There are very few things in the world of sport that are better than the underdog winning. The underdog winning is always a possibility and something many find exciting with the potential to upset the odds, which heightens the affair.
Backing the underdog is not always the worst choice either, they are usually the ones with nothing to lose, with all the pressure on their bigger, more popular opponent. Here are some of the best underdog victories in the world of MMA.
Nate Diaz beats Conor McGregor
Just coming off the back of his 13 second knockout against Jose Aldo at UFC 195, a fight against Nate Diaz looked easier in a way for the Irishman. This couldn’t have been further from the truth, Nate came out swinging and took Notorious to his limits really quickly.
McGregor was nowhere for most of the fight, and when Diaz locked in a rear naked choke at the 4:12 mark in the second round, it was over. Not only did Diaz beat McGregor on his Welterweight debut, but he ended a 15-fight winning streak for the Irishman.
Frankie Edgar beats BJ Penn
BJ Penn went into his fight with Frankie Edgar at UFC 112 as the Lightweight champion. While Edgar is a more than competent fighter, Penn was easily the bigger name of the two, especially now that he held the Lightweight strap.
Yet, in front of a packed house in the UAE, Penn would lose the title through a unanimous decision. While Edgar wasn’t able to beat him on the mat, Penn was a bit too cocky, and thought he had done enough to keep the title, one of the biggest shocks of that year.
Holly Holm beats Ronda Rousey
After going 9 straight fights without losing, Holly Holm got her shot against Ronda Rousey at UFC 193. While Holm was clearly a great fighter, Rousey was on another level at the time, and looked near impossible to beat.
Fast-forward to the 59-second mark in the second round, a bloody and bruised Rousey is struggling to defend herself before Holm collapses her with a devastating kick to the head. Rousey is on the mat, Holm is the new UFC Bantamweight champion, and the fight goes down as one of the best women’s matches of all time.
Chris Weidman beats Anderson Silva
In one of the more bizarre losses on this list, Anderson Silva went into UFC 162 with a 33-4 record and was widely regarded as one of the most deadly fighters in the octagon. He knew this, and for some reason, decided to showboat in his fight against Chris Weidman.
Taking a punch or two, pretending to have jelly legs, all this led to him showboating for a bit too long and Weidman punished him for it, knocking him out cold in the second round. By all accounts, this was Silva’s first KO loss, and he would only go on to win 1 of his next 8 fights.
Amanda Nunes beats Cris Cyborg
After going 20-1, and looking like a real life cyborg, Cris Cyborg and everyone in attendance at UFC 232 were stunned when Amanda Nunes absolutely destroyed her in the first round of their bout.
At this point in her career, Cyborg hadn’t lost a fight in 13 years, and even though Nunes had beaten Ronda Rousey, she just didn’t look like she could take on the cyborg. A devastating first round knockout put Nunes front and center of the women’s division at the UFC.
Fabricio Werdum beats Fedor Emelianenko
Fedor Emelianenko is widely regarded as one of the most deadly and scariest fighters to ever partake in MMA. The Ukrainian monster could do everything, he had the movement, strikes, grappling, and was on a 28-fight run that included one draw and no losses.
Fedor was known for his grappling and submission ability, which made his loss to Fabricio Werdum by triangle choke even more surprising. He didn’t lose a title or anything, but the loss showed he wasn’t bulletproof, and he would actually go on to lose his next two fights as well, the longest losing streak of his career.
Matt Serra beats Georges St. Pierre
GSP is regarded by many as the best fighter in MMA and UFC history. He had it all, striking, grappling, submission ability, footwork, stamina, he was a complete fighter. This made his loss, one of the two in his MMA career, to Matt Serra all that more surprising.
UFC 69 was the place, and GSP came into the fight at 13-1. He was already a giant of the stage then, and when Matt Serra finished him off by TKO in the first round, every single MMA fan was left in shock.
It is now regarded as one of the biggest upsets in MMA history. GSP lost his Welterweight strap, wouldn’t lose another fight for the rest of his career, and while this fight may have dimmed the light a bit on the shining career that GSP had, there is no doubt in the fact that it showed that no fighter is invincible, no matter how good you are.