Uriah Hall (12-6) had one of the most memorable knockouts in UFC history -- and it happened on a reality show.
Hall knocked the daylights out of Adam Cella (6-6) with a spinning hook kick on the 17th season of "The Ultimate Fighter," turning the spotlight in Hall's direction. Whether it was fair to his development as a fighter, it ultimately positioned Hall as a future middleweight title contender.
"I'm over it," Hall said this week, leading up to his Saturday fight against Derek Brunson (15-3). "It's like Drake's first album. I'm not the same dude. It's a new era. People need to get over that kick."
Forgetting is far easier said than done. Every one of Hall's fight promos predictably shows his heel colliding with Cella's temple. It is etched into the memory of any MMA regular.
Yet many would agree with Hall -- he hasn't been the same. He owns a 5-4 record in the UFC. That includes a split-decision loss in the TUF season finale to Kelvin Gastelum, a sluggish split-decision loss to Rafael Natal at UFC 187 and a one-sided defeat to prospect Robert Whittaker in his last fight, 10 months ago at UFC 193.
Hall says a combination of nagging injuries and impropriety of former friends played into the inconsistency, compromising his ability to perform.
"I look at it as an era where I was in a bad place in my life," he said.
Hall, 32, will try to start anew against Brunson when they meet as the co-main event at UFC Fight Night 94 in Hidalgo, Texas.
"I'm confident," Hall said. "I've trained very hard for this fight. I had a very successful camp. I've been around really positive people. I've gotten rid of people who are not good."
Despite the disappointing losses, Hall has provided regular glimpses of his true ceiling. His spinning-back-kick-to-flying-knee finish of Gegard Mousasi -- the only time Mousasi has been knocked out -- was a combination straight out of "Street Fighter." And in early 2015, Hall's elbows nearly detached the eyebrow of Ron Stallings in a first-round doctor's stoppage.
Hall's next opponent, Brunson, is 6-1 in the UFC and has won four consecutive fights, the last three of which were first-round TKOs. He has flown up the rankings and, like Hall, is trying to realize title aspirations in a crowded middleweight division. The line for that belt would make any fighter wish he were at the DMV.
"There's a systematic way of saying you have a number, which is ridiculous," Hall said of the rankings. "I knocked out Mousasi, and I'm behind him. How is that even possible?
"I just focus on what's important: my goal. My goal is to go out there and be the best."
If Hall is to ever contend, the time might be now or never.
Michael Bisping will defend the championship at UFC 204 on Oct. 8 in a retirement match for 46-year-old Dan Henderson. Former champion Luke Rockhold will face Jacare Souza in a potential title eliminator Nov. 27 in Australia.
And still ahead of Hall are Gastelum and Whittaker -- not to mention former champs Chris Weidman and Anderson Silva. Hall was scheduled to fight Silva at UFC 198, but Silva needed emergency gall bladder surgery and had to withdraw.
It's a long, unlikely path, but Hall says the approach will be simple. That includes Saturday night opposite Brunson.
"The first thing you have to have is belief," Hall said. "[I want to] beat up this dude, first of all, then knock out Luke Rockhold after, if I get the chance. I just have to take out whoever is in front of me and go for the strap. You just have to play the game.
"[Brunson] is just there. He's a stepping stone. That's it."