Who won the middleweight tournament on The Ultimate Fighter 1?

Diego Sanchez won the middleweight tournament on The Ultimate Fighter 1.

Sanchez defeated Kenny Florian in the season finale, stopping him by TKO from punches at 2:49 of the first round. The victory earned Sanchez a UFC contract and made him the inaugural winner of the show’s middleweight tournament.

The first season aired in 2005 and featured separate middleweight and light heavyweight competitions. Sanchez entered the middleweight bracket as an undefeated prospect and defeated Josh Rafferty, Alex Karalexis and Josh Koscheck before reaching the final. His aggressive wrestling and relentless pace became defining parts of his early UFC identity.

A common mix-up comes from the season’s other tournament winner: Forrest Griffin won the light heavyweight competition. Josh Koscheck was also a prominent contestant, but he competed in the light heavyweight bracket and did not win Sanchez’s middleweight tournament.