The Ultimate Fighter has crowned champions, but only one time has it ever given the winner of the show a title shot. That was twenty seasons ago on The ultimate Fighter 4 when Mt Serra and Travis Lutter both won their season and went on the challenge for the belt. Well, Lutter did not get to fight for the belt due to missing weight but gave Anderson Silva, the champion then, a decent fight while his cardio lasted. Then of course everyone knows Serra went on to win the biggest upset by defeating UFC welterweight stalwart GSP with strikes in the first round. He did not hold the title long, but it was a crazy moment in the history of the sport. Now, another relatively unknown fighter may have a chance to capture the same moment themselves.
TUF 24 will feature Flyweight duking it out for the chance to fight for the Flyweight title agains whoever has the title. We will know this weekend who the winner will face as Demetrious Johnson goes for his eighth title defense against Henry Cejudo. With a win, he would be tied for third for most title defenses with Jon Jones and only GSP and Anderson Silva would outrank him. Of course, Cejudo could pull off his own upset, but with the stakes of this show riding on the line, it seems that Johnson would be unlikely to get an instant rematch since the winner gets to fight for the title at the finale. That means only one fighter will walk off the show ready for UFC title gold.
Now, this leaves the question of who will enter the TV show for the chance to fight for the title. As of right now, Johnson, if he keeps his title this weekend, will have beaten the number 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, and 7 ranked guys in the top ten. Also, 4, 8 and 1o are coming off losses. That only leaves Wilson Reis as a potential contender and non-rematch but he is only currently riding a one fight win streak. Can current UFC fighters Sergio Pettis or Dustin Ortiz try to enter the show to earn that title shot, or past fighters like Darrell Montague able to try out or is it all newcomers and fresh faces? Only time will tell, but it makes me actually want to watch this show for the first time in many seasons.