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Not every UFC champion is a fighter who was predicted to one day ascend to divisional supremacy. For every high-level prospect that fans and fighters alike hail as the next big thing, there is a dark horse lurking in the shadows. Sometimes, in the early stages of a fighter's career, their perceived ceiling isn't always accurate.
It's easy to see that the likes of Khamzat Chimaev and Shavkat Rakhmonov have all the necessary tools to become champions or at least mount a title challenge. But that isn't always the case. After Gilbert Burns lost to Dan Hooker via knockout, hardly anyone could have guessed he'd be a future title challenger at 170 lbs.
If it's that difficult to determine who will or won't be a top contender, it's sometimes impossible to determine who will or won't be a champion. Thus, this list compiles five former UFC champions who were never expected to become titleholders.
#5. Michael Bisping, former UFC middleweight champion
After abandoning the light heavyweight division for middleweight, Michael Bisping became a standard presence at 185 lbs. Despite mounting several win streaks, he always lost key bouts that would have flung him into title contention. Before long, the Englishman spent two years unable to mount another win streak.
He would win a fight, then lose his subsequent matchup. Furthermore, he was never remarkable at anything. His striking was good but it wasn't the elite-level striking fans saw from the likes of Anderson Silva, who ruled the UFC's 185 lbs weight class at the time.
With no strong grappling or wrestling skill sets, he seemed destined to remain a solid top-ten fighter. But after turning things around with another win streak, he earned a title fight against Luke Rockhold. 'The Count' was a short-notice replacement.
At the time, the AKA standout had just ended Chris Weidman's undefeated streak. Fans everywhere thought he would be the next long-reigning champion. Thus, no one gave 'The Count', who had very little time to prepare, a chance, least of all due to his previous lopsided loss to him.
But once the two men clashed inside the octagon, one of the greatest upsets in modern MMA history took place as Bisping, a pillow-fisted puncher, KO'd Rockhold in the first round to capture the middleweight title.
#4. Glover Teixeira, former UFC light heavyweight champion
Glover Teixeira came into the UFC off the back of a lengthy unbeaten run. By the time he faced Jon Jones at UFC 172, the heavy-handed Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist was riding a 20-fight win streak. Unfortunately, no one gave him much of a chance against 'Bones' in his first-ever title fight.
The reason behind this was simple. Jon Jones looked nearly unbeatable at the time. So after Teixeira lost to him, he was forgotten about. A subsequent loss to Phil Davis further hurt his standing. While he bounced back with a three-fight win streak, he ran into a brick wall against the late great Anthony 'Rumble' Johnson.
Teixeira was flattened by a 13-second knockout. He won his subsequent bout but lost the one after. The pattern repeated itself before he eventually mounted another win streak. By the time he was scheduled to face Jan Błachowicz at UFC 266, he was 42 years old.
His chances against the Polish power puncher were dismissed. Many thought he was simply too old and that he had absorbed far too much damage throughout his career. Yet, Teixeira stunned the MMA world by defeating Błachowicz via submission to capture the title in one of MMA's rare Cinderella tales.
#3. Forrest Griffin, former UFC light heavyweight champion
Throughout most of his career, Forrest Griffin was regarded as a serviceable fighter. He wasn't exceptionally fast, nor did he hit particularly hard. He also didn't possess an arsenal of skills that no one could match. Instead, he was tough and his endearing personality made him a fan favorite.
While he won the first season of The Ultimate Fighter, no one considered him a future UFC champion. After earning two consecutive wins, the future Hall of Famer secured a title fight against the then reigning light heavyweight champion Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson.
'Rampage' was at the helm of a six-fight win streak at the time and was widely regarded as an MMA legend with wins over Dan Henderson, Chuck Liddell, and Kevin Randleman. Hence, Forrest Griffin was a heavy underdog prior to their bout. The two squared off at UFC 86.
Despite suffering a knockdown in the first round, Griffin survived and mounted a valiant effort that caused the judges to award him a unanimous decision win. While the result was controversial, it was also one of the unlikeliest wins in UFC history. Unfortunately, the new champion immediately lost his title in his first title defense.
#2. Holly Holm, former UFC women's bantamweight champion
In 2015, Ronda Rousey was at the peak of the MMA mountaintop. She was an undefeated phenom with 12 wins, all of which were either knockouts or submissions. She steamrolled her opponents in a manner that was so fast and furious it evoked the same feeling that Mike Tyson had at his peak.
During her peak, she was widely regarded as invincible by the MMA media. UFC color commentator Joe Rogan went as far as claiming that she could defeat half of the promotion's male bantamweights. So after Holly Holm was announced as her scheduled opponent for UFC 193's headline bout, her chances were dismissed.
Despite being undefeated herself, 'The Preacher's Daughter' was regarded as a sacrificial lamb. She was a heavy underdog, with virtually no one giving her a chance at winning. Holm, however, wasn't dissuaded, and before a then record-setting crowd, she shocked everyone in attendance.
She easily outstruck Rousey, while denying all of her takedowns and even securing one of her own. By the end of the first round, it was clear that Rousey was helpless. In the second round, Holm punctuated her performance by KO'ing a foe she was never meant to defeat, capturing her first and only UFC title.
#1. Matt Serra, former UFC welterweight champion
There is arguably no greater upset in MMA history than Matt Serra's win against Georges St-Pierre at UFC 69. No one could have ever predicted that he would become a welterweight champion, least of all by dethroning the man who had defeated an all-time great like Matt Hughes.
The Canadian legend was on a six-fight win streak with a record of 13 wins and only one loss. He was the newly crowned titleholder at 170 lbs. Meanwhile, Serra was a fighter with a nearly equal number of wins and losses. Back then, he had 9 wins and four losses.
Furthermore, he won only one fight before challenging 'GSP' for the welterweight strap. He was never regarded as a potential champion, nor did anyone give him a chance of possibly upsetting the Canadian great. But after they stepped inside the octagon, history was made.
Serra rocked his foe early in the first round before earning a three-minute TKO. He was an 11–1 underdog prior to the bout. He wasn't expecting to do anything but lose. Had he made the bout competitive, it would have been shocking. The fact that he captured a title he was never meant to win made it historic.
