There is no question that The Ultimate Fighter changed the mixed martial arts landscape when the first episode aired on Jan. 18, 2005.

With that debut episode, mixed martial arts went from a pay-per-view interest of a small and dedicated fan base to something much larger. The show allowed the sport to enter the homes of people who would otherwise never have sought out the sport, introducing them to what has now become the fastest growing sport in the world.

Additionally, it stripped away the walls and gave viewers access to more than just the fights. The lives of the participants, their emotions, frustrations and personalities were put on screen, as was the rigorous training that they undertake to prepare for combat.

By the time Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar went toe-to-toe for 15 minutes in the finale of that first season, a whole new collection of fans and fanatics was hooked, and the UFC had a bona fide hit on their hands.

As the seasons progressed, the number of viewers followed suit. More and more people were tuning in to see the fighters that could become the next household names, and the next UFC champion. But somewhere between the wildly successful first season and Wednesday's debut of season 10, something changed.

While early seasons introduced future champions, top 10 competitors and tough-as-nails contenders across every division, subsequent seasons have seen a drop in talent and performance once the fighters leave the Ultimate Fighter house and step into the bright lights and big-time pressure of the UFC.

What has changed in the four-plus years since the show debuted to contribute to this decline in dependable talent, and what does the future hold for The Ultimate Fighter?

It's time to try to answer those questions.

When the men who would become members of Team Liddell and Team Couture first entered the UFC Training Center, they were a collection of unknowns to all but the hardest of hardcore fans.

Now, the roster from season 1 yields a collection of the some of the sport's most well-known fighters. Forrest Griffin, Stephan Bonnar, Kenny Florian, Josh Koscheck, and Chris Leben all came from that initial class, as did Diego Sanchez, Nate Quarry and Mike Swick.

Griffin went on to win the light -heavyweight title, while Florian fought for the lightweight title that Sanchez will attempt to win later this year. American Kickboxing Academy teammates Koscheck and Swick reside in the welterweight top 10, while Quarry was the first of the group to receive a title shot, losing to Rich Franklin at UFC 56.

Since that time, only one other champion has emerged and fewer contenders emerge from each passing season of the show. In fact, while the first two seasons produced two champions (Griffin and Rashad Evans) and four fighters who have fought for a title at one point or another, subsequent seasons have yielded very little.

Of the champions and challengers who have emerged since that second season, all three came from Season 4: The Comeback, a season dedicated to fighters searching for a return to form where the winner of each weight class was awarded a title shot.

Matt Serra made the most of his chance, defeating Georges St. Pierre, while Travis Lutter tested Anderson Silva before falling to the middleweight champion. Only Patrick Cote fought his way into a title shot outside of the stipulations of the show.

So...