The Ultimate Fighter is an American reality television series and mixed martial arts (MMA) competition produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Pilgrim Media Group currently airing on ESPN+. It previously aired for fourteen seasons on Spike TV. The show features professional MMA fighters living together in Las Vegas, Nevada, and follows them as they train and compete against each other for a prized six-figure contract with the UFC. The series debuted on January 17, 2005, with its first episode, "The Quest Begins". To date, there have been thirty one seasons of the show, two per calendar year, some years having only one season. Each season features either one or two weight classes in the tournament.
Matthew Allen Hughes is an American retired mixed martial artist with a background in wrestling. Widely considered among the greatest fighters in the history of MMA, he is a former two-time UFC Welterweight Champion, UFC Hall of Fame inductee, and NJCAA Hall of Fame inductee. During his tenures in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Hughes put together two six-fight winning streaks, defeated all the available opposition in the welterweight division. In May 2010, Hughes became the eighth inductee into the UFC Hall of Fame.
Marco Antônio de Lima Ruas is a Brazilian former mixed martial arts fighter, submission wrestler, kickboxer and instructor. Ruas was the UFC 7 Tournament Champion, and also competed for the World Vale Tudo Championship (WVC), PRIDE Fighting Championships and the International Fight League, where he head-coached the Southern California Condors.
Georges St-Pierre, also known by his initials GSP, is a Canadian actor and former professional mixed martial artist. He is widely regarded as the greatest fighter in mixed martial arts (MMA) history. St-Pierre was a two-division champion in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), having won titles in the welterweight and middleweight divisions.
Luke Joseph Cummo is an American former mixed martial artist. A professional from 2002 until 2008, he is perhaps best remembered for his stint in the UFC and being a finalist on the reality TV series The Ultimate Fighter 2 on Spike TV.
Matt Serra is an American former professional mixed martial artist and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner who competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is the co-star of Dana White: Lookin' for a Fight and co-host of the official podcast of the UFC, UFC Unfiltered, alongside Jim Norton. Serra defeated Pete Spratt, Shonie Carter and Chris Lytle en route to becoming The Ultimate Fighter 4 Welterweight Tournament Winner. He captured the UFC Welterweight Championship immediately after. Serra also served as the head coach for The Ultimate Fighter 6 reality show opposite Matt Hughes, and he is a member of the UFC Hall of Fame. In grappling, Serra holds a Silver Medal in the ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship.
Chris Scott Lytle is an American retired mixed martial artist and boxer. A professional from 1999 until 2011 and twenty-fight veteran of the UFC, Lytle also fought in Pancrase, Cage Rage, and the WEC. He held the inaugural Cage Rage World Welterweight Championship and was a finalist on The Ultimate Fighter 4. During his tenure in the UFC, he was awarded "Fight of the Night" honors six times.
Michael Gavin Joseph Bisping is an English actor, sports analyst, commentator and retired mixed martial artist, who competed in the Middleweight and Light Heavyweight division of the UFC. A professional competitor since 2004, he is a former UFC Middleweight Champion, a former Cage Rage Light Heavyweight Champion and The Ultimate Fighter 3 Light Heavyweight tournament winner. At UFC 78, he became the first British fighter to compete in a UFC main event. At UFC 199, he became the first British fighter to win a UFC Championship. He was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame on 5 July 2019.
Keith Jardine is an American actor and retired mixed martial artist who most notably competed in the UFC and Strikeforce.
The Ultimate Fighter: Team Hughes vs. Team Serra was the sixth season of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) produced reality television series The Ultimate Fighter, and premiered on September 19, 2007, on Spike TV, after UFC Fight Night 11. This season featured only welterweight fighters. The teams were coached by current UFC welterweight champion Matt Serra and former welterweight champion Matt Hughes. The coaches were to fight for the welterweight title after the completion of the show, on December 29 at UFC 79. However, due to an injury sustained by Serra, Hughes instead faced former welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre for the interim title, with St-Pierre defeating Hughes by submission in the second round and going on to challenge Serra for the undisputed welterweight title at UFC 83.
Matt Arroyo is an American former professional mixed martial artist. He was featured on the Ultimate Fighting Championship reality television show The Ultimate Fighter: Team Hughes vs. Team Serra, fighting on Team Serra. He fights out of Tampa, Florida with Gracie Tampa, under Royce Gracie black belt Rob Kahn.
James Adam McSweeney is a British kickboxer and retired mixed martial artist. A professional MMA competitor since 2005, McSweeney is well known for being a cast member of Spike TV's The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights and competing in the UFC, but he has also competed in major European promotions such as KSW, Cage Rage and BAMMA.
Luke Skyler Rockhold is an American retired mixed martial artist. He is best known for his time in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he competed in the Light Heavyweight and Middleweight divisions. He is a former UFC Middleweight Champion. A two-time world champion, Rockhold also won the Strikeforce Middleweight Championship. He defended the title twice and was the last man to hold the belt before Strikeforce was officially absorbed by the UFC in 2013. Rockhold is also an avid surfer, skateboarder, and a professional model, having modeled at the New York Fashion Week and as the face of Ralph Lauren's "Polo Blue" fragrance.
Christopher James Weidman is an American professional mixed martial artist. He is signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he competes in the middleweight division. He is a former UFC Middleweight Champion.
Constantinos Philippou is a retired Greek-Cypriot mixed martial artist. He formerly fought for the UFC's Middleweight division.
Eddie Gordon is a Jamaican mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the Middleweight division of the Professional Fighters League. A professional since 2011, he has also competed for the UFC and was the winner of The Ultimate Fighter: Team Edgar vs. Team Penn.
Justin Ray Gaethje is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Lightweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor since 2011, he is a former UFC Interim Lightweight Champion, and the current UFC BMF Champion. He is the second fighter in the history of the UFC to be awarded the BMF championship after winning the title at UFC 291. As of August 1, 2023, he is #2 in the UFC lightweight rankings.
Serra-Longo Fight Team is a mixed martial arts team based on Long Island, New York that was formed by Matt Serra and Ray Longo. The team has two gyms operating under it, Serra BJJ Academy and Longo-Weidman MMA. It has produced three former UFC champions, Matt Serra (former UFC Welterweight Champion, Chris Weidman, and Aljamain Sterling
Phil Daru is an American former mixed martial artist and college football player. Daru is noted for training UFC fighters, boxers, Olympic athletes, and NFL football players. He was named Best Strength and Conditioning Coach in the State of Florida, 2012/13 and also won the World MMA Awards Trainer of the Year in 2019-20 and 2021.
