In a few weeks, the UFC will be celebrating the 20th anniversary of their existence. It’s a major moment, considering how they were in rough shape through the late 1990’s into the early 2000’s. The company has skyrocketed in popularity and has become a global phenomenon.
The top ten biggest upsets in UFC history
I’m not a big fan of lists because it’s becoming a bit played out. That being said, this is the perfect time to relive some great memories. There is no better way to remember memories then by making a list. Since 2013 has been the year of a few major upsets, this article will be based on the biggest upsets of all time. This list is only UFC related, so I can’t mention Fabricio Werdum’s triangle choke on Fedor Emelianenko or Kevin Randleman knocking out Mirko Cro Cop.
Those moments were legendary, but they were in separate promotions regardless if the UFC bought them out. I’ll always respect both organizations for all the great events they put on. This list is directed towards the UFC and it was challenging to cut this list down to ten, along with putting it in the right order. Here are the upsets that I felt were the most significant in UFC history.
10. UFC 141- Johnny Hendricks vs. Jon Fitch
It may seem very surprising to some MMA fans, but it was only two years ago when Fitch was still one of the top fighters in the welterweight division. Hendricks was still relatively unknown and was getting an opportunity of a lifetime. Other than losing to George St. Pierre at UFC 87, Fitch was undefeated in the UFC. While many considered his style to be boring and too conservative with his superior wrestling, nobody can deny his top ranking.
This matchup was intriguing because of Hendricks’ top level wrestling to go along with his knockout power. It would be a challenge for Fitch to take him down and smother him. We never got to see how the wrestling played out, because Hendricks knocked him out with his signature left hook in 12 seconds. It put Hendricks on the map, as someone to look out for and he’s never looked back.
9. UFC 76- Keith Jardine vs. Chuck Liddell
Nobody really expected this matchup to occur. Jardine was coming off a 48 second knockout loss to Houston Alexander, which took him out of the title hunt. Due to Wanderlei Silva not being able to fight Liddell, Jardine had to step in and take the fight. This was Liddell’s first fight after losing the light heavyweight title to Rampage Jackson. Everyone expected Liddell to dominate, especially after he landed his signature right hand to rock Jardine in the first round.
After the first round, everyone was expecting Liddell to land the knockout blow. It was never meant to be and Jardine started utilizing low kicks to throw off Liddell’s timing. It was shocking to see Liddell not connecting and becoming more frustrated, as the fight went on. In the end, he lost by split decision and people were absolutely shocked. Nobody was taking Jardine seriously and Liddell admitted he didn’t take the fight seriously either. It proved to be costly in trying to get a rematch against Jackson.
8. UFC 156- Antonio Silva vs. Alistair Overeem
Despite being suspended for over a year, there was still plenty of buzz for Overeem. MMA fans still remember the beating that Overeem punt on Brock Lesnar at UFC 141. They knew what he was capable of and they saw him as someone who can take over the heavyweight division. Many people were writing off Antonio Silva, since Overeem had the advantage in just about every aspect of the fight.
It turns out there was one aspect that Silva had him beat, which was cardio. Silva took his opportunity, when Overeem started to slow down. Of course, everyone will always remember how over confident Overeem was. You can’t forget about how fatigued he was late in the second round. Silva started to land some knees, before finally finishing him off in the third round with a barrage of punches. Nobody saw it coming and Overeem hasn’t recovered since.
7. UFC 68- Randy Couture vs. Tim Sylvia
Similar to Hendricks and Fitch, this fight was the start of careers going in different directions. Sylvia was a massive heavyweight, who had put together a huge winning streak. He beat Andrei Arlovski in two consecutive fights to earn the heavyweight championship. Couture was coming off a devastating knockout loss to Chuck Liddell and had been going through contract disputes with the UFC.
The UFC needed someone in the heavyweight division to challenge Sylvia, considering most of the top heavyweights were fighting in Pride and Frank Mir (who submitted Sylvia) was recovering from a serious motorcycle accident. Couture was brought in to bring interest back into the heavyweight division and he did it within the first eight seconds. He sent Sylvia down with one punch and controlled him for all five rounds. Sylvia always had an iron chin, but he always got manhandled on the ground. Couture was all over him and dominated Sylvia to become the heavyweight champion.
6. UFC 46- BJ Penn vs. Matt Hughes
There isn’t a fighter that takes on more challenges than BJ Penn. He was always naturally a lightweight, yet challenged himself to become a welterweight and try to become the champion in that division full of much stronger fighters. Nobody was giving him a chance against Hughes, who beat all the competition. He was the strongest welterweight and won fights on his wrestling, along with non-stop pace.
Nobody expected Penn to be able to counter that, despite having a black belt in BJJ. After a mostly even first round, Hughes gave away his back with just 23 seconds remaining in the round. Penn was in prime position to lock in the rear-naked choke and made Hughes tap. It remains to be one of the most notable submission victories of all time to go along with one of the biggest upsets of all time.
5. UFC 88- Rashad Evans vs. Chuck Liddell
You knew how great Liddell was when he has made it twice on this list. He was coming off an incredible victory over Wanderlei Silva, which was awarded as the fight of the year in 2007. Many people believed that Liddell was back and ready to challenge for the light heavyweight title. Evans wasn’t coming in with much momentum, after fighting Tito Ortiz to a draw and earning a split decision victory over Michael Bisping. Not many people were thinking that Evans was going to last fifteen minutes with Liddell.
Liddell was aggressive early on and was making Evans move around a lot. He threw an uppercut when Evans landed a vicious overhand right out of nowhere. It took several minutes before Liddell could get up from the mat. That knockout put Evans on the map and it was the 2008 knockout of the year. He wasn’t known as just a wrestler, who can control his opponents. They had to respect his power and Liddell learned that the hard way.
4. UFC 76- Forrest Griffin vs. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua
Shogun was considered to be the top light heavyweight in the world at the time. He had defeated the likes of Jackson, Overeem, and Randleman, along with winning the Pride middleweight grand prix in 2005. Griffin’s career was at a crossroads, as people weren’t sure if he had fully recovered from being knocked out by Jardine. Many people believed that he wasn’t going to be able to last long against Rua’s Muay Thai style.
Griffin went out there and did what he usually does to defeat his opponents. He outworks them with non-stop pressure and precision striking. Rua was overwhelmed and started to gas out by the second round. With just 15 seconds left in the fight, Griffin locked in the rear naked choke and submitted him. Everyone was at a loss of words, as Rua was considered to be indestructible. Griffin’s performance earned him the 2007 upset of the year award.
3. UFC 162: Chris Weidman vs. Anderson Silva
Some people may be surprised that this wasn’t number one. The reason being was that Weidman did match up well with Silva and many fighters were picking him to win. It wasn’t a complete consensus that everyone believed Silva was going to retain the middleweight championship once again. The reason why it remains high on the list was because he ended Silva’s seven year and 17 fight undefeated streak.
Of course, Silva’s showboating took some luster off the upset. He fought poorly and his tactics cost him the fight. Weidman deserves all the credit in the world for not backing down. Unlike many of Silva’s victims, he wasn’t intimidated and wasn’t psyched out by Silva. He was aggressive and never got reckless with his striking. Eventually he caught Silva and left him staring at the ceiling.
2. UFC 70: Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Mirko Cro Cop
The left high kick from Gonzaga still makes me cringe. It’s easily the best heavyweight knockout of all time, let alone one of the greatest knockouts in history. The way he dropped Cro Cop with that kick was absolutely demoralizing. Cro Cop came into the UFC with major buzz, after winning the 2006 Pride open-weight grand prix. His striking was on another level compared to the rest of the heavyweights, which made a title fight versus Randy Couture very appealing to MMA fans.
Gonzaga ended that dream starting by taking the fight to the ground early. He landed some vicious elbows from top position and looked to be in complete control. Cro Cop admitted that those elbows made his vision blurry. It led to Gonzaga landing the left high kick, which was Cro Cop’s very own signature move. Once again, this was a fight where almost everyone was favoring one fighter in Cro Cop. Then you add on to Gonzaga winning in that fashion made it even more special. Cro Cop never got back into title contention and the knockout started his decline, even though he put on some very exciting fights during his tenure in the UFC.
1.UFC 69: Matt Serra vs. Georges St. Pierre
It’s unbelievable that Couture, Gonzaga, and Serra’s victories were in consecutive pay-per-view events. Serra was labeled as an 11-1 underdog going into the title bout. Nobody expected him to win, especially after St. Pierre’s dominating victory over Matt Hughes. The first round was mostly even, until Serra landed an overhand right that staggered St. Pierre. At first it seemed like St. Pierre would recover, then he looked wobbly.
Serra was relentless and let out a flurry of punches. He maintained his stance and never got reckless by allowing St. Pierre an opening to go for a takedown. Serra was patient and eventually finished the fight on the ground. That will forever be the biggest upset in UFC history. Even though he lost in the rematch and his career fell off after that, Serra will always be remembered for that moment.
I’ll always get goose bumps reliving some of those upsets, whether it’s Gonzaga head kick, Serra’s flurry of punches, or Evans’ overhand right. I’m sure we’ll see those moments repeated over and over again, when the UFC releases the documentary and videos of old fight during fight week of UFC 167. I’m not sure how many more lists I’ll put out, but I’m sure I’ll do at least one more list before UFC 167. It’s only two weeks away from fight week, where I’ll be fully focused on the pay-per-view.
You can follow me on twitter at @Allen_Strk and be sure to follow @MMASucka for all news & updates.
