-1):  Zachrich has picked up two more wins on his record since TUF 7.  He was expected to fight for a title at an MMA Big Show event in January, but the fight was later canceled.

—

Season 8:

Fighters still contracted to the UFC: 6

(Efrain Escudero, Ryan Bader, Kyle Kingsbury, Tom Lawlor, Eliot Marshall, Krzysztof Soszynski)

—

Shane Primm

Shane Primm was relatively inexperienced heading into TUF  with only two pro fights under his belt, though the last of those was a win over fellow season 8 competitor Tom Lawlor. He made a successful start on the show, negotiating the preliminary round, but then came undone against Eliot Marshall.  Primm remained in the house and later was caught up in one of the most controversial moments in the series when Junie Browning threw a mug at him and then punched him.

Primm was given the opportunity to appear in the season finale, but after getting caught in a kimura submission by Krzysztof Soszynski he lost the fight, and his place on the UFC’s roster.   7 months later he returned to action against TUF season 7 competitor Mike Dolce, and claimed a first round TKO victory, followed by a further win in November at ‘Art Of Fighting 9′.

Now 25, Primm’s most recent fight came in January when he faced former UFC fighter Luigi Fioravanti at Raging Wolf VI.  He lost by unanimous decision to go 4-2 in his career to date.

—

Junie Browning

One of the most controversial characters to emerge from The Ultimate Fighter, Junie Browning’s bark proved worse than his bite on season 8 of the show as he struggled to make his way to the semi-finals before being eliminated.  He caused problems throughout his time on the show however, getting into confrontations with several fighters, and was almost kicked off the show after hitting Shane Primm.  At the season finale he notched up his first official win for the promotion against Dave Kaplan.  In April he came up against stiffer opposition in Cole Miller, and was submitted in the opening round.

Though he appeared to have mellowed since his time on the TUF show, it became apparent later in the year that all was not well with the fighter. In October he was arrested after overdosing on anti-anxiety drugs and attacking three nurses who attended to him in hospital.    On hearing the news the UFC immediately cut the troubled fighter from the roster.  After issue an apology for his actions,  Browning returned to fighting in late November, defeating Scott Cornwell (1-1) by triangle choke in the first round at the MMA Big Show event.  Post-fight antics which included a foul mouthed speech directed at the fans in attendance suggested that the fighter had not learned from his prior mistakes.

Browning’s latest fight came at ‘Wild Bill’s Fight Night 25′ against Aaron Hall on the 5th of February.  At the weigh-ins for the event threatened to quit the fight after weighing in a pound overweight.  The bout eventually went ahead, and after allegedly being hit in the groin late in the first round, Browning quit on his stool during the break.  The 24 year old will look to improve on his 4-2 record in March at ‘Ring Of Fire 37′.

—

George Roop

In the preliminary round George Roop beat Roli Delgado (who would later come back to the show as a replacement) by decision.  Despite suffering from a suspected broken hand he then progressed in the competition with a win over John Polakowski, but fell short of a semi-final spot after losing by kimura to Philipe Nover.

Roop had done enough to earn a place in the season finale, but narrowly lost out to Shane Nelson by split decision.  Despite the loss he was kept on by the UFC, and subsequently went on to seize his first official UFC win by defeating Dave Kaplan.  At UFC 101 Roop faced yet another former TUF competitor George Sotiropolous and again he lost by kimura.  With a record 1-2 in the octagon, Roop was then released by the UFC.

After ending the year with a win at Rage In The Cage to improve his record to 9-6, Roop found himself back under Zuffa’s wing via the WEC promotion.   Remarkably the 6ft fighter dropped two weight classes to compete at 135lbs for his first fight with Eddie Wineland at WEC 46 in January.  It turned out to be an unsuccessful debut as he lost the via unanimous decision.

—

Vinny Magalhaes

A highly decorated Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioner, Magalhaes is unquestionably deadly on the ground. Unfortunately after making it to the TUF 8 finale against Ryan Bader it became clear he was not as comfortable on his feet, and he suffered a TKO loss in the first round. A tentative display against Eliot Marshall in his next fight that resulted in a decision loss led to the fighter being released in April.

At the time his MMA record stood at 2-4 (1 NC), but he has since improved upon that with two wins against Chris Davis (6-2) and Mike Nickels (8-3), taking him to 4-4 (1 NC). Meanwhile he has also continued to impress with his grappling skills, claiming the Bronze medal at the prestigious ADCC 2009 event,  executing a spectacular flying armbar submission over former ADCC winner Marcio “Pe De Pano” Cruz along the way.

On the 20th of March Magalhaes continues his quest to get back in the UFC with a fight against Marcus Sursa (6-5) at Shark Fights 9.

—

Jules Bruchez:

Jules Bruchez was as inexperienced as anyone on the show having had no pro fights before the show.  Despite that he cleared the preliminary round with a rear naked choke victory.  He received a tougher opponent for his next fight though in the shape of Vinny Magalhaes.   Ahead of the fight one of Bruchez’s fellow housemates placed a bodybag and RIP headstone in his bed as a prank.  Though he was still in the land of the living after the bout, he didn’t make it out of the first round.

Despite his lack of experience Bruchez was given a chance in the finale against Eliot Marshall, but it quickly became evident that he wasn’t ready for this level of competition yet and was submitted in less than 90 seconds.  Unsurprisingly he was cut from the UFC afterwards.  After a break he began plotting his return to the UFC in April of 2009.   His plan was to drop down to 185lbs and fight six times in the remainder of the year.  Things began well enough as he went on to pick up his first professional win in June of 2009 at a Cajun Fighting Championships event.

In August he found himself up against TUF 3 competitor Danny Abbadi. The fight ended in disaster for Bruchez as he broke his leg after Abbadi checked one of his kicks.  The 32 year old hasn’t fought since and it’s unclear if he will continue fighting, leaving his record at 1-1.

—

Other TUF 8 Competitors:

Rolando Delgado (8-5-1):  Was released from the UFC in November of ‘09 after a devastating KO loss to Andre winner left him  with a 1-2 UFC record.

Phillipe Nover (5-3-1):  Was released from the UFC in February after a decision loss to Rob Emerson left his octagon record at 0-3.

John Polakowski (2-2):  Polakowski hasn’t fought since the show.

Dave Kaplan (2-3):  Kaplan has been remarkably quiet since being dropped from the UFC after going two fights without a win.

—

Due to seasons nine and ten having taken place within the last year I’ve decided to hold off on writing about those fighters until more time has past.  However there’s plenty of other avenues for the ‘Where Are They Now?’ feature beyond just the TUF series, so you can expect more articles in a similar vein to appear in the coming months.

If you enjoyed this article then perhaps you might enjoy some of our other recent features:

• Where Are They Now? – The Ultimate Fighters (Seasons 1-2)
• Where Are They Now? – 20 Fighters Cut From The UFC In 2009
• The Current Longest Winning Streaks In The UFC
• Established Stars Fighting For Their Futures At UFC 110
• Junior Dos Santos: How Good Is His Ground Game?

Article By RossC

Pictures Courtesy Of Sherdog.com

(If you have not yet seen them then be sure to also check out Part 1 and Part 2).

—

Season 5:

Fighters Still Contracted To The UFC:  7

Nate Diaz, Gray Maynard, Joe Lauzon, Matt Wiman, Rob Emerson, Corey Hill, Cole Miller

—

Andy Wang

Despite holding a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Andy Wang came into TUF season 5 with a reputation for being a brawler.  It had up until that point earned him a dubious record of 5-6, but despite being warned by his coach BJ Penn not to, he brought the same fighting philosophy (amusingly nicknamed ‘Stand And Wang’ by fans of the show) into his first fight with Brandon Melendez.  He lost by unanimous decision, and was later kick off his team by Penn for ignoring his instructions.

In the season finale Wang vowed to show off his ground game, but in the opening minute of the fight Cole Miller knocked him down with a head kick and finished the fight by TKO with just 70 seconds gone.  Wang was cut from the promotion, and disillusioned by how things had worked out for him, he didn’t fight again for almost two years.  In April of 2009 Wang returned to MMA, determined to repair his reputation and prove his fighting ability.  Fighting for Gladiator Challenge he defeated a newcomer in just over a minute of the first round by TKO – and yes, he did take the fight to the mat!  Three months later he fought for the promotion again and defeated another relatively green opponent in the first round.

Wang’s last fight was for the Chinese promotion Art Of War in September of ‘09, where he fought Atsuhiro Tsuboi (6-13-3), earning a draw which leaves him with a 7-7-1 career record. The 32 year old has since kept busy helping other fighters train for their bouts, including the likes of Diego Sanchez, Mac Danzig, Frank Trigg and Cris ‘Cyborg’ Santos.  In addition to fighting Wang holds a degree in history, and he has recently went back to school to  study Educational Leadership.

—

Gabe Ruediger

Gabe Ruediger arrived on The Ultimate Fighter with a solid professional record that included a previous fight in the UFC (a loss to Melvin Guillard at UFC 63) and a 17 month reign as the WEC’s lightweight champion.  Despite his experience Ruediger entered the show 20lbs overweight, and then failed to cut it in time for his fight with Corey Hill.   This angered Dana White who promptly threw Ruediger of the show, and did not recall him for the end of season finale.

Later Ruediger admitted to having seen the show as a marketing tool, and claimed that antics, such as going for a colonic in order to cut weight, had been done deliberately to ensure that he got air-time.  While he did gain a certain amount of notoriety it’s questionable how much of  a positive impact it’s had on his career.  He was set to fight at the K1-Dynamite: USA event soon after the show, but the opportunity fell through.  Since then Ruediger has fought for a number of promotions such as Gladiator Challenge, MMA Extreme and PFC, going 5-2 during that period.

Now 32, Ruediger last fought as recently as the 4th of February at Tachi Palace Fights 3.  He took on  Dominique Robinson (4-4) and won by rear naked choke in the second round.  The victory takes his unbeaten run to five fights and raises his career record to 16-5.   In a recent radio interview he admitted that people still remember him from the weight cutting debacle in TUF, though he was keen to stress that it was a one-off incident in his career.

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Noah Thomas

Noah Thomas will be remembered for a fight he had in The Ultimate Fighter, though not one that took place inside the octagon.  Out of the competition at the first huddle after being submitted by Manny Gamburyan, Thomas went on later in the series to have a drunken fight outside the house with Marlon Sims. During this Thomas learned the hard way why martial arts doesn’t always work in a street-fight when he was lifted up and slammed head-first into the concrete while attempting an armbar.  The next day Dana White was on-scene to reprimand both fighters for casting the sport in a bad light, and gave them their marching orders from the show.

At one stage it appeared that a fight between the two was to to take place at the season finale, but the bout was later cancelled by Dana White who said that due to their actions neither would fight in the UFC again.  Things went from bad to worse for Thomas when he later blew out his ACL in training, and so it would be well over a year after TUF had ended before he had the opportunity to compete again.  His fortunes changed after that however as he compiled a three fight winning streak in the smaller promotions, and then found himself back under the Zuffa banner – albeit in the UFC’s sister organization, the WEC.

Now fighting at 135lbs, Thomas has so far had two fights in the WEC, where he has struggled to make headway so far,  going 0-2 against Frank Gomez and Scott Jorgensen.  At 28 years of age Thomas has begun contemplating his longer term future, and as a result is currently taking a break from fighting to attend Police Academy.  He does however hope to return to fight in April or May.

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Manny Gamburyan

A cousin of former UFC fighter Karo Parisyan, 5ft 5″ Manny Gamburyan was considered an underdog by many, including Dana White, during TUF 5, but he went on to make a significant impact on the show.  He quickly disposed of Noah Thomas by kimura in his first fight, followed by a unanimous decision over Matt Wiman.  The semi-finals saw him paired off with a tough opponent in Joe Lauzon, but again he earned a decision victory to secure a spot in the final opposite Nate Diaz.

Disaster struck in the finale though when he suffered a dislocated shoulder while attempting to takedown Diaz, and lost the fight as a result.  Despite the disappointment Gamburyan signed a deal with the UFC, and started strongly, getting two submission wins under his belt in a fourth month spell.  A 12  knockout loss in just 12 seconds to Rob Emerson at UFC 87 undid his good work however, and then a unanimous decision loss to Thiago Tavares followed in January of 2009 at UFC 94. Considered undersized for the division, Gamburyan made the decision to move down to the featherweight division, and as a result found himself in the WEC.

Gamburyan has so far fought twice in the WEC, picking up decision wins over John Franchi and Leonard Garcia to mark himself out as a genuine contender in the division.   It was recently announced that he will now have the honor of fighting on the main card of the WEC’s first ever Pay Per View event in April, where he will face his toughest opponent yet in former champion Mike Brown.

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Corey Hill

Though still contracted to the UFC, Corey Hill’s post TUF story is worth repeating here.  Hill immediately stood out on the show since he had an unusual build for the 155lb lightweight division being that he was 6ft 4″ tall.  He also had limited experience having had just one pro fight under his belt before entering the show.  Despite that he made it through the first round, defeating the more experienced Rob Emerson.  He came undone in the next round however, succumbing to eventual winner Nate Diaz’s triangle choke.

Hill got his official UFC debut at UFN 12, picking up his second pro win against Joe Veres.  His next fight ended in disappointment though with a submission loss to Justin Buchholz, but several months later at UFC: Fight For The Troops in December of ‘08 things were about to get much worse.  Early in the second round Hill threw a leg kick that was checked by Dale Hartt, unexpectedly causing Hill’s leg to break cleanly at the shin.  It was one of the worst injuries ever seen in the octagon, and it threatened to end his career.  Hill had other ideas.  Firstly he required surgery, and the UFC stepped in to cover his medical expenses.  With rods and pins holding his leg together Hill was bed-ridden for four months, and that was just the start of a long and grueling road to recovery, with some doctor’s estimating he may be out for as much as two and a half years.

Remarkably,  in January of 2010, 13 months after his injury, Corey Hill made his return to competitive action. Though still under contract with the UFC, the promotion had given him permission to compete in smaller promotions while he continued his recovery.  Up against local fighter Jason trzewieczynski (3-2) at Raging Wolf VI, Hill battled his way to a unanimous decision victory.  He hopes it’s the first step towards a return to the UFC.

—

Other TUF Season 6 Competitors:

Marlon Sims (3-3): Kicked off the show after a fight with Noah Thomas, Sims has lost twice since, most notably a KO defeat to Billy Evangalista at Strikeforce: Shamrock Vs Le March of 2008.

Brandon Melendez (22-15):  After losing out to Joe Lauzon in the season finale Melendez has continued fighting, going 3-4 since.  His most recent fight was a KO loss to another former TUF competitor Josh Burkman back in November.

Allen Berube (4-2):  A loss to Leonard Garcia in the season finale was Berube’s only UFC fight.  Since then he has fought only twice – once in 2007 and once in 2009, and won on both occasions.  After the show he continued to run his ‘Monstah Lobstah’ seafood restaurant.

Brian Geraghty (21-14-1): Tasting defeat in the TUF 5 finale to Matt Wiman didn’t stop Geraghty from competing in MMA, and he’s went 4-3 since for a host of smaller scale promotions. His most recent fight was a win over a newcomer in November.

Wayne Weems (12-2): Weems wasn’t called back for the finale, and he has only logged fight since – a win in July of 2007.  There have been doubts over some of the fights Weems 12-2 record, with a number of them coming via opponents who had never fought professionally before.  On the up-side he did once fight someone named ‘Trip Shatfires’.  That’s got to count for something.

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Season 6:

Fighters Still Contracted To The UFC: 3

Mac Danzig, Ben Saunders, George Sotiropoulos

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Tommy Speer

Tommy ‘The Farmboy’ Speer had a successful run in the sixth season of TUF, despite facing a series of tough opponents.  Firstly he claimed a hard fought decision win over Jon Koppenhaver, and then another over Ben Saunders.  George Sotiropoulos was the last fighter that stood in the way of Speers earning a place in the finals, and he didn’t let the opportunity pass him by, winning with a first round KO.  After all the hard work that went into getting into the final, the resulting bout was a disappointment with Mac Danzig quickly submitting Speer in just under two minutes of the opening round.

Speer had an opportunity to bounce back from the loss at Ultimate Fight Night 13, but things did not go according to plan and he was knocked out in just 51 seconds by the heavy-handed Anthony Johnson. After a little under three minutes of cage time in his two UFC fights Speer’s spell in the promotion had come to an end.  After that it appeared he was set to return to the WEC where he had fought once before.  Unfortunately Speer was then bitten by a recluse spider which forced him out of action for several months, and the opportunity passed him by.  Instead Speer got back into action for the smaller promotions, fighting three times between October and November of ‘08.  He won the first two bouts, but the third ended in defeat .  After the fight the 25 year old announced his retirement, saying that he couldn’t keep up with the demands of fighting in MMA while also working on his family’s farm.

It appeared that the competitive urge hadn’t yet left Speer however, and he returned to MMA competition six months later, picking up a win at an Extreme Challenge event.  Another victory followed in October of 2009 taking his career record to 13-4.   Next up for the Minnesotan is a welterweight title fight with 11-2 fighter Ryan Ford at Canadian promotion TFC in March.

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Richie Hightower

Richie Hightower wasn’t the most popular fighter on season 6, with the eventual winner of the show Mac Danzig in particular taking an instant dislike to him.  Despite that Hightower took out his first opponent, Blake Bowman, in just 49 seconds.   It would be his only victory on the show though as he lost out to one of the early favorites to win the show, George Sotiropoulos, by Kimura in the following round.  At the season finale Hightower faced Troy Mandaloniz and came off second best, losing by TKO in the first round.  It proved to be his one and only fight in the UFC.

It would be over a year before Hightower emerged again, fighting at Shark Fights first event in October of 2008.  It wasn’t to be a successful return however as he picked up another loss on his record.  A few months later he was back in action against a member of Greg Jackson’s camp, Marcus Foran.  The fight ended in a ‘no contest’ when Hightower was adjudged to have landed an illegal strike to the back of Foran’s head.

With his form sliding the 28 year old desperately needed a win, and in December of ‘09 he found it in a fight against a local fighter Jordan McKay in the Canadian promotion TFC.  The victory took his record to 8-3.

—

Roman Mitichyan

Ranking as one of the briefest appearances ever on The Ultimate Fighter, Roman Mitichyan found himself out of the show as early as the first episode when it emerged during the initial evaluations that he had a broken elbow. An emotional Mitichyan begged with the doctor to let him fight but it wasn’t to be and he was subsequently replaced by a certain Jon ‘War Machine’ Koppenhaver.

The UFC did the honorable thing however and invited him back for the season finale, to face Dorian Price.  Mitichyan took just 23 seconds to secure the victory by way of an ankle lock.  At UFN 13 in April of 2008 Mitichyan returned to action against fellow TUF competitor George Sotoropoulos, but lost out via a second round TKO.  Despite holding a UFC record of 1-1 Mitichyan was cut from the roster after the defeat.  Since then the Armenian born fighter has picked up a further win (against TUF 7’s Mike Dolce) and a loss in 2009 to take his career record to 6-3.

Fighting is not Mitichyan’s only career path however.  Even before his time on TUF he had found work as a stuntman and taking on small roles in film and television, and he has continued to do.  Since leaving the UFC he has featured in small parts for TV shows like ‘24′, ‘Numb3rs’ and ‘Dexter’, along with appearances in a handful of films.  He is listed as one of the stuntmen for the forthcoming hollywood movie ‘Takers’ .

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Jon Koppenhaver (War Machine)

Undoubtedly one of the most memorable fighters from The Ultimate Fighter, Jon Koppenhaver made his mark during and after the show for a host of reasons. He almost didn’t appear at all however, as he was only a stand-by for the season until Roman Mitichyan broke his elbow.  ‘War Machine’ as he preferred to be known, fought Tommy Speer in the opening round, but despite a strong start he ended up losing the fight.  Later in the season Koppenhaver got into a scuffle with Jared Rollins after he ‘dropped a deuce’ in their toilet tank.  The fight was quickly broken up, but the two would get a chance to resolve their differences at the season finale.  It ended up being a three round war which War Machine ended by KO, earning ‘Fight Of The Night’ honors in the process.

Koppenhaver signed a ten fight contract with the UFC, yet he had only one more fight in the octagon, a loss to Yoshiyuki Yoshida at UFC 84.  He wasn’t cut for the loss, but rather for controversial comments he later made on his myspace blog regarding the death of UFC fighter Evan Tanner.  It wouldn’t be the only time his blog would get him in trouble – the following year he would also be cut from the Bellator promotion’s first season for implying that he hoped Barack Obama would be assassinated.   In  August of 2008 he had his name legally changed to ‘War Machine’.  In February of ‘09 he found himself in trouble with the police for the second time in two years after fighting a bouncer at the nightclub he was working at as a waiter.  Despite all this he did find time to compete, and between November 2008 – September of 2009 he logged five consecutive wins.

War Machine’s last fight came in October of last year for Tachi Palace Fights.  Facing undefeated prospect David Mitchell he lost for the first time since leaving the UFC by split decision, leaving his record at 10-3. It’s the 27 year old’s antics outside the cage that continue to grab the headlines though.  In late October he announced that he was to become a porn star.  In November though it became clear that he was still more of a fighter than a lover when he went on a rampage at a porn star’s birthday party and hit a number of different people, including his agent, sending several of them to hospital.    His twitter account became infamous during this time as he spoke about being on the run from the police, and  drunkenly posted about wanting to kill himself.  War Machine turned himself in to the police in December and is currently out on bail.  His long term future remains uncertain.

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John Kolosci

Despite a successful career in the computer industry, John Kolosci’s love for mixed martial arts drove him to compete in TUF season 6.  Things started off well as he claimed his first win on the show with a first round guillotine choke over Billy Miles, but he subsequently lost to Mac Danzig in the quarter finals.  Kolosci then faced Matt Arroyo in the season finale, and with his future in the promotion at stake he was defeated by an armbar in the first round.

A series of injury setbacks meant that Kolosci spent 2008 on the sidelines, but it didn’t dampen his enthusiasm for the sport.  Towards the end of the year he came to the realization that he couldn’t continue to juggle his full time job and remain a professional fighter.  Remarkably, despite his day job earning him in the region of $120,000 a year, Kolosci decided to quit it in order to follow his dream of being an MMA fighter.  In 2009 he then went on a four fight win streak.  Though the wins came in smaller scale promotions,  he caught the attention of Strikeforce, who offered him a place on the un-aired prelims of their Strikeforce: Fedor Vs Rogers event against the 9-1 Shamar Bailey.  It was a foothold back into one of the major promotions, but unfortunately he lost the bout by unanimous decision.

Branching out Kolosci started his own promotion, Hoosier Fight Club that same month.  He also marked the occasion by marrying his partner Cathy in the cage during the intermission for the show.  In January the 35 tear old got back to winning ways at the second Hoosier event, taking his career record to 10-6.  The promotion is not the only additional string to his bow however as he also manages some fighters and has a teaching role at L.A Boxing in Indiana to help make ends meet.

—

Joe Scarola

Joe Scarola entered into The Ultimate Fighter as a protege of Matt Serra, one of the the coaches on season 6.  As well as being one of the assistant coaches at Serra’s martial arts academy, Scarola had also been the best man at his wedding.  Despite Serra’s support Scarola was submitted by Mac Danzig in the opening episode of the show.

After the disappointing defeat Serra was still keen for Scarola to help him train the other fighters on their team, but he had other ideas, confessing that he was homesick and missing his girlfriend.  A clearly dissapointed Serra pleaded with him to stay and not throw away the opportunity but Scarola had made up his mind, and left the show.

At the time Serra vowed to disown the fighter if he walked out on his commitment to the show, and indeed he did just that.  Scarola lost his job at Serra’s BJJ academy, and his friendship with the fighter.  Scarola hasn’t fought since, but he is continues to be involved in martial arts.  He now owns his own Brazilian Jiu Jitsu school, Scarola BJJ, also known as Gracie Barra Long Island.

—

Other TUF Season 6 Competitors:

Matt Arroyo (3-3): After winning his bout with John Kolosci in the finale Arroyo stuck around for a further two fights, but after failing to pick up another win during that time he was cut from the promotion in January of last year.  He hasn’t fought since, but has been busy teaching at his school, ‘Gracie Tampa South’, competing in submission grappling tournaments, and recently earned his BJJ black belt.

Dan Barrera (2-1):  Lost to Ben Saunders in the finale and went on to pick up two victories in 2008.  Hasn’t fought since.

Blake Bowman (2-4):   After losing to Richie Hightower on the show Bowman didn’t get an opportunity to fight in the UFC.  He did however win his next two fights in smaller promotions, but he has since lost four fights, all in the first round.  He still plans to continue fighting though.

Troy Mandaloniz (3-2):  After posting a 1-1 record in the UFC with a win over Richie Hightower and loss to Paul Kelly, Mandaloniz found himself cut from the roster.   It’s been over a year since he last fought, but he currently helps run and teach at the I & I Training center in Maui, Hawaii owned by his long-time friend and training partner Kendall Grove.

Paul Georgieff (5-2):   Georgieff had to leave the show to attend a funeral, but not before losing to Troy Mandeloniz. He was then defeated by Jonathon Goulet at the finale and hasn’t fought since.

Billy Miles (2-2):  Lost out to John Kolosci on the show, and Georges Sotoropoulos in the finale.  Hasn’t fought since.

Dorian Price (8-3):  Lost to Matt Arroyo on TUF, then Roman Mitichyan in the finale.  Hasn’t fought since.

Jared Rollins (8-4):  Despite losing a ‘Fight Of The Night’ performance against War Machine, Rollins hasn’t returned to MMA competition so far, though he does still train.  He currently lives in O.C with his wife and child.

—

Stay tuned for Part 4 of this feature, which looks at Seasons 7-8, next week. In the mean time feel free to check out some of the other recent featured articles on the site:

• Where Are They Now? – The Ultimate Fighters (Seasons 1-2)
• Where Are They Now? – The Ultimate Fighters (Seasons 3-4)
• Where Are They Now? – 20 Fighters Cut From The UFC In 2009
• The Top 12 Fighter Salaries Of 2009
• 10 MMA Podcasts Worth Checking Out
  

Article By RossC

Pictures Courtesy Of Sherdog.com

Season 3:

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Fighters Still Contracted To The UFC: 5

Michael Bisping, Matt Hamill, Kendall Grove, Jesse Forbes, Ed Herman

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Kalib Starnes

Kalib Starnes has become one of The Ultimate Fighter’s most infamous participants, though not during his appearance on the show.  Starnes made it to the middleweight semi-finals in the house by beating Mike Stine but then lost out to the eventual winner Kendall Grove after verbally submitting due to a dislocated rib.  He did however go on to claim a valuable win over fellow TUF 3 fighter Danny Abbadi in the season finale.

Now officially in the UFC Starnes faced a tough start when he went up against Yushin Okami and lost by TKO in the third round.  From their he would go on to pick up a notable decision win over Chris Leben and a loss to Alan Belcher.  Then came one of the most bizarre fights in UFC history.  At UFC 83 in April of 2008 Starnes took on Nate Quarry.  In the bout he adopted an overtly defensive strategy, spending almost the entire bout back-pedaling away from an increasingly frustrated Quarry.  By the third round the fight began to resemble a Benny Hill skit with Quarry making fun of Starnes by pretending to chase him around the octagon.

Needless to say Starnes lost the bout, was swiftly ejected from the UFC and instantly became the laughing stock of MMA fans around the world with youtube videos, GIFS, and even a website named after him being created to poke fun at him. In his defense Starnes claimed to have broken his foot in the fight, but his excuse fell on deaf ears. Some seven months later he re-emerged and claimed a win at a small-scale promotion in Hawaii. It would be another year before he fought again in November of ‘09 against current Bellator middleweight champion Hector Lombard. Starnes lasted just under two minutes before verbally submitting due to strikes. Still determined to change his luck the 35 year old, who remains with his long-term girlfriend, pro soccer player Betty Ann Casey, plans to fight again in March.

—

Ross Pointon

Known as ‘The Gladiator’, there was no questioning the heart of the UK’s Ross Pointon on TUF, but it wasn’t enough to secure a win on the show with Kendall Grove taking less than a round to submit him in the third episode. Another opportunity to fight would unexpectedly arise when Matt Hamill pulled out injured. Pointon suddenly found himself up against fellow UK fighter Michael Bisping in the semi-finals but again lost out in the first round. He had earned Dana White’s respect though and was given a place in the season finale.

Up against Rory Singer, ‘The Gladiator’s’ ground game once again proved to be his achilles heel as he succumbed to a submission after just 44 seconds. At UFN 8 he made it out of the first round against veteran fighter Rich Clementi before – yes you guessed it – being submitted. Having failed to make his mark in the UFC, Pointon returned home to the British Isles where he has something of a cult status amongst hardcore fans. He would go on to fight four times for UK promotion Cage Rage, going 2-2, including a win over fellow Brit Ross Mason, and a hard fought loss to Marius Zaromskis.

Pointon hasn’t competed since defeating Mason in May of 2008, partly due to injury and also due to Cage Rage going bust. He attempted to re-enter TUF during the Team USA Vs Team UK series in ‘09, but was told by Dana White to go and get some wins together instead. Due to a lack of opportunities Pointon took matters into his own hands, forming Gladiator Promotions, a company which puts on MMA shows in the UK. Though he hasn’t fought in the events so far, he has managed to put together several successful shows, with more planned for 2010.

—

Noah Inhofer

Another infamous TUF competitor, Noah Inhofer started off the show in good form, defeating Jesse Forbes in the first round. Things quickly went pear-shaped however when he received a letter that convinced him he had to abandon his place on the show and head back home. Was there a death in the family? Nope, it turned out to be his girlfriend of six months was accusing him of cheating on her. Despite being warned by Dana White that he was throwing away a golden opportunity to fight in the UFC, Inhofer went through with his decision to leave.

Afterwards White described the situation as “pathetic,” and as you might imagine Inhofer has never had another opportunity to compete in the UFC.  Despite being ridiculed for his actions he continued to fight for promotions like Extreme Challenge and King Of The Cage after the show, coming away with a mediocre post-TUF record of 3-3.  Inhofer’s last fight, a TKO loss to former UFC fighter Victor Valimaki, was back in September of 2008.

The question people really want to know when it comes to Inhofer is what became of his relationship?  Well, he did patch things up with his girlfriend Greta, and they are currently engaged to be married after Inhofer proposed in the summer of last year while on a mission trip to Costa Rica.

—

Josh Haynes

Josh Haynes had a little luck on his route to the final of The Ultimate Fighter season 3.  In his first fight he squared off against Tait Fletcher, and at the final bell it appeared his opponent would win the decision, but to many people’s surprise Haynes emerged with his hand raised.  Haynes took his good fortune and ran with it, going on to defeat Jesse Forbes in the semi-final by guillotine choke.  He fell one step short of the $100,000 contract though after being comfortably beaten by Michael Bisping in the final.

Haynes remained in the UFC but failed to get back to winning ways, losing out to Rory Singer in one of the bloodiest fights in the promotions history.  A KO loss to Luke Cummo in April of 2007 would be his last UFC appearance.  Haynes career then had a curious interlude as he was invited to be part of a reality show, ‘Celebrity Bull Riding Challenge’ on CMT, alongside other “celebrities” like Stephen Baldwin and Vanilla Ice. Returning to fighting Haynes picked up two wins and a loss in regional promotions before the close of the year.  2008 started well with a win in the IFL over Leopoldo Serao, and later he would pick up a win over former UFC fighter Sean Salmon, though in-between the two victories he also suffered a loss to a  up and coming fighter, Mojo Horne.

After an eventful couple of years 2009 was significantly quieter for Haynes.  In February he fought at a Wargods event, picking up a split-decision win over Rafael Real.  The expectation was that he would fight several more times for the promotion, with a fight with Vernon White being lined up for April of ‘09, but it did not materialize and Haynes hasn’t returned to the cage since.  Now 32, and with a career record of 17-10, it remains to be seen what the future holds for the former TUF finalist.

—

Jesse Forbes

Despite being Ken Shamrock’s first pick on the show, Forbes didn’t have the best of starts on TUF, finding himself out of the competition as early as episode two after a submission loss to Noah Inhofer.  Forbes wasn’t finished on the show however, finding himself reinstated and through to the semi-finals after Inhofer quit the show.  Forbes then fought Josh Haynes, but again came undone via a submission.   Despite having lost twice in the house the young fighter made the season finale card to fight Matt Hamill, but lost again, and as a result was cut from the UFC.

Still only 21, the next step was to get more cage experience and he did just that, putting together a three fight win-streak over a six month period, including a victory over future TUF competitor Jesse Taylor.  Clearly still in favor with Zuffa, Forbes found himself in the WEC in September of 2007 against Bryan Baker, but once again Forbes struggled to make his mark on the big stage, losing by TKO in the first round.  Forbes went back to the drawing board, and back to the smaller promotions. He went 3-1 in 2008, and then really turned up the heat in 2009 by going on a five fight unbeaten run.

Having paid his dues Forbes, now 25, was granted a big reward for his hard work when he found himself recalled to the UFC – three and a half years after his first stint in the promotion.  He can’t afford to rest on his laurels now though – particularly as his first fight back ended in a decision loss to Nick Catone at UFN 20 in January.  He remains confident though and is looking forward to his next opportunity to fight in the UFC.

—

Other TUF 3 Competitors:

Mike Stine (2-0) – Hasn’t fought since the show.

Solomon Hutcherson (11-6) – Still fighting regularly, Hutcherson’s currently fights in the MFC, losing to Jason MacDonald in November.

Kristian Rothaermel (6-3) – Rothaermel hasn’t fought since the show.

Tait Fletcher (4-2) – Fletcher hasn’t fought since a 2008 KO loss in King Of The Cage.  Has been pictured recently training with Chuck Liddell.

Mike Nickels (8-3) – Still in the sport, Nickels last competed in December, losing to another former TUF competitor Vinny Magalhaes.

Rory Singer (11-9) – Cut from the UFC in 2007, Singer has lost twice since, most recently against Brian Baker in February of ‘09.

Danny Abbadi (4-6) – His last fight was a loss to Shonie Carter last September.

—

Season 4:

—

—

Fighters still contracted to the UFC: 4

Matt Serra, Jorge Rivera, Patrick Cote, Chris Lytle

—

Travis Lutter

A decorated grappler, Travis Lutter had three previous fights in the UFC prior to TUF season 4, but only one win in the octagon.  He showed better form on the show though, tapping out Scott Smith and then claiming a decision victory over Pete Sell to reach the final. In the finale Lutter wasted no time sealing a submission victory over Patrick Cote to become the winner of the fourth season.

As a reward Lutter’s first bout after the show was for the middleweight title against Anderson Silva.  Undoubtedly the biggest fight of his career, Lutter was widely criticized for failing to make weight, causing the contest to become a non-title bout.  He almost redeemed himself in the fight, giving Silva arguably his toughest test in the octagon to date after forcing him to fight from his back.  In the second round, just when it seemed Lutter had a strategy that could win, Silva caught the BJJ black belt in a triangle choke that forced him to tap out.  Injuries meant that it would be over a year until Lutter fought again at UFC 83 where he would lose to another tough competitor, Rich Franklin.  Despite the caliber of his opponents the UFC had seen enough and Lutter earned the dubious distinction of being the first TUF winner to be cut from the UFC.

It would be 18 months later before Lutter fought again as potential fights fell through, but he kept busy teaching at his own academy in Texas, and opening up another 10,000 square ft training facility in the area in 2009.  In October, at the age of 36, Lutter finally stepped back into the cage at MFC 22 to face another UFC veteran Jason Macdonald and picked up a unanimous decision victory which took his pro record to 13-5.  It is expected that Lutter’s next fight will again be with the Canadian promotion MFC in April – May, with Thales Leites being mentioned as a potential opponent.

—

Mikey Burnett

Mikey Burnett found himself on the TUF 4 comeback show some seven years after his last MMA fight, a win at UFC 18. His stay in the house would be controversial, though due to his fight which ended quickly with a triangle choke loss to Din Thomas. Instead Burnett’s major talking point on the show came when he decided it would be a good idea to repeatedly run into a wall in the house. Needless to say he came off second best in the exchange. As innocuous as it sounds the incident would later come back to haunt him when he is discovered to have a serious spinal injury that requires surgery.  There are different accounts of how the damage was inflicted with Burnett suggesting it occurred during a training session on the show with Randy Couture.

In the final episode of the season it appears that Burnett is going to have the necessary operation, but things don’t go as planned after the cameras stop rolling. Burnett waits for the UFC or the insurance group who covered the show will pay for the procedure, but this does not happen, and he is unable to pay the bill himself. In 2008 he filed lawsuits against both the creators of the show, TufGuy productions (citing negligence in failing to provide a safe environment on the show), and AIG, an insurance company associated with the show (citing a breach of contract in regards to a payout for the injuries he sustained).

In the summer of 2009 Burnett announced that he was to retire from the sport due to his injury.  To this day Burnett still hasn’t had the surgery on his neck, and due to the debilitating nature of the injury, it is believed it is now too late to repair the damage he has sustained. He takes regular pain medication and his symptoms now include partial paralysis and numbness in his arms.  Still needing to provide for his two children, Burnett now teaches at his gym, the ‘Oklahoma Fight Club’ though he isn’t able to take part in activities like sparring. It is believed one of his lawsuits may finally go to court later this year after a series of appeals.

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Scott Smith

Scott Smith fought at UFC 59, losing to David Terrell just a few months later found himself on TUF season 4.  His run on the show was short lived, being submitted by Travis Lutter in his opening fight. He made up for that in the season finale however with a memorable victory against Pete Sell. Appearing beaten after taking a vicious body shot that had him doubled over in pain, Smith somehow found the strength of mind to throw one last punch as Sell came in for the kill, and amazingly it connected cleanly, knocking him out.

It remains one of the best knockouts in the sport, but it would prove to be his only win in the octagon as he went on to lose to Patrick Cote and Ed Herman before leaving the promotion. Before long Smith found himself signed to the EliteXC promotion, where he went on to fight Robbie Lawler for the middleweight title. Their first fight ended as a No Contest after an illegal eye poke, and in the second, which aired to millions on CBS as the main event Smith suffered a TKO loss. Smith quickly found favor with Strikeforce when EliteXC folded, and racked up two knockouts in his first two fights, one of which being another of his trademark come-from-behind victories against Benji Radach. Despite losing his next fight against Nick Diaz, Smith’s crowd-pleasing style helped earn him a new six fight deal with the promotion in 2009.

The first bout of his new contract took place at Strikeforce: Evolution in December, fighting one of the promotions marquee fighters Cung Le in the main event of the evening. After being soundly beaten in the first two rounds Smith again showed his remarkable ability to grasp victory from the jaws of defeat, producing a TKO victory in the third round and handing Le the first defeat of his MMA career.

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Shonie Carter

One of the most unique personalities in the sport, Shonie Carter had fought five times in the UFC, going 3-2, prior to appearing on TUF. He was put into action immediately on the show and emerged victorious against Rich Clementi to reach the semi-finals where an old foe was waiting – Matt Serra. The two had fought previously at UFC 31, with Serra appeared to be winning comfortably until the final ten seconds of the final round when Carter famously knocked him out with a spinning back fist. There was no such luck this time around however and Carter lost by decision to the eventual winner of the show. Though he didn’t appear in the season finale Carter did get another chance in the UFC at UFN 7 but he lost a decision to Marcus Davis and wasn’t kept on by the UFC.

With over 60 fights on his record at that point Carter was no stranger to fighting in the smaller promotions and that’s exactly what he went back to doing. In fact he has fought a further 14 times in the past three years, going 9-5, largely against lesser known fighters. Perhaps his most notable fights during that period have been his last two. The first came against another ex-UFC star Carlos Newton in October of 2009 which he lost by unanimous decision. Continuing the theme Carter then took on another former UFC fighter who dates back to UFC 4 – Anthony Macias. Only a month after his loss to Newton, Carter once again lost out by unanimous decision.

Now 37 and holding a 48-21-7 Carter continues to lead a colorful life inside and outside of the cage.  Two years ago he refereed a bout that ended in a double knockout and a priceless reaction from Carter.  Last year he appeared on the Judge Mathis show after being sued for not turning up to referee an event and hold a seminar.  He won the case.  Carter’s latest venture in 2010 is a store on Facebook where he sells unique one of a kind apparel designed and made by himself, and even his own drink, ‘Shonie Juice’, which apparently is “certified fantastic.” He is also believed to be working on a book about his life.

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Din Thomas

Din Thomas had a record of 2-2 in the UFC before getting the call to feature in TUF, but had spent the previous three years in the smaller leagues. As well as fighting a staph infection on the show, Thomas also fought Mikey Burnett and quickly won by submission. He would go no further in the competition though, losing a decision to Chris Lytle in the semi-finals. In the season finale he bounced back with a submission win over Rich Clementi, the first in a three fight win-streak in the UFC that also included a decision win over Clay Guida and Submission Of The Night performance over Jeremy Stephens.

A successful 2007 ended on a sour note though with a defeat to Kenny Florian, which was followed up by a further loss to Jeremy Stephens in April of the following year. The back-to-back losses ended his second spell in the UFC, leaving with a 5-4 record for the promotion. It would be almost a year later before he re-emerged, now fighting at 145lbs, and between February and March in 2009 he garnered two victories in regional promotions.

His latest victory came in January of 2010 after another layoff, but he has stayed busy outside of the cage, featuring in some small independent films, and hosting the ‘1001 Submissions’ instructional DVD’s which were released in November last year. It was recently announced that the charismatic fighter has signed with the mid-level promotion Shine Fights and is set to face off against the former WBA/WBC welterweight champion boxer Ricardo Mayorga who will be making his MMA Debut.

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Jeremy Jackson

Jeremy Jackson had just one fight in the UFC, a loss to Nick Diaz in 2003, before receiving an invite to appear in The Ultimate Fighter some three years later. The troubled fighter had apparently been homeless and living in his car before the show.  He didn’t get a chance to prove himself on TUF however after being caught leaving the confines of the house to meet a girl he had met earlier in the day. Since this was a breach of the rules he was asked to leave the show by Dana White. Despite the incident he was allowed to return for the show’s finale where he lost to Pete Spratt, suffering a neck injury in the process.

Several months later Jackson emerged on a regional show and picked up a win to take his career record to 10-5. He didn’t fight for over a year after that, but the troubled fighter was apparently battling demons of his own. The full extent of this would only emerge in May of 2008 when he was arrested on multiple counts of forcible rape amongst other charges including sexual assault and burglary, with bail set at one million dollars. The victim is alleged to be a girl he knew and had been dating.

There has been little word on the situation since then, but after looking through court documents we have been able to discover that Jackson pleaded not guilty to the charges, but the case remains open almost two years later.  He has remained in jail during that time. Jackson is expected to appear in court in relation to the charges on the 11th of February.

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Other TUF 4 Competitors:

Edwin Dewees (36-13)

Charles McCarthy (10-5) – Retired from the sport after losing to Michael Bisping in the UFC in April, 2008.

Pete Spratt (20-17) – Last fought in January, losing to another former UFC fighter Keith Wisniewski.

Gideon Ray (17-11-1) – Still fighting, Ray claimed his 17th victory in December.

Pete Sell (8-5) – Hasn’t fought since being cut from the UFC after a loss to Matt Brown in March last year. He’s recently been helping Matt Serra train for his upcoming fight with Frank Trigg.

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Feel free to bookmark the site and tune In next week for the 3rd part of the series which looks at Seasons 5-6.

In the mean time here’s some of our other recent featured articles that might interest you:

• Where Are They Now? – The Ultimate Fighters Season 1-2
• 10 MMA Podcasts Worth Checking Out
• The Current Longest Winning Streaks In The UFC
• The Top 12 UFC Fighter Salaries In 2009
• Where Are They Now? – 20 Fighters Cut From The UFC In 2009

Article By RossC

Pictures courtesy of sherdog.com

They are not the focus of this article however.  Instead we will look to find out what happened to some of the the memorable characters from past seasons who didn’t obtain the same level of success in the octagon, and found themselves cut from the roster as a result.  Did they continue to pursue their dreams,  did they find success elsewhere, or did they just fade into obscurity?  Read on to find out…

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The Ultimate Fighter Season 1:

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Fighters still contracted to the UFC:  8

(Forrest Griffin, Diego Sanchez, Stephan Bonnar, Kenny Florian, Mike Swick, Josh Koscheck, Nate Quarry, Chris Leben)

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BOBBY SOUTHWORTH

Bobby Southworth gained infamy in the TUF season 1 house as part of the duo (along with Josh Koscheck) who sent Chris Leben into a drunken rage, smashing a window and breaking down a bedroom door along the way.  Southworth failed to make a major impact in the competition though, losing out to eventual finalist Stephan Bonner by split decision in his second fight.  He returned for the season finale, but came out on the wrong side of a decision to Sam Hoger.

Afterwards Southworth found a new home – Strikeforce.  He was then involved in one of the most bizarre fights in MMA history when he and his opponent James Irvin fell out of the unlocked cage door just moments into the fight.  Better days were ahead though as he claimed the vacant Strikeforce light-heavyweight title against Vernon White in his next fight.  He would notch up a further three wins, including one successful title defense, in the next two years before losing his belt to Renato Sobral in December of 2008.  He hasn’t fought since.

10 seasons after first appearing on The Ultimate Fighter, Southworth turned up at the tryouts for the 11th season of the show in October of 2009.  It’s since been confirmed the show will only feature middleweights, ruling out the chance of him returning.  Now 40, Southworth (9-6)  remains without a fight deal, but is still hoping to return to the cage in the future.  Meanwhile he teaches BJJ at the American Kickboxing Academy gym in California.
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SAM HOGER

The Alaskan Assassin’ Sam Hoger became something of a villain in TUF Season 1 after he was accused of stealing items from other fighters.  Meanwhile good fortune  meant that Hoger didn’t have to fight until the semi-finals, but his luck quickly changed when he was TKO’d by Forrest Griffin a little over a minute into the bout.  He did however make amends at the season finale by defeating Bobby Southworth.

It would be the start of a five fight run in the UFC in which he would post a record of 2-3, including losing out to future champions Rashad Evans and Lyoto Machida. The latter defeat in March of 2007 spelled an end to his UFC career.  A few months later he suffered another setback when he was choked out by Vernon White in the IFL.  18 months later and now fighting at heavyweight Hoger made a successful comeback in regional promotion WCF, while in January of 2009 he claimed another win, and the URC Cruiserweight belt.

Now 29 and holding a record of 8-4, Hoger hasn’t fought in over a year. He has kept busy though, opening up the ‘Hoger MMA And Ultimate Fitness Center’ in Texas last April, and earning his Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt in July.   According to a recent post on his twitter account Hoger is expecting to return to fighting in April.

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ALEX SCHOENAUER

Alex Schoenauer’s total cage time in TUF lasted just 80 seconds before being TKO’d by Forrest Griffin, but he still made his presence felt – opening up a cut above Griffin’s eye that almost forced the eventual winner and future champion out of the competition.  He would then last only 20 seconds in his only official UFC fight before being knocked out by Mike Swick.

The losses didn’t deter Schoenauer however, and he has fought on a regular basis since, most notably a two year stretch in the IFL where he went 5-5.  After the IFL went under he found himself picked up by the WEC.  At the time the light-heavyweight class in the WEC was preparing to be amalgamated with the UFC’s, apparently paving the way for his return to the octagon.  Unfortunately he got injured, and his contract was not picked up by the UFC.

After that disappointment he didn’t fight for over 18 months, but in December of 2009 he returned for a fight against a high profile opponent in Paulo Filho at Bitetti Combat MMA 4.  Schoenauer wasn’t able to pull off an upset though, losing by unanimous decision to take the 33 year old’s pro record to 13-9.

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ALEX KARALEXIS

Alex Karalexis didn’t make a major impact in the first season of TUF, succumbing to a rear naked choke courtesy of Diego Sanchez in his opening fight. He did manage to rebound in the season finale however, defeating Josh Rafferty. That set up a fight with Season 1 runner-up Kenny Florian, where he became an early victim of ‘Ken-Flo’s’ sharp elbows. Another loss on his record, this time against Jason Von Flue, called an end to his time in the UFC.

Karalexis apparently hadn’t fallen out of favor with Zuffa though, and found himself in the WEC some seven months later where he has remained since.  He won his first two fights for the promotion before dropping down to lightweight where he has received mixed results, going 2-2.  He was scheduled to fight Kamal Shalorus in November at WEC 44, but a broken hand prevented him from competing.

Currently 10-4 in his pro career, there is no word yet on when the 32 year old will fight next.

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JASON THACKER

Canadian Jason Thacker had one of the most unenviable appearances in the history of  The Ultimate Fighter.   For example – on his first night on the show fellow contestant Chris Leben decided it would be a good idea to piss on his pillow.  This came 0nly hours after being given the nickname ‘Strange Brew’ thanks to his unusual odor.  Not a great start then!  Things didn’t go any better in the following days as Thacker, who had no professional fights under his belt before entering the show, quickly realized that he wasn’t cut out for the intensity of the training regime.

By the second episode he had earned the dubious distinction of becoming the first ever contestant to be eliminated from the show.  Despite this Thacker somehow managed to earn a place on the TUF finale to face his nemesis, Leben.  Looking for revenge,  he instead ended up on the wrong end of a one-sided beatdown.

So what became of Jason Thacker?  What we do know is that he hasn’t fought since leaving the UFC.  It appears he retreated back to the rural town in British Columbia where he came from, perhaps to resume his previous job as an animator.  In 2007 a video with Thacker appeared in which he showed viewers around the abandoned truckstop that he used as a makeshift gym before going on the show.  Despite his ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ appearance on TUF, ‘Strange Brew’ has gained something of an ironic cult status amongst hardcore fans, and his name still crops up in conversation from time to time.

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Other TUF 1 Competitors:

• Chris Sanford (5-1 / Last Fought: August 2005)
• Lodune Sincaid (15-8 / Former WEC Light-heavyweight champion / last Fought: June 2009)
• Josh Rafferty (9-6 / Last Fought: November 2008)

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The Ultimate Fighter Season 2

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Fighters Still Contracted To The UFC: 5

(Joe Stevenson, Marcus Davis, Melvin Guillard, Keith Jardine, Rashad Evans)

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LUKE CUMMO

One of the more unusual personalities to emerge from The Ultimate Fighter show is surely Luke Cummo.  A committed Vegan who wore glasses and cited a love of comic books, he certainly didn’t fit the stereotype of a fighter. Despite being picked last in the team selections he would defy expectations by going on to the TUF 2 season finale after defeating Anthony Torres and Sammy Morgan.  He then lost out in a closely fought battle with Joe Stevenson, but his performance earned him the same $100,000 contract that is usually reserved for the winner of the show.

Cummo went on to fight for the UFC for three years with mixed results before leaving in in 2008 after back-to-back defeats to Lugi Fioravanti and Tamdan McCrory.  He hasn’t fought since, leaving his record at 6-6 (3-4 in the UFC).

Cummo currently keeps fans up-to-date with his goings-on via the forum at his own site, lukecummo.com.  Don’t be expecting to much in the way of MMA talk though.  During his time in the UFC he was known to drink his own urine, believing it gave him an edge over his opponents.  Nowadays he’s apparently into “flushing” his body of impurities with regular enemas, and “harvesting” his gallstones. It’s a subject he’s happy to discuss at length, and even provides photos.  Did I mention that Luke Cummo is kind of weird??

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JOSH BURKMAN

After making a promising start to TUF 2 by beating Melvin Guilard, Josh Burkman was then forced to leave the show due to a broken arm sustained during the fight.   It was a tough pill to swallow, but after returning to full fitness Burkman was determined to prove his worth in the season finale, and stopped Sammy Morgan in just 21 seconds.

Burkman would go on to fight for a further three years in the UFC, picking wins up over the likes of Josh Neer and Drew Fickett along the way, but struggling against the divisions top contenders like Karo Parisyan and Jon Fitch.  After losing three fights in a row to Mike Swick, Dustin Hazelett and Pete Sell, taking his octagon record to 5-5, Burkman was finally cut from the UFC roster in the latter months of 2008.

After that Burkman spent over a year on the sidelines healing up from serious back problems.  Now 29, Burkman returned to action in November, picking up a win over another former TUF competitor Brandon Melendez at Throwdown Showdown 5.  Burkman’s first fight of 2010 is not confirmed yet, but he plans to avenge a previous defeat to Jeremy Horn in March if the veteran fighter agrees.

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JORGE GURGEL

Jorge Gurgel appeared to have an advantage coming into The Ultimate Fighter Season 2 due to a being best friends with his coach Rich Franklin. He also handed himself a significant disadvantage however by failing to use his highly regarded Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu skills, preferring to rely on his stand-up skills.  The strategy backfired and he suffered a unanimous decision loss to Jason Von Flue on the show, followed by a further decision loss to Mark Hominick at the show’s finale.

Despite the losses, UFC bosses gave him the benefit of the doubt and kept him on the roster.  Gurgel’s overconfidence in his striking and stubborn refusal to take fights to the floor would continue to hinder more than help his career though, and and he was finally let go in November of 2008 after compiling a disappointing 3-4 record.

Gurgel now fights for Strikeforce in their Challenger series, and despite criticism he has continued to indulge his passion for grueling three round stand-up wars in his victory over Conor Heun and loss to Billy Evangalista.  Still a respected BJJ teacher he currently runs the Jorge Gurgel Mixed Martial Arts Academy.  He remains close friends with Rich Franklin and helps corners him for his fights.  Gurgel also recently returned to the UFC – but only to help out as a Portugese translator in-between rounds during the UFC 108 broadcast.

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MIKE WHITEHEAD

One of the more experienced competitors in TUF season 2, Mike Whitehead appeared among the early favorites to win the show. Unfortunately for him he was drawn to face the eventual winner Rashad Evans in his first fight and lost out by unanimous decision. At UFC 57 in February of 2006 he was given another chance to make his mark against fellow TUF 2 alum Keith Jardine, but again he lost out, and lost his place in the UFC as a result.

In the following two years he became a relentless competitor, fighting twelve times, emerging undefeated in that period. The run included five fights in the IFL in which he defeated some familiar names from the UFC’s past and present in Krzysztof Soszynski, Mark Kerr and Vernon White. His run ended however when he dropped a unanimous decision to Renato Sobral in July of 2008 at Affliction: Banned.

Last year the 28 year old signed for Strikeforce, and notched up his first win against another seasoned competitor, Kevin Randlemann. In December he looked to give rising star ‘King Mo’ Lawal a tough test in his debut for the promotion, but things didn’t go according to plan and he suffered the first clean KO defeat of his 32 fight career in the first round.

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SETH PETRUZELLI

Seth Petruzelli came into The Ultimate Fighter having just beaten UFC hall of famer Dan Severn.  He then progressed to the semi-finals on the show after beating Dan Christison, but come undone against Brad Imes. Petruzelli didn’t fight officially in the UFC until a year later, losing out to TUF 3’s Matt Hamill. A subsequent loss to Wilson Gouveia in April of 2007 ended his spell in the UFC.

After claiming a win in a local promotion in October of ‘07, Petruzelli took an expected turn when he put his fighting career on hold in order to open up a ‘Smoothie King’ in Florida. A year later Petruzelli was preparing to fight in the undercard of an Elite XC event when out of the blue he found himself upgraded to the main event. His new opponent was undefeated backyard brawler Kimbo Slice and the bout was set to broadcast to millions live on CBS. 14 seconds into the fight he handed the heavily promoted Slice a humiliating TKO loss. To this day it remains one of the most watched fights in MMA history.

Despite the blaze of publicity that followed, Petruzelli spent another year out of the sport. He did however continue to show his entrepreneurial flair by starting up an MMA gym, ‘The Jungle’, along with another Smoothie King. In August he notched up a win for a small scale promotion, and recently announced that he will be fighting 45 year old veteran Ken Shamrock (who he stepped into replace at Elite XC) in March of this year.  He is still hoping for a return to the UFC in the future though, and a potential rematch with Kimbo Slice.

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BRAD IMES

Brad Imes entered The Ultimate Fighter off the back of victories in his first three pro fights – all in the WEC. His winning form continued on the show as he racked up wins against Rob Macdonald and Seth Petruzelli to earn a spot in the final. Their his unbeaten run would finally come to an end against Rashad Evans by split decision. Despite his early promise Imes UFC career failed to take off after the defeat, picking up further losses to Dan Christison and Heath Herring before being released in 2007.

The rest of that year would prove better though as he claimed five wins in a row fighting in smaller promotions around the U.S. During that spell he gained publicity for winning two fights in a row by the rarely seen ‘gogoplata’ submission, earning him a new nickname – ‘Mr Gogoplata’. 2008 onwards has seen a sharp contrast in his form, and he has gained just two wins in his past six fights. His most recent fight took place at ‘Arena Rumble’ in September of 2009 where he was defeated by the relatively inexperienced Josh Queen.

Currently holding a record of 12-7, the 32 year old’s fighting career appears to have come to a halt with long-term knee problems taking their toll. He has now has taken up gainful employment as a firefighter which will no doubt help the people of Jefferson City sleep a little easier at night.

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Other TUF 2 Competitors:

• Sammy Morgan (19-12 / Last fought: October 2008)
• Anthony Torres (5-2 / last Fought: January 2008)
• Dan Christison (17-7 / Last Fought: November 2009)
• Rob MacDonald (5-4 / Last Fought: February 2008) 
• Tom Murphy (5-0 / CEO of Warrior Roots / Last Fought: October 2009 )
• Kenny Stephens (9-8 / Last Fought:  June 2009)
• Kerry Schall (22-11 1nc / Last Fought:  November 2008)
• Eli Joslin (2-0 / Last Fought:  April 2006)

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That’s all for this week.  Be sure to check back next week when we’ll continue to look at what happened to some of TUF’s most memorable fighters and find out what they’ve been up to since the show.

If you liked this article you might like to check out some of our other recent featured articles:

10 MMA Podcasts Worth Checking Out

The Current Longest Winning Streaks In The UFC

The Top 12 UFC Salaries Of 2009

Where Are They Now? – 20 Fighters Cut From The UFC In 2009

Junior Dos Santos – How Good Is His Ground Game?

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Article By RossC

Pictures courtesy of sherdog.com