Over the years, The Ultimate Fighter has offered an opportunity for new and up and coming talent to fight their way on to the sports biggest stage, the UFC. Some have seized the opportunity and gone on to find fame and fortune as a result, with their careers playing out in front of millions of MMA fans around the world.
They are not the focus of this article, however. Instead, we will look to find out what happened to some of the memorable characters from past seasons who didn’t obtain the same level of success in the octagon, and found themselves cut from the roster as a result. Did they continue to pursue their dreams, did they find success elsewhere, or did they just fade into obscurity? Read on to find out…
4. ALEX KARALEXIS
Alex Karalexis didn’t make a major impact in the first season of TUF, succumbing to a rear naked choke courtesy of Diego Sanchez in his opening fight. He did manage to rebound in the season finale however, defeating Josh Rafferty. That set up a fight with Season 1 runner-up Kenny Florian, where he became an early victim of ‘Ken-Flo’s’ sharp elbows. Another loss on his record, this time against Jason Von Flue, called an end to his time in the UFC.
Karalexis apparently hadn’t fallen out of favor with Zuffa though, and found himself in the WEC some seven months later where he has remained since. He won his first two fights for the promotion before dropping down to lightweight where he has received mixed results, going 2-2. He was scheduled to fight Kamal Shalorus in November at WEC 44, but a broken hand prevented him from competing.
Currently 10-4 in his pro career, there is no word yet on when the 32-year-old will fight next.
