10 MMA Fights That Created Instant Legends

6. Forrest Griffin Vs. Stephan Bonnar - TUF1 Finale

How do you kick off a new UFC reality TV show with a bang? Why, you conclude the first season of that show with one of the greatest fights in UFC history.

That was the case for the first season of The Ultimate Fighter, with the season finale featuring Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar in a battle to land a UFC contract.

Famously, Griffin and Bonnar would put on an absolute war that, despite Griffin getting the win, resulted in both men being rewarded with a UFC deal.

Both fighters would eventually become UFC Hall of Famers, and that original TUF1 battle put both Forrest and Stephan on the MMA map in a huge way, but it was rightly Forrest Griffin whose star began to shine brightest in the aftermath of The Ultimate Fighter’s first season.

Griffin would go on to have a fantastic career littered with big-name wins and a brief spell as the UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, yet it was that TUF1 show of heart and physicality that endeared him to the MMA world in a way that made him set for life as a favourite of fight fans.

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Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main dayjob, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg.