#TUF Season 1, then and now 14 years later. Crazy. What a journey! @UFC @DanaWhite pic.twitter.com/BbXolbAydL
— Mike Swick (@officialswick) August 9, 2018
The cast of “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 1 may have mostly retired or moved on from MMA, but the majority of cast members assembled for a 14-year reunion this week, and took a photograph to celebrate the occasion.
The majority of the cast, including coaches Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture and contestants such as Mike Swick, Chris Leben and Diego Sanchez attended the reunion, while castmates Bobby Southworth, Jason Thacker and Josh Koscheck were not able to make it. The attendees recreated a memorable group photo, 14 years removed from a pivotal moment in Ultimate Fighting Championship and mixed martial arts history.
Nearly a decade and a half later, Sanchez still competes in the promotion, while Koscheck signed with Bellator MMA after a losing streak forced him out of the UFC. Leben retired from competition only to re-emerge recently as he prepares for a bare-knuckle boxing bout against fellow former UFC veteran Phil Baroni. Florian now works as a commentator and analyst for the promotion, while Liddell is preparing for a trilogy fight with rival Tito Ortiz after eight years of retirement from MMA.
The first season of “The Ultimate Fighter” was sealed as a smashing success at the live finale, where Stephan Bonnar and Forrest Griffin were both awarded UFC contracts after their iconic three-round war caused ratings on Spike TV to skyrocket as the fight went on.