Ultimate Disappointment: 5 TUF Fighters Who Failed To Deliver
Top 5 Disappointing TUF Competitors
Saturday will mark the ending to the 18th installment of the Ultimate Fighter reality show. In the finale, Julianna Pena will fight Jessica Rakoczy in the women's division and Chris Holdsworth will go to battle with Davey Grant. Just like in years past, the winner of the respective bouts will be awarded a UFC contract.
TUF was one of the reasons why the UFC is doing as well as it is today. The thought of multiple fighters living in the same house with varying personalities is a catch for casual viewers. The thing is success following the show is never a given. Only Forrest Griffin, Rashad Evans and Matt Serra have won the show and then won a UFC title.
There have been a handful of competitors who went on to challenge for a title, but fell short in their bid. Gray Maynard, Nate Diaz and Diego Sanchez are just a few who have challenged for a title. There have been more busts following the show than successful fighters. Not everyone can challenge for a title, but there are several individuals who fell off the face of the earth following the show.
Then there are those who competed on the show and had plenty of potential, but just fell short of expectations. Here the the top five disappointing fighters who competed on TUF:
5. Amir Sadollah
With a short MMA career and low expectation, Amir Sadollah comes in on the list at No. 5.
Not too many people expected Sadollah to win the seventh installment of the Ultimate Fighter. With a great submission game, he was able to reach the finals and submit CB Dollaway in the first round of their bout.
Sadollah was never the athletic type when he was in the TUF house and he never really acted like it. He used technique to trump most of his opponents. He currently has a 6-4 record inside the octagon. The fact still remains that after he won the show, expectations soared and he did not deliver. His most impressive victory in his short career is a win against either Phil Baroni or his victory against Dollaway.
4. Efrain Escudero
Efrain Escudero was undefeated heading into the Ultimate Fighter and ended up winning the competition against Phillipe Nover. It then only took four bouts before the UFC decided it was time for him to go. Escudero comes in at No. 4.
Escudero has a smothering style of fighting, which is expected with his wrestling background. He never seemed to develop that skill into MMA gold as other collegiate wrestlers have been able to inside the UFC. He won 12 fights in a row before suffering his first defeat at the hands of Evan Dunham. He then picked up the pieces against Dan Lauzon before missing weight and losing to Charles Oliveira by submission.
After being cut from the UFC following his fight with Oliveira, Escudero got a second chance at competing in the Octagon, but lost both of his fights (Jacob Volkmann and Mac Danzig). Beginning his career at a young age, Escudero had plenty of time and potential to develop into a great lightweight fighter. He has the size, quickness and talent to have at least been relevant in the UFC.
Now Escudero is making his living in the independent circuit and has won his past three fights.
3. Kendall Grove
Kendall Grove is a 6-foot-6 fighter in the middleweight division. He proves that size isn't everything and comes in at No. 3 on the list.
With so much height in a weight division not known for size, Grove could have grown to be a so-so middleweight. With a record of 7-6 inside the octagon, Grove could never get in the groove. His only back to back wins came against Evan Tanner and Jason Day (not including his Ultimate Fighter finale win over Ed Herman).
A one-dimensional fighter, it didn't take long to figure out that once you got inside Grove's long reach you could beat him down. He also had a suspect chin at best with three of his six losses in the UFC coming by way of TKO/KO. If Grove could have developed a solid stand up game and continued to enhance his submission game, he would have been a force to reckon with at middleweight.
Now Grove is trying to make a name for himself in Bellator. He recently walked away with a decision victory over Joe Vedepo, who is currently 1-4 in his MMA career.
2. Joe Stevenson
Joe "Daddy" Stevenson went from a UFC title challenger to a nobody overnight. This is why he ranks No. 2 on the list.
A fighter with a ton of potential, Stevenson looked like a fighter who was ready to make a name for himself after exiting the TUF house. Following a loss to Josh Neer, Stevenson went on a four-fight win streak (Yves Edwards, Dokonjonosuke Mishima, Melvin Guillard and Kurt Pellegrino). He found himself in a lightweight title fight against B.J. Penn.
After losing to Penn by submission, Stevenson's career went on a downward spiral. He lost seven of the next 10 fights. Instead of fighting back toward a title shot, he could only rack up wins against Gleison Tibau, Nate Diaz and Spencer Fisher.
Stevenson hasn't fought since June 30, 2012, when he lost his fifth fight in a row to Dakota Cochrane.
1. Uriah Hall
Dubbed the second coming of Anderson Silva before making it out of the TUF house, Uriah Hall sits at the top of the list for most disappointing Ultimate Fighter competitor.
While inside the Ultimate Fighter house, Hall seemed unstoppable. He finished his opponents in flashy and violent ways. Though always seeming to have a tornado going on in his head, Hall made it to the finals with ease and was the favorite to win the competition by a long shot. Some people were already pairing him in a title fight against then middleweight champion Silva.
A poor performance against Kelvin Gastelum ended any talk about Hall fighting for a title. A second loss to John Howard had people questioning if Hall would even make it in the UFC. Now with a fight against the controversial, heavy-handed Chris Leben on Dec. 28, the talk surrounding the fight will be whether or not Hall will survive the next roster cut with a loss.
Top 5 Disappointing TUF Competitors
Saturday will mark the ending to the 18th installment of the Ultimate Fighter reality show. In the finale, Julianna Pena will fight Jessica Rakoczy in the women's division and Chris Holdsworth will go to battle with Davey Grant. Just like in years past, the winner of the respective bouts will be awarded a UFC contract.
TUF was one of the reasons why the UFC is doing as well as it is today. The thought of multiple fighters living in the same house with varying personalities is a catch for casual viewers. The thing is success following the show is never a given. Only Forrest Griffin, Rashad Evans and Matt Serra have won the show and then won a UFC title.
There have been a handful of competitors who went on to challenge for a title, but fell short in their bid. Gray Maynard, Nate Diaz and Diego Sanchez are just a few who have challenged for a title. There have been more busts following the show than successful fighters. Not everyone can challenge for a title, but there are several individuals who fell off the face of the earth following the show.
Then there are those who competed on the show and had plenty of potential, but just fell short of expectations. Here the the top five disappointing fighters who competed on TUF:
5. Amir Sadollah
With a short MMA career and low expectation, Amir Sadollah comes in on the list at No. 5.
Not too many people expected Sadollah to win the seventh installment of the Ultimate Fighter. With a great submission game, he was able to reach the finals and submit CB Dollaway in the first round of their bout.
Sadollah was never the athletic type when he was in the TUF house and he never really acted like it. He used technique to trump most of his opponents. He currently has a 6-4 record inside the octagon. The fact still remains that after he won the show, expectations soared and he did not deliver. His most impressive victory in his short career is a win against either Phil Baroni or his victory against Dollaway.
4. Efrain Escudero
Efrain Escudero was undefeated heading into the Ultimate Fighter and ended up winning the competition against Phillipe Nover. It then only took four bouts before the UFC decided it was time for him to go. Escudero comes in at No. 4.
Escudero has a smothering style of fighting, which is expected with his wrestling background. He never seemed to develop that skill into MMA gold as other collegiate wrestlers have been able to inside the UFC. He won 12 fights in a row before suffering his first defeat at the hands of Evan Dunham. He then picked up the pieces against Dan Lauzon before missing weight and losing to Charles Oliveira by submission.
After being cut from the UFC following his fight with Oliveira, Escudero got a second chance at competing in the Octagon, but lost both of his fights (Jacob Volkmann and Mac Danzig). Beginning his career at a young age, Escudero had plenty of time and potential to develop into a great lightweight fighter. He has the size, quickness and talent to have at least been relevant in the UFC.
Now Escudero is making his living in the independent circuit and has won his past three fights.
3. Kendall Grove
Kendall Grove is a 6-foot-6 fighter in the middleweight division. He proves that size isn't everything and comes in at No. 3 on the list.
With so much height in a weight division not known for size, Grove could have grown to be a so-so middleweight. With a record of 7-6 inside the octagon, Grove could never get in the groove. His only back to back wins came against Evan Tanner and Jason Day (not including his Ultimate Fighter finale win over Ed Herman).
A one-dimensional fighter, it didn't take long to figure out that once you got inside Grove's long reach you could beat him down. He also had a suspect chin at best with three of his six losses in the UFC coming by way of TKO/KO. If Grove could have developed a solid stand up game and continued to enhance his submission game, he would have been a force to reckon with at middleweight.
Now Grove is trying to make a name for himself in Bellator. He recently walked away with a decision victory over Joe Vedepo, who is currently 1-4 in his MMA career.
2. Joe Stevenson
Joe "Daddy" Stevenson went from a UFC title challenger to a nobody overnight. This is why he ranks No. 2 on the list.
A fighter with a ton of potential, Stevenson looked like a fighter who was ready to make a name for himself after exiting the TUF house. Following a loss to Josh Neer, Stevenson went on a four-fight win streak (Yves Edwards, Dokonjonosuke Mishima, Melvin Guillard and Kurt Pellegrino). He found himself in a lightweight title fight against B.J. Penn.
After losing to Penn by submission, Stevenson's career went on a downward spiral. He lost seven of the next 10 fights. Instead of fighting back toward a title shot, he could only rack up wins against Gleison Tibau, Nate Diaz and Spencer Fisher.
Stevenson hasn't fought since June 30, 2012, when he lost his fifth fight in a row to Dakota Cochrane.
1. Uriah Hall
Dubbed the second coming of Anderson Silva before making it out of the TUF house, Uriah Hall sits at the top of the list for most disappointing Ultimate Fighter competitor.
While inside the Ultimate Fighter house, Hall seemed unstoppable. He finished his opponents in flashy and violent ways. Though always seeming to have a tornado going on in his head, Hall made it to the finals with ease and was the favorite to win the competition by a long shot. Some people were already pairing him in a title fight against then middleweight champion Silva.
A poor performance against Kelvin Gastelum ended any talk about Hall fighting for a title. A second loss to John Howard had people questioning if Hall would even make it in the UFC. Now with a fight against the controversial, heavy-handed Chris Leben on Dec. 28, the talk surrounding the fight will be whether or not Hall will survive the next roster cut with a loss.
