# The Ultimate Fighter: Tournament of Champions
**The Ultimate Fighter: Tournament of Champions** (also known as [The Ultimate Fighter](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-ultimate-fighter) 24, or TUF 24) was the 24th stateside season of the UFC's reality television series, broadcast in 2016 on [Fox Sports 1](https://www.edgepedia.org/fox-sports-1). It gathered 16 flyweight fighters, each a reigning champion in his own promotion around the world, into a single-elimination tournament whose winner earned a shot at UFC flyweight champion [Demetrious Johnson](https://www.edgepedia.org/demetrious-johnson) at the season finale on December 3, 2016.[1](https://www.mmafighting.com/2016/7/19/12232326/the-ultimate-fighter-24-flyweight-cast-revealed) • [2](https://abcnews.com/Sports/brandon-moreno-tim-elliott-learn-tuf-24-experience/story?id=43928717)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Season | The Ultimate Fighter 24, announced by the UFC in May 2016, airing on Fox Sports 1 from September 2016[2](https://abcnews.com/Sports/brandon-moreno-tim-elliott-learn-tuf-24-experience/story?id=43928717) • [1](https://www.mmafighting.com/2016/7/19/12232326/the-ultimate-fighter-24-flyweight-cast-revealed) |
| Format | 16 seeded competitors, all champions in their current promotion, in a single-elimination tournament; each episode's winner advanced[3](https://www.ufc.com.br/news/cast-revealed-ultimate-fighter-24) |
| Coaches | Former flyweight title challengers Joseph Benavidez (24-4) and Olympic wrestling gold medalist Henry Cejudo (10-1)[1](https://www.mmafighting.com/2016/7/19/12232326/the-ultimate-fighter-24-flyweight-cast-revealed) |
| Prize | A flyweight title fight against Demetrious Johnson (24-2) at the TUF 24 Finale[2](https://abcnews.com/Sports/brandon-moreno-tim-elliott-learn-tuf-24-experience/story?id=43928717) |
| Finale | December 3, 2016, Pearl concert theater at the Palms Resort & Casino, Las Vegas[4](https://www.ufc.com/news/final-ultimate-fighter-finale-results-and-news) |
| Tournament winner | Tim Elliott, the No. 3 overall seed and first overall draft pick[2](https://abcnews.com/Sports/brandon-moreno-tim-elliott-learn-tuf-24-experience/story?id=43928717) |
| Finale main event | Johnson defeated Elliott by unanimous decision to retain the title, his ninth defense[5](https://www.mmaiqreport.com/tuf-season-24) • [2](https://abcnews.com/Sports/brandon-moreno-tim-elliott-learn-tuf-24-experience/story?id=43928717) |
| Finale viewership | 1,032,000 average viewers on FS1, the UFC's best number on the channel in more than two months[6](https://www.mmafighting.com/2016/12/6/13862966/demetrious-johnson-draws-best-ufc-ratings-in-two-months-for-tuf-24-finale) |
## Concept and format
The UFC announced the new format in May 2016: instead of the series' usual cast of prospects, "The Ultimate Fighter: Tournament of Champions" invited flyweight champions from promotions around the world to enter a 16-man tournament, with the winner receiving a title shot against Johnson, then regarded as the UFC's pound-for-pound top fighter.[2](https://abcnews.com/Sports/brandon-moreno-tim-elliott-learn-tuf-24-experience/story?id=43928717) The cast lived and trained in the series' Las Vegas fighter house, and the fighters were split into two eight-man teams.[1](https://www.mmafighting.com/2016/7/19/12232326/the-ultimate-fighter-24-flyweight-cast-revealed)
Every contestant entered as a sitting champion in his current promotion, a first for the series.[3](https://www.ufc.com.br/news/cast-revealed-ultimate-fighter-24) The field included, among others, [Tim Elliott](https://www.edgepedia.org/tim-elliott), then the Titan FC flyweight champion, and [Brandon Moreno](https://www.edgepedia.org/brandon-moreno), the World Fighting Federation champion seeded last at No. 16.[2](https://abcnews.com/Sports/brandon-moreno-tim-elliott-learn-tuf-24-experience/story?id=43928717) Casting was open to men in the 125-pound flyweight division aged 21 to 34 with a winning professional record of at least three fights, with tryouts held in Las Vegas on April 25, 2016.[7](https://media.ufc.tv/TUF/tuf_24_application.pdf)
## Coaches
The two teams were coached by the flyweight division's leading contenders, both former challengers to Johnson's title: longtime standout [Joseph Benavidez](https://www.edgepedia.org/joseph-benavidez) (24-4) and [Henry Cejudo](https://www.edgepedia.org/henry-cejudo) (10-1), the 2008 Olympic gold medalist in wrestling who had challenged Johnson earlier in 2016.[1](https://www.mmafighting.com/2016/7/19/12232326/the-ultimate-fighter-24-flyweight-cast-revealed) • [2](https://abcnews.com/Sports/brandon-moreno-tim-elliott-learn-tuf-24-experience/story?id=43928717) Benavidez and Cejudo met in the finale's co-main event, with the stakes framed by Cejudo's hope that one of his fighters might beat Johnson, which would have helped him dissect the champion.[8](https://www.foxsports.com/stories/other/flyweights-re-energizing-the-ultimate-fighter-in-24th-season) Their three-round fight was closely contested; a retrospective scoring analysis credited Cejudo with the higher percentage of total significant strikes landed, 34% to Benavidez's 29%.[9](https://www.mmafighting.com/2020/2/27/21152895/retro-robbery-review-joseph-benavidez-vs-henry-cejudo-at-the-ultimate-fighter-24-finale)
## The tournament
Tim Elliott, drafted first overall, was one of two former UFC fighters in the field. Cut by the UFC in the summer of 2015 after a 2-4 run, he had won the Titan FC flyweight belt and made two successful defenses before joining the cast.[2](https://abcnews.com/Sports/brandon-moreno-tim-elliott-learn-tuf-24-experience/story?id=43928717) He opened the tournament with two first-round submission wins, then beat the dark horse Eric Shelton by majority decision in a semifinal that aired November 23, 2016, before defeating Hiromasa Ogikubo in the final to earn the title shot.[2](https://abcnews.com/Sports/brandon-moreno-tim-elliott-learn-tuf-24-experience/story?id=43928717) • [6](https://www.mmafighting.com/2016/12/6/13862966/demetrious-johnson-draws-best-ufc-ratings-in-two-months-for-tuf-24-finale) • [13](https://www.ufc.com/news/ultimate-fighter-24-episode-12-recap) The episode in which Elliott secured his place drew 386,000 viewers the night it aired, with another 242,000 watching via DVR through the following Saturday.[6](https://www.mmafighting.com/2016/12/6/13862966/demetrious-johnson-draws-best-ufc-ratings-in-two-months-for-tuf-24-finale)
Brandon Moreno's run ended immediately: as the No. 16 seed he had to face No. 1 seed [Alexandre Pantoja](https://www.edgepedia.org/alexandre-pantoja) in the opening round and lost by rear-naked choke in the second round. The season nonetheless became a second chance for him. On eight days' notice he filled in against [Louis Smolka](https://www.edgepedia.org/louis-smolka) at UFC Fight Night on October 1, 2016, tapping the 6-to-1 favorite with a first-round guillotine choke, a win that moved him to No. 12 in the UFC flyweight rankings.[2](https://abcnews.com/Sports/brandon-moreno-tim-elliott-learn-tuf-24-experience/story?id=43928717)
## The finale
The TUF 24 Finale took place on December 3, 2016, at the Pearl concert theater at the Palms Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.[4](https://www.ufc.com/news/final-ultimate-fighter-finale-results-and-news) In the main event, Johnson attempted a rear choke submission against Elliott during their five-round flyweight championship bout and survived an early scare before winning by unanimous decision, retaining the title in his ninth defense.[4](https://www.ufc.com/news/final-ultimate-fighter-finale-results-and-news) • [5](https://www.mmaiqreport.com/tuf-season-24) • [2](https://abcnews.com/Sports/brandon-moreno-tim-elliott-learn-tuf-24-experience/story?id=43928717) The broadcast averaged 1,032,000 viewers on FS1, the promotion's sixth-best number on the channel that year and its best in more than two months.[6](https://www.mmafighting.com/2016/12/6/13862966/demetrious-johnson-draws-best-ufc-ratings-in-two-months-for-tuf-24-finale)
The undercard featured Jamie Moyle, a graduate of [The Ultimate Fighter 23](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-ultimate-fighter-team-joanna-vs-team-claudia), making her official UFC debut with a unanimous-decision win over Kailin Curran, taking 30-27 scores on all three cards at 115 pounds.[10](https://www.sherdog.com/news/articles/Beating-the-Odds-The-Ultimate-Fighter-24-Finale-114539)
## Place in the series
Season 24 was one of several format experiments the UFC tried as the show aged, alongside the all-female strawweight season (TUF 20: A Champion Will Be Crowned), a live season, and seasons built around rival camps or star coaches.[11](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2678716-from-forrest-griffin-to-tim-elliott-the-life-times-of-the-ultimate-fighter) Its distinguishing feature was the champion-versus-champion premise: rather than awarding a UFC contract alone, the season dangled a title fight, and the finale delivered the spectacle the format promised, with Johnson, Elliott, Cejudo, and Benavidez all producing competitive fights.[12](https://www.mmafighting.com/2016/12/7/13852800/fortunes-changed-for-five-at-tuf-24-finale) The season also seeded the division's future: Moreno, eliminated in the opening round, went on to become UFC flyweight champion, while Elliott's title shot made him a rare challenger drawn from outside the UFC roster.[2](https://abcnews.com/Sports/brandon-moreno-tim-elliott-learn-tuf-24-experience/story?id=43928717)
## References
1. [The Ultimate Fighter 24 flyweight cast revealed, MMA Fighting](https://www.mmafighting.com/2016/7/19/12232326/the-ultimate-fighter-24-flyweight-cast-revealed)
2. [Brandon Moreno and Tim Elliott learn from 'TUF 24' experience, ABC News](https://abcnews.com/Sports/brandon-moreno-tim-elliott-learn-tuf-24-experience/story?id=43928717)
3. [Cast revealed for The Ultimate Fighter 24, UFC](https://www.ufc.com.br/news/cast-revealed-ultimate-fighter-24)
4. [Final: The Ultimate Fighter Finale results and news, UFC](https://www.ufc.com/news/final-ultimate-fighter-finale-results-and-news)
5. [TUF Season 24, The MMA IQ Report](https://www.mmaiqreport.com/tuf-season-24)
6. [Demetrious Johnson draws best UFC ratings in two months for TUF 24 Finale, MMA Fighting](https://www.mmafighting.com/2016/12/6/13862966/demetrious-johnson-draws-best-ufc-ratings-in-two-months-for-tuf-24-finale)
7. [The Ultimate Fighter Season 24 Application & Fighter Information Sheet, UFC](https://media.ufc.tv/TUF/tuf_24_application.pdf)
8. [Flyweights re-energizing 'The Ultimate Fighter' in 24th season, FOX Sports](https://www.foxsports.com/stories/other/flyweights-re-energizing-the-ultimate-fighter-in-24th-season)
9. [Retro Robbery Review: Joseph Benavidez vs. Henry Cejudo at the TUF 24 Finale, MMA Fighting](https://www.mmafighting.com/2020/2/27/21152895/retro-robbery-review-joseph-benavidez-vs-henry-cejudo-at-the-ultimate-fighter-24-finale)
10. [Beating the Odds: 'The Ultimate Fighter 24' Finale, Sherdog](https://www.sherdog.com/news/articles/Beating-the-Odds-The-Ultimate-Fighter-24-Finale-114539)
11. [From Forrest Griffin to Tim Elliott: The Fading Star of 'The Ultimate Fighter', Bleacher Report](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2678716-from-forrest-griffin-to-tim-elliott-the-life-times-of-the-ultimate-fighter)
12. [Fortunes changed for five at TUF 24 Finale, MMA Fighting](https://www.mmafighting.com/2016/12/7/13852800/fortunes-changed-for-five-at-tuf-24-finale)
13. [The Ultimate Fighter 24: Episode 12 Recap](https://www.ufc.com/news/ultimate-fighter-24-episode-12-recap)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Individual sports and outdoor recreation › Combat sports and professional wrestling › Mixed martial arts › The Ultimate Fighter and prospect series*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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