The Ultimate Fighter, the reality show that brought fighters together in a home, has a new home on ESPN+.
The reality series launched the mixed martial arts explosion around the world in 2005. Over the course of 12 weeks, 16 up-and-coming mixed martial artists fought to stay in the house while receiving world-class coaching from the UFC's elite fighters. The winner was declared the Ultimate Fighter and earned a six-figure UFC contract.
The iconic reality series has launched the careers of numerous fighters who went on to become UFC champions, contenders and stars, including: Kamaru Usman, Tony Ferguson, TJ Dillashaw, Rose Namajunas, Michael Bisping, Nate Diaz, Michael Chiesa, Al Iaquinta, Kelvin Gastelum, Forrest Griffin, Rashad Evans, Uriah Hall and Conor McGregor, who was a coach in TUF 22.
All 28 seasons will be available on ESPN+. Seasons that are currently available are outlined below. New seasons will be released here every Tuesday. Season 29 is scheduled to be released later in 2021 and will be broadcast on ESPN+.
Season 1: Team Liddell vs. Team Couture (Watch here)
Storyline: The UFC enters the reality television show realm with The Ultimate Fighter, which features up-and-coming fighters looking to gain a six-figure contract with the UFC.
Coaches: Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture
Key fighters: Forrest Griffin, Diego Sanchez, Stephan Bonnar, Kenny Florian, Chris Leben, Josh Koscheck
Memorable anecdote: UFC president Dana White and musician Willa Ford serve as co-hosts of the show. This is Ford's only season as host. White gives his "So you want to be a fighter?" speech.
Must-see fight of the season: Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar, TUF 1 finale
More on Season 1: How the Ultimate Fighter saved the UFC 15 years ago
Season 2: Team Hughes vs. Team Franklin (Watch here)
Storyline: Randy Couture joined Dana White as the host for the second season. Matt Hughes and Rich Franklin lead their teams in a season that featured heavyweights and welterweights.
Coaches: Matt Hughes, Rich Franklin
Key Fighters: Rashad Evans, Joe Stevenson, Keith Jardine, Melvin Guillard
Cool anecdote: Luke Cummo and Brad Imes were both picked last for their respective divisions, but both made it to the finale.
Must-see fight: Jason Von Flue vs Jorge Gurgel, TUF 2 Semifinal
Season 3: Team Ortiz vs. Team Shamrock (Watch here)
Storyline: Longtime rivals Tito Ortiz and Ken Shamrock coached teams of middleweights and light heavyweights. Dana White was the sole host of the show for the first time, a trend that continues today.
Coaches: Tito Ortiz, Ken Shamrock
Key fighters: Michael Bisping, Kendall Grove, Ed Herman, Matt Hamill
Cool anecdote: After an injury to Matt Hamill, middleweight Ross Pointon replaced Hamill in a semifinal matchup at light heavyweight against Michael Bisping. Bisping and Hamill would later fight at UFC 75.
Must-see fight: Ed Herman vs Rory Singer, TUF 3 Semifinal
Season 4: The Comeback (Watch here)
Storyline: Season 4 took a different approach with casting. Instead of fighters who were trying to get their foot in the door, the competition on this show included only former UFC fighters looking for one last shot at glory return to the Octagon.
Coaches: Randy Couture, Georges St-Pierre
Key fighters: Matt Serra, Travis Lutter, Chris Lytle, Patrick Cote, Shonie Carter
Cool anecdote: The winners of this season would receive championship opportunities against the welterweight and middleweight champions.
Must-see fight: Edwin Dewees vs Gideon Ray, TUF 4 Quarterfinal
Season 5: Team Pulver vs. Team Penn (Watch here)
Storyline: This was the first season to feature one weight class, as 16 lightweight competitors took their shot at a UFC contract.
Coaches: Jens Pulver, BJ Penn
Key fighters: Nate Diaz, Gray Maynard, Joe Lauzon, Manvel Gamburyan
Cool anecdote: Before team selections are made, Penn asks the fighters to raise their hands if they want to be on his team. 10 of the 16 fighters raise their hands.
Must-see fight: Nate Diaz vs Rob Emerson, TUF 5 Elimination Round
Season 6: Team Hughes vs. Team Serra (Watch here)
Storyline: Welterweight rivals Matt Hughes and Matt Serra return to the series as the coaches, ahead of their title fight which ultimately did not happen.
Coaches: Matt Hughes, Matt Serra
Key Fighters: Mac Danzig, George Sotiropoulos, Ben Saunders
Cool anecdote: This was the first season in which the teams picked fights regardless of results in the opening round, with the quarterfinal matchups being decided by the team who won the most preliminary matchups.
Must-see fight: Tom Speer vs Jon Koppenhaver (aka War Machine), TUF 6 Elimination Round
More on Season 6: Serra set to settle differences with Hughes
Season 7: Team Rampage vs. Team Forrest (Watch here)
Storyline: For the first time, fighters would have to earn their way into the house as 32 middleweights came to the UFC Training Center looking to win the season.
Coaches: Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, Forrest Griffin
Key Fighters: Jesse Taylor, Amir Sadollah, CB Dollaway, Matt Brown, Matthew Riddle, Gerald Harris, Tim Credeur
Cool anecdote: After one of the fights in the season doesn't go to a third round, Jackson bets Griffin that their UFC 86 title fight wouldn't go to decision. In anger, Griffin destroys a door.
Must-see fight: Matt Brown vs Jeremy May, TUF 7 Preliminary Round
More on Season 7: Fighters hoping 'Ultimate Fighter' show catapults them into MMA stardom
Season 8: Team Nogueira vs. Team Mir (Watch here)
Storyline: Ahead of their UFC 92 fight for the interim heavyweight title, coaches Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Frank Mir coach light heavyweights and lightweights. This was the first season with multiple divisions since Season 4.
Coaches: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Frank Mir
Key Fighters: Ryan Bader, Vinny Magalhaes, Phillipe Nover, Efrain Escudero, Krzysztof Soszynski, Eliot Marshall, George Roop
Cool anecdote: A bet was made between the coaches that if any of Nogueira's fighters made it to the final, Mir would shave his head.
Must-see fight: Efrain Escudero vs Junie Browning, TUF 8 Semifinal
More on Season 8: Five things we learned from TUF Season 8
Season 9: United States vs. United Kingdom (Watch here)
Storyline: For the first time, it was country vs country as Dan Henderson coached a team of American fighters against Michael Bisping and fighters from the United Kingdom.
Coaches: Dan Henderson, Michael Bisping
Key Fighters: Ross Pearson, Andre Winner, DaMarques Johnson, James Wilks
Cool anecdote: Before the UK fighters could advance to the house, they had to win their elimination bouts in the UK at the Wolfslair MMA Academy. Those fights took place before Dan Henderson and Rich Franklin fought at UFC 93 to see who would coach the U.S. team.
Must-see fight: DaMarques Johnson vs Nick Osipczak, TUF 9 Semifinal
More on Season 9: Dan Henderson will lead by example as TUF coach
Season 10: Heavyweights (Watch here)
Storyline: Quinton Jackson returns as a coach against Rashad Evans ahead of their fight at UFC 114. 15 fighters line up for the initial meeting with Dana White before he introduces Kimbo Slice as the 16th fighter.
Coaches: Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, Rashad Evans
Key Fighters: Kimbo Slice, Roy Nelson, Brendan Schaub, Matt Mitrione
Cool anecdote: After Jackson's team lost a fight, Rampage literally went on a rampage, throwing a water bottle and then destroying a door.
Must-see fight: Roy Nelson vs Kimbo Slice, TUF 10 Preliminary Round
More on Season 10: The breadwinner: Kimbo to TUF, 10 reasons to watch TUF Season 10
Season 11: Team Liddell vs. Team Ortiz (Watch here)
Storyline: Former friends turned rivals Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz coach middleweights. In another twist to the show structure, 2 fighters who lost their first round fight would be selected back into the house as "wild cards."
Coaches: Chuck Liddell, Tito Ortiz, Rich Franklin
Key Fighters: Brad Tavares, Court McGee, Kyle Noke, Seth Baczynski
Cool anecdote: In what remains an Ultimate Fighter record, Kris McCray fought five times, which according to Dana White was "literally every Tuesday."
Must-see fight: Court McGee vs. Brad Tavares, TUF 11 Semifinal
More on Season 11: UFC's greatest rivalries: Chuck Liddell vs. Tito Ortiz had it all
Season 17: Team Jones vs. Team Sonnen (Watch here)
Storyline: Despite not fighting at light heavyweight in years and just losing a middleweight title fight, Chael Sonnen is named a coach along Jon Jones for a group of 14 middleweights.
Coaches: Lambert, Jon Jones, Chael Sonnen
Key fighters: Kelvin Gastelum, Uriah Hall, Zak Cummings, Josh Samman
Cool anecdotes: For the first time in series history, fighters were allowed to bring family and friends to watch their preliminary fights which were held to see who got into the house
Must-see fight: Uriah Hall vs Adam Cella, TUF 17 Elimination Round
More on Season 17: Latest upsets good for TUF franchise, TUF 17 finale recap
Season 21: American Top Team vs. Blackzilians (Watch here)
Storyline: This is the first season to feature a gym versus gym format. American Top Team and The Blackzilians were both situated in South Florida and a major rivalry had developed after a group of fighters left Dan Lambert's ATT to join Glenn Robinson at his gym in 2011.
Coaches: Lambert, Mike Brown, Din Thomas and Robbie Lawler for ATT. Robinson, Jorge Santiago, Rashad Evans and Michael Johnson for Blackzilians.
Key fighters: Michael Graves, Hayder Hassan, Sabah Homasi, Vicente Luque, Kamaru Usman.
Cool anecdotes: Episode 11 features one of the most epic cold shoulders in TUF history. Blackzilians coach Glenn Robinson was irate at the decision to not stop the Jason Jackson-Michael Graves fight in that episode and berated the officials cage-side before calming down. He later waits outside for the referee to discuss further, but the ref leaves without saying anything to Robinson. All fights took place at the two gyms in Florida instead of a Vegas-housed effort.
Must-see fight: Jason Jackson vs Michael Graves
More on Season 21: Must-see photos from the finale, What happened at the TUF 21 finale
Season 22: Team McGregor vs. Team Faber (Watch here)
Storyline: Season 22 has an international feel with Conor McGregor's team coaching international fighters while Urijah Faber and Team Alpha Male coach the American fighters.
Coaches: Conor McGregor, Urijah Faber
Key fighters: David Teymur, Mehdi Baghdad, Artem Lobov, Ryan Hall, Billy Quarantillo, Chris Gruetzemacher
Memorable anecdote: In Episode 6, McGregor sounds prescient, telling Faber that guest coach TJ Dillashaw is a "snake" and only in things for himself, which starts a skirmish between the teams after Cody Garbrandt shoves McGregor. Soon after the show was done taping, Dillashaw and Team Alpha Male would have a very public breakup, leading to a rivalry that continues to this day.
Must-see fight of the season: Artem Lobov vs. James Jenkins, TUF 22 elimination round
More on Season 22: Behind the scenes with Frankie Edgar ahead of the TUF 22 finale
Season 27: Undefeated (Watch here)
Storyline: Season 27 of The Ultimate Fighter features 8 undefeated lightweights and 8 undefeated featherweights battling it out in separate tournaments for a UFC contract.
Coaches: Stipe Miocic, Daniel Cormier
Key fighters: Michael Trizano, Jay Cucciniello, Kyler Phillips. Bryce Mitchell, Brad Katona, Luis Peña, Joe Giannetti
Memorable anecdote: In this season's coach's challenge Cormier and Miocic face off in a hockey shootout competition with the help of the Vegas Golden Knights. Despite barely being able to skate, Cormier wins the competition.
Must-see fight of the season: Brad Katona vs Bryce Mitchell, TUF 27 Semifinal
More on Season 27: How Cormier and Miocic went from texting buddies to fierce rivals, Israel Adesanya def. Brad Tavares in TUF 27 main event,
Season 28: Heavy Hitters (Watch here)
Storyline: This season features fighters in the UFC's heaviest weight classes for each gender: women's featherweight and heavyweight. Robert Whittaker and Kelvin Gastelum, the show's coaches, are former The Ultimate Fighter winners themselves and were expected to face each other for the UFC middleweight championship at UFC 234, but Whittaker had to pull out due to an emergency surgery.
Coaches: Robert Whittaker, Kelvin Gastelum
Key fighters: Anderson da Silva, Juan Espino, Julija Stoliarenko. Maurice Greene, Macy Chiasson, Pannie Kianzad, Justin Frazier
Memorable anecdote: In episode 4, Gastelum brings in Brian Beaumont as a guest coach to help his team with their jiu-jitsu. During one of their demonstrations, Beaumont surprises Gastelum with his jiu-jitsu black belt.
Must-see fight of the season: Juan Espino vs Maurice Greene, TUF 28 Semifinal
More on Season 28: Gastelum says he "should be champ" after Whittaker withdraws