The WORST episodes of The Ultimate Fighter
Every episode of The Ultimate Fighter ever, ranked from worst to best by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The worst episodes of The Ultimate Fighter!
Sixteen aspiring mixed martial artists live together, train together and compete against each other to become the Ultimate Fighter. They receive coaching from UFC champions and contenders in a variety of martial arts including wrestling, boxing, judo, Jiu-Jitsu, karate and kickboxing. The winner receives a six-figure contract from the UFC.
#1 - TUF 33 Finale
Season 33 - Episode 13 - Aired 9/13/2025
The Welterweight and Flyweight finals of The Ultimate Fighter: Team Cormier vs. Team Sonnen took place at the event.
#2 - TUF 32 Finale
Season 32 - Episode 13 - Aired 8/24/2024
The featherweight and middleweight finals of The Ultimate Fighter: Team Grasso vs. Team Shevchenko took place at the event.
#3 - TUF 31 Finale
Season 31 - Episode 13 - Aired 8/19/2023
The lightweight and bantamweight finals of The Ultimate Fighter: Team McGregor vs. Team Chandler took place at the event.
#4 - TUF 30 Finale
Season 30 - Episode 13 - Aired 8/6/2022
The finale for the Men's Heavyweight and Women's Flyweight bouts.
#5 - TUF 29 Finale
Season 29 - Episode 13 - Aired 8/28/2021
A featherweight bout between Edson Barboza and Giga Chikadze headlined the event. The Return of The Ultimate Fighter: Team Volkanovski vs. Team Ortega season finale took place at this event, featuring the tournament finals of both the middleweight and bantamweight divisions.
#6 - Matt Serra vs. Chris Lytle TUF 4 Finale
Season 4 - Episode 14 - Aired 11/11/2006
Teammates and sparring partners on the show, BJJ blackbelt with knockout power Matt “The Terror” Serra took to the cage to battle pro boxer with savvy submission skills Chris “Lights Out” Lytle, and the winner got a shot at the UFC welterweight title.
#7 - Tied
Season 18 - Episode 8 - Aired 10/23/2013
Interviews with Dana White, Ronda Rousey, Miesha Tate and members of the teams recap the season up to this point.
#8 - TUF 1 Finale
Season 1 - Episode 15 - Aired 4/9/2005
The Ultimate Fighter: Team Couture vs. Team Liddell Finale was the UFC's watershed moment as the first two winners of the reality show were crowned including the fight that set the world on fire as Stephan Bonnar went to war with Forrest Griffin.
#9 - Scousers Don’t Get Knocked Out
Season 34 - Episode 2 - Aired 6/16/2026
DC ignores the advice of his coaches to pick the next fight. Then, it’s the first bantamweight matchup of the tournament.
#10 - Body Bag
Season 8 - Episode 7 - Aired 10/29/2008
Mir punishes his team with a grueling workout regimen. Nogueira has a blowout with a fighter who’s been talking smack. Two light heavyweights with opposing styles face-off in the Octagon.
#11 - James Wilks vs. DaMarques Johnson TUF 9 Finale
Season 9 - Episode 14 - Aired 6/20/2009
The season 9 welterweight final saw Team US’ DaMarques Johnson, a former member of the US military with a 12-6 MMA record, take on Team UK’s submission ace James Wilks who won all his fights on the show and in his 5-2 pro career by finish.
#12 - One Punch Away
Season 18 - Episode 12 - Aired 11/20/2013
Both teams head to Mandalay Bay where Ronda and Miesha face off in a rock climbing Coaches Challenge. Weight issues come into play leading up to the last men's semifinal, putting one fighter's dreams of fighting in the finale in jeopardy.
#13 - Splushi
Season 8 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/5/2008
The pranks at the house reach a new low. A fighter turns on his own teammate, offering up secret advice before a highly-anticipated lightweight bout.
#14 - Fight, Fight, Kill, Kill
Season 8 - Episode 6 - Aired 10/22/2008
Rolando's black belt is called into question by the other fighters. An act of disrespect at the fight announcement injects more hatred between the teams, leading up to the most intense lightweight showdown yet.
#15 - Get That Money
Season 19 - Episode 9 - Aired 6/11/2014
The fighters take a field trip to the Harley-Davidson Boot Camp. Cocky Matt Van Buren of Team Edgar and Irish fighter Chris Fields of Team Penn bring their rivalry to the Octagon in the last preliminary fight. Then, Dana announces the semifinal matchups.
#16 - Corey Anderson vs. Matt Van Buren TUF 19 Finale
Season 19 - Episode 14 - Aired 7/6/2014
One of the top prospects to enter the octagon in 2014, Corey Anderson took on Matt Van Buren at the TUF 19 Finale.
#17 - Absolute War
Season 12 - Episode 12 - Aired 12/1/2010
Team Koscheck pulls a prank on unpopular teammate Nam Phan. Then, in the last Semifinal, Phan takes on GSP first pick Michael Johnson to determine who will face Jonathan Brookins for the UFC contract.
#18 - Captain Miserable
Season 4 - Episode 6 - Aired 9/21/2006
One of the fighters gets a special message from home. Middleweight Champion Rich Franklin joins the training staff and Charles McCarthy earns a new nickname.
#19 - Time to Eat
Season 30 - Episode 2 - Aired 5/10/2022
Team Peña’s first pick, Helen Peralta, faces Team Nunes’ Kaytlin Neil, for the season’s first flyweight matchup.
#20 - The Ultimate Fighter 22 Finale Prelims
Season 22 - Episode 13 - Aired 12/11/2015
Joe Lauzon vs. Evan Dunham Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Jason Knight Joby Sanchez vs. Geane Herrera
#21 - A Lotta Heart
Season 11 - Episode 3 - Aired 4/14/2010
One fighter's dream comes to an abrupt end, opening the door for another to return. Team Ortiz struggles to find harmony during training. Two Middleweights leave it all in the cage for a slot in the Quarters.
#22 - The Comeback Begins
Season 4 - Episode 1 - Aired 8/17/2006
16 mixed martial artists, who have all fought and lost in the UFC®, get a chance to put their careers back on track. The winners will receive one hundred grand and a championship title fight in the welterweight and middleweight divisions of the UFC
#23 - Amir Sadollah vs. CB Dollaway TUF 7 Finale
Season 7 - Episode 13 - Aired 6/21/2008
Amir Sadollah takes on CB Dollaway for the second time but this time it's for a UFC® Contract. Would lightning strike twice for Sadollah or would Dollaway get his revenge and the contract?
#24 - Settling The Score
Season 21 - Episode 3 - Aired 5/6/2015
#25 - Ross Pearson vs. Andre Winner TUF 9 Finale
Season 9 - Episode 13 - Aired 6/20/2009
In the all England lightweight final between teammates both in & out of the show, the boxing & bullying style of Ross “The Real Deal” Pearson with his 8-3 pro record was set to collide with Andre Winner, a 10-2-1 pro with explosive & dynamic striking.