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 - A Hefty Price to Pay
Season 31 - Episode 2 - Aired 6/6/2023
After a last-minute medical issue forces the next fight to be postponed, the teams have to regroup and prepare two new fighters for action. With tensions rising between the teams, Conor makes a surprise visit to the house. Then, bantamweights take center stage in the second quarterfinal fight. With the next fight on hold, bantamweights Mando Gutierrez and Cody Gibson are next in line, so they begin their preparations.
#2 - Face the Boogeyman
Season 30 - Episode 5 - Aired 5/31/2022
TUF Season 2 alumni, Bobby Maximus returns to the cage after 13 years away, to face Team Nunes #1 pick, Eduardo Perez, in a heavyweight fight. With a large age and experience gap, a victory may be up for grabs. A conflict takes shape at the fighters’ house leading up to the fight and threatens the unity of Team Peña.
#3 - Road to the Rematch
Season 30 - Episode 1 - Aired 5/3/2022
In episode 1, “Road to the Rematch,” the coaches select their teams of combatants to determine the next Ultimate Fighter. Light heavyweight winner of the inaugural The Ultimate Fighter, Forrest Griffin, welcomes the fighters, and no time is wasted as two heavyweights are picked for the first fight of the season.
#4 - 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.
#5 - 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.
#6 - 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.
#7 - 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.
#8 - 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.
#9 - 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.
#10 - 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.
#11 - 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.
#12 - The Ultimate Fighter Finale Early Prelims: Joanna vs. Claudia
Season 23 - Episode 13 - Aired 7/8/2016
Early prelims.
#13 - 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.
#14 - 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.
#15 - 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.
#16 - 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
#17 - 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.
#18 - 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.
#19 - Karma
Season 6 - Episode 9 - Aired 11/14/2007
Matt Serra makes his picks for the quarter-finals. Dana asks Team Serra to make a tough decision. It’s time for the first quarterfinal fight.
#20 - 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
#21 - 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.
#22 - Settling The Score
Season 21 - Episode 3 - Aired 5/6/2015
#23 - Finale Main Card
Season 20 - Episode 15 - Aired 12/12/2014
#24 - 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?
#25 - Nothing To Lose
Season 33 - Episode 2 - Aired 6/3/2025
In the season’s debut welterweight fight, Brazilian striker Richard Martins of Team Sonnen faces Ukrainian heavy hitter Daniil Donchenko of Team Cormier.