Is being a TUF'er still looked down upon?

[Dirty Dik]

11/16 fighters from dillashaws season are still active fighters in the UFC and two from that season have had title shots with TJ being the latest.

I remember once upon a time some guys were automatically dismissed as future contenders automatically because they were on the show. Probably the future to get in the UfC.

Thoughts? Appears to me that TUF is now basically a try out to make it to the big leagues and really winning the show means nothing.

 

[Moin]

You win against top 10 opponents, problem solved.

 

[Young Turkey]

Well if you win you get a better contract and better positioning in the rankings

 

[topDJbro**]

No, and it shouldn't have been. For a lot of guys (Like Dillashaw) TUF is the only way into the UFC. Guys who are world class jump at the oppertunity to be a cast member because it can get them into the big leagues.


Not that TJ wouldn't have found his way into the UFC without TUF but it was his "Golden Ticket" if you will.

 

[Emjay]

A TUFer is no different than some dude who won a bunch of fights in smaller orgs then got called up

 

[Rozwell]

I'm honestly surprised it's taken this long for another TUF fighter to win gold.

First since Rashad IIRC.

 

[Dirty Dik]

A TUFer is no different than some dude who won a bunch of fights in smaller orgs then got called up

I realize that but not everyone used to share that same opinion.

 

[Rozwell]

A TUFer is no different than some dude who won a bunch of fights in smaller orgs then got called up

Being on TUF also gets you more recognition and likely better training opportunities.

 

[Arkridge]

Their were 8 guys who competed on TUF on last nights card and 6 of them won their fights. (Iaquinta & Michaud were the two that lost). TUF is and always has been relevant, I never understood why people slept on TUF fighters, it's been a breeding ground for talent for years.

 

[Emjay]

Being on TUF also gets you more recognition and likely better training opportunities.

A lot of the regional guys are at "big time" camps already

TUF is a TV show. Dats it

 

[tenniswhiz]

It's hard to tell which TUF'ers will do well and which will fail.

I would have never thought Caceres or Luke Barnatt would have done well.
I thought both of them were slow, had poor cardio, and couldn't take a punch to the chin.
But they're doing great...

I thought Amir Sadollah would be a contender and that CB Dolloway would get cut within a couple fights. Wrong on that too.

 

[76Knockout]

By some ignorant people it is.

Look how successful the cast of TUF 1 was?

I still remember people calling Forrest nothing but a tv star and such. Forrest for example had fought Monson, Horn, Sonnen and Severn before entering the UFC.

There are many examples like that. Being a Tuffer shouldn't be looked down upon, look how many quality fighters came off that show.

But there will always be those who associate Tuf contestants as "lower" quality fighters just for the fact they are on the show.

I don't know if that will ever go away, but TJ thrashing Barao is another moment that helps thwart that misconception a little.

 

[SamboPunch]

It is when you succeed on the show then suck in the UFC. But if you're good, you're good. I don't see why being on TUF would change that.

 

[MayhemMonkey]

it shouldnt be, its an intelligent way to get your name out there. TJ is a shining example of what it can do for your career to even compete on the show

 

[emperor]

Yep. In fact, I'll bet that there's still tons of bitching about the next few TUF finales about how many TUFers are on the card, followed by more bitching about how Dana likes to keep TUFers around to pad the cards because he doesn't have to pay them.