Tracking the progress of The Ultimate Fighter 4 contestants – Part II

Last week, I examined the progress of the middleweight fighters who participated in The Ultimate Fighter 4.  Lets now take a look at the welterweights of Season 4.

The welterweights were a very experienced group of fighters, with a combined record of 139-62-13 prior to the show.  Two of the welterweights – Matt Serra and Rich Clementi – took charge of their respective teams, becoming the unofficial team captains.  Even though Serra ended up winning the entire Season 4 tournament while Clementi was eliminated in the first round, today they are still the highest ranked fighters of the Season 4 welterweight group. 

Fighters are listed in order of their current Fightmatrix.com ranking, regardless of the weight class. Fights that took place in the live finale are counted in the ‘After’ column.

[#5 WW] Matt Serra

Most of Matt Serra’s bouts prior to the show took place in the UFC’s lightweight division.  Serra made his debut as a welterweight in a 2005 bout with Karo Parisyan, which Serra lost by unanimous decision despite dropping Karo early in the fight.  An early favorite to win the competition, Serra did not disappoint, stopping Pete Spratt and earning a decision over Shonie Carter en route to a controversial split decision victory over Chris Lytle in the finale.  Matt’s performance earned him a title shot at the champion George’s St. Pierre; though Serra was a heavy underdog, he defied all odds by knocking St. Pierre out in the first round.

Serra went on to become a coach on Season 6 of The Ultimate Fighter, and was scheduled to make his first defense against the opposing coach Matt Hughes at the completion of the show. Those plans were hampered when Serra suffered a back injury that kept him out of action for over a year.  In his return,  Serra rematched St. Pierre and was stopped in the second round.  In a packed division, odds are slim that he will ever hold the 170-lbs title again.  His most likely next bout will be the long-awaited grudge match against Matt Hughes, who has fallen on hard times lately, losing three of his last four bouts.

[#31 LW] Rich Clementi

Though Rich ‘No Love’ Clementi had over thirty bouts under his belt at the time, he only appeared in a UFC event once: a submission loss to Yves Edwards in a 155-lbs bout at UFC 41.  Clementi moved up to welterweight to participate in TUF, but did not have much luck, losing a decision to Shonie Carter in the very first bout.  He was also submitted by Din Thomas in the finale, and after three more bouts at 170 lbs Clementi returned to the lightweight division.  He proceeded to win his next three bouts, and will face Gray Maynard at UFC 90 – a matchup that will bring the winner very close to the lightweight title picture.

[#26 WW] Chris Lytle

Chris Lytle has been a veteran of UFC since 2000, playing the role of a gatekeeper for the welterweight division. He has also competed as a professional boxer, holding a 17-1-1 record in the boxing ring.  Lytle performed well on the show, chocking out Pete Spratt and winning a decision over Din Thomas before losing a split decision to Matt Serra in the finale – a match that many felt Lytle should have won. After the show, Lytle stayed busy, fighting seven times since the finale and winning four of those bouts. Though the bout has not been set in stone yet, Chris will most likely face Marcus Davis at UFC 93 in Dublin, Ireland. Lytle is currently one of only eleven fighters with fourteen or more official UFC bouts under their belt.

[#61 LW] Din Thomas

Like Serra and Clementi, Din Thomas is another fighter who began his UFC career at 155 lbs and moved up to 170 while UFC’s lightweight division was on hiatus.  Din submitted Mickey Burnett in his first TUF elimination bout, then lost a decision to Chris Lytle in the semi-finals.  Thomas submitted Rich Clementi in the finale, then returned to the lightweight division, where he has achieved a .500 record in last four bouts.

[NR] Shonie Carter

Shonie ‘Mr. International’ Carter has a lengthy MMA resume, which includes an unlikely spinning backfist knockout of Matt Serra back in 2001. After Carter earned a decision over Clementi in the eliminator bout, he met Serra once again and almost repeated the outcome of their first bout, flooring Serra with a spinning backfist.  This time around, Serra survived and went on to win the judges’ decision.  Carter did not appear on the finale, and only had one UFC bout since the show, losing a decision to Marcus Davis.  Today he remains active in smaller promotions.

[NR] Pete Spratt

Pete Spratt has long been considered one of the best strikers in the welterweight division. A glaring weakness in his fight game, Spratt’s lack of submission defense has prevented him from reaching an elite level in MMA. Spratt was once offered a shot at then welterweight champion Matt Hughes, and turned it down to the detriment of his career.  On the show, Spratt was eliminated via a TKO stoppage at the hands of Matt Serra, but received a second chance when fellow welterweight Jeremy Jackson was sent home by Dana White.  Spratt faced Lytle, and true to form lost by submission.  He defeated Jeremy Jackson in the finale, then followed it up with two additional submission losses which marked the end of Pete’s run in the UFC. His luck has not been much better in smaller organizations: Spratt has lost three of his past four bouts, all by rear naked choke.

[NR] Jeremy Jackson

Jeremy Jackson’s sole UFC bout prior to the show was a submission loss at UFC 44 in a ‘rubber match’ with Nick Diaz.  Jeremy never got an opportunity to fight on TUF: he was evicted from the competition by Dana White after Jackson was caught sneaking off the premises for a rendezvous with a woman he met during the taping.  He was brought back for the finale, where Jackson suffered an injury that cost him the fight in a bout with Pete Spratt. Jackson’s life has taken a serious downturn shortly thereafter: He is currently under arrest while awaiting trial on multiple charges – including forcible rape.

[NR] Mikey Burnett

Former Lion’s Den member Mickey Burnett was the most veteran participant of Season 4: his MMA career began in 1996 and included appearances in UFC 16, UFC 18, and UFC Brazil.  Burnett has retired from fighting in 1999, and did not compete again until he was invited to participate in TUF.  Burnett lost his elimination bout to Din Thomas, then injured himself in an alcohol-fueled incident when he put his head through a wall of the Ultimate Fighter house.  The resulting neck injury effectively ended any hope of Burnett resuming his fighting career.