Upsets are common in the UFC. A fighter may lose due to many conditions, be it a single error, poor preparation, or surprise tactics. This type of loss is most likely to happen when an experienced fighter squares off against an underdog.
There have been a number of UFC fights that have had a great impact on the history of the sport. They include fights such as Matt Serra vs Georges St-Pierre, Holly Holm vs Ronda Rousey and Leon Edwards vs Kamaru Usman.
Matt Serra vs Georges St-Pierre
The UFC 69 match between Matt Serra and Georges St-Pierre is an entirely unexpected victory in the UFC. St-Pierre was the welterweight champion and the best fighter in his weight category. Matt Serra won the right to compete for the title after his success in The Ultimate Fighter 4. It was highly unlikely that he would defeat St-Pierre, the champion.
Despite all the doubters, the bout ended with Serra’s victory via TKO in the first round. All could see that Matt Serra came in with the mindset of having something to prove and so delivered some solid blows. This put St-Pierre in a difficult position and after landing many heavy strikes, Serra won the title.
The fact that St-Pierre was heavily favoured to dominate the fight made this upset especially surprising. While Matt Serra was experienced and had boxing skills, St-Pierre was the favourite because of the combination of his generational skill set and pedigree.
Despite Serra winning UFC 69, St-Pierre became one of the most successful fighters in the history of UFC and so Matt Serra’s upset win was quite unique.
Holly Holm vs Ronda Rousey
Holm knocking out Rousey at UFC 193 was one of the biggest upsets in UFC history. At the time of the fight, Rousey was the champion of women’s bantamweight.
She had won against her opponents in the past thanks to her outstanding grasp on judo and grappling. Holm was a professional who won many titles before she became a mixed martial artist.
During the fight, she did not stand close to Rousey but rather moved back and kicked Rousey to make her stay away and disrupt her patterns. The strategy proved to be very successful for Holm.
She defeated Rousey in the second round by knockout. The result of the fight proves how important style is in MMA. Rousey was unbeatable for the opponents who stood face to face with her and let her grab them. Holm avoided this and put the champion into a losing position.
- Holm made Rousey’s submission prowess ineffective through distance fighting.
- Holly Holm did a brutally fast kick and punch combination to knock out Ronda Rousey in the second round of their match-up.
Michael Bisping vs Luke Rockhold
Another example of an unexpected win was Michael Bisping overcoming Luke Rockhold during the main event of UFC 199 which took place in June 2016. It was surprising because Bisping was not supposed to become a title challenger initially as he replaced the injured Chris Weidman.
Rockhold was the champion at the moment entering the competition. He successfully beat Weidman to take the title and had won against Bisping before by submission when the two fought against each other for the first time in 2014. With all these details considered, most figured that the champion Rockhold should have won the bout.
Bisping did one of the best performances in his career as he landed a left hook on Rockhold, who then fell down after receiving more punches from Bisping.
The match ended with Rockhold being knocked out by Bisping at 3:36 of the first round. It was important since Bisping had been fighting professionally for many years but had never won any UFC title.
Julianna Peña vs Amanda Nunes
Before the fight, Nunes had already defeated many great names in women’s MMA. Among her victories were Rousey, Cyborg, Holm and Shevchenko.
At the same time, Amanda Nunes was the UFC women’s featherweight champion. Peña had lost to Germaine de Randamie in her previous match and did not look like a threat to Nunes.
However, the fight developed unexpectedly. Throughout the fight, it looked like Nunes was getting more and more exhausted whereas Peña did not. At the end of the second round, Peña applied a rear-naked choke on Nunes. The fight ended Nunes’ long winning streak and allowed Peña to win the biggest match of her career.
- Julianna Peña went into the match as a huge underdog against the two-division champion Amanda Nunes, who had been beating up all the best fighters.
- Peña took advantage of the exhaustion of Nunes and proved to be tougher than the reigning champion in the second round.
- Peña won the fight by submitting the champion with the second-round rear-naked choke.
Rematch during UFC 277
At UFC 277, the two competitors had a rematch in which this time Nunes won instead by unanimous decision and became the bantamweight champion once again. By dominating across all rounds she proved that her prior loss to Julianna Peña was just a momentary setback and this new win cemented her status as one of the greatest in MMA history.
Leon Edwards vs Kamaru Usman
A fight that many consider to be the most shocking is Leon Edwards’ knockout victory over the UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman at UFC 278 in August 2022.
Usman had not lost a single one of 15 UFC bouts before the fight against Edwards and successfully defended his welterweight title five times. Edwards and Usman had already fought in 2015 when Usman won the bout by decision.
By the time of their rematch during UFC 278, Usman proved to be the dominant fighter in the division as he won his fights quite easily. For much of UFC 278, it seemed that the story of Edwards losing would repeat once again as Usman dominated the fight with his wrestling and pressure.
Then, with under a minute left in the fifth round, Edwards delivered a left-footed kick that knocked Usman out cold. The finish came at 4:04 of the fifth round.
The fight is a perfect example of how unpredictable the outcome of an MMA match can be. Even if Edwards did not manage to win much of the bout, he was more than capable enough to deliver a head kick that could’ve knocked out Usman and given him the title.
Moreover, Edwards’ victory was a great way for him to prove that he deserves to have his place among top welterweights. Prior to UFC 278, he had already been through some failures and was looking for the opportunity to compete in the big matches.
Factors Behind Successful Underdogs
Despite the fact that every upset in the UFC is unique in its way, there are attributes which the winners share. The first one is discipline. Those fighters who can remain focused on the set strategy without being intimidated by the reputation of the opponent are the ones who stand a good chance of creating an upset. Another very important factor is preparation. Because the underdogs do not carry much burden into the match, they can prepare especially for their opponents’ advantages and disadvantages.
Variables That Influence Fights
Whereas the tactics, style of fight and other elements determine what happens in the octagon, there are external issues that influence the course of the battle much earlier than the actual bout begins. Weight loss, unforeseen injuries before the fight, unexpected changes in the training camp, as well as the stress associated with constant demands of the media can significantly affect the champion’s performance during the battle.
- Weight loss before the fight leads to exhaustion, less stamina and power.
- Problems during physical preparation or sudden changes in the coaching staff lead to problems with fighting tactics and limit the athlete.
- Stress and psychological strain caused by constant promotion distract from the fight itself.
Rankings Do Not Guarantee a Result
Rankings are helpful in terms of providing an insight into where the fighters stand in their division. However, rankings do not define what goes on in the Octagon. MMA has many dimensions and includes striking, wrestling, submissions, takedowns and submissions.
A fighter who excels in one category may have difficulties with an opponent whose style counters theirs. It is the same when it comes to form. A winning streak is a remarkable feat yet it does not mean at all that the next opponent is going to make a favorable match. Fans who want to bet on UFC fights online should look at different factors such as fighting style, form, injuries and preparation instead of just looking at rankings and reputation.
- Formal rankings do not determine the outcome inside the Octagon as the UFC is a dynamic sport where matchups outweigh numbers.
- A fighter who excels in many areas can still be submitted by an opponent whose skill set takes advantage of their weaknesses.
- Long winning streaks do not guarantee success as a single bad matchup can break a dominant run.
