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MMA is revered by millions of fans for its champions. From Anderson Silva to Georges St. Pierre. From Jon Jones to Fedor Emelianenko. However MMA, just like most sports, is loved for the upsets it can throw up. There is nothing better in sport than an underdog beating a dominant champion, especially when the underdog stops the champion.Over the years, there have been many such upsets in MMA. Here are our top 5 most shocking finishes:
#1 Fedor Emelianenko vs. Fabricio Werdum
When Pride died, Fedor became the most coveted free agent in MMA. The UFC threw all they had into trying to sign him. Dana White said that he was “obsessed” with signing Fedor. The Russian legend however, would sign for Strikeforce (after a few fights in other promotions) in a move that infuriated White and the UFC. Strikeforce didn’t exactly have top of the line talent and Fedor was expected to become heavyweight champion in no time flat. After beating then-undefeated Brett Rodgers in his Strikeforce debut, Fedor was pitted against former UFC Heavyweight Fabricio Werdum.
This wasn’t the Fabricio Werdum of today. Do not confuse that man for the current UFC Heavyweight Champion. Werdum had been cut by the UFC after a first-round KO defeat to Junior Dos Santos. It was more a case of him being fed to Fedor than an even contest. Fedor at the time was on a 10-year unbeaten streak. This was meant to be a procession for Fedor on the way to a championship.
Everything was going to plan. Fedor clobbered Werdum early with a huge right hand. Werdum fell to his back but had the presence of mind to defend Fedor locking in the mount. As Fedor tried to establish his dominancy, Werdum caught him in a triangle armbar. Time seemed to stand still. Fedor tapped. One of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time, a dominant champion and one of the most feared men in the world was beaten by a UFC reject.
Fedor would never be the same again. He lost his next two fights and eventually left Strikeforce. He would compete 3 more times, winning all 3 fights before he retired. Recently Fedor has announced his intention to return to professional MMA. While still regarded by many as one of the greatest of all time. His shock loss to Werdum signaled the beginning of the end for Fedor. With his imminent return to MMA, can he recapture some of that magic or will the ghost of Werdum continue to haunt him?
#2 Barao vs. Dillashaw
Widely regarded as the greatest upset in UFC history, 8-1 underdog T.J. Dillashaw took on Brazilian legend and defending UFC Bantamweight Champion Renen Barao at UFC 173. Barao had not been defeated in 10 years and annihilated all those who came before him with relative ease, including Dillashaw’s mentor, friend and team-mate Urijah Faber.
If Faber couldn’t beat Barao how was his understudy, Dillashaw meant to? Dillashaw was a beaten finalist on a reality show going up against the best pound for pound fighter in the world. His 32 fight win streak was longer than other man on the roster. A roster that included Anderson Silva, Georges St. Pierre and Barao’s team-mate Jose Aldo. In the build up to the fight, Dana White called him the best fighter in the world and while he did his best to pump up Dillashaw’s chances, even he struggled to fathom any other outcome other than a victory for Barao.
We all know what happened next. Dillashaw didn’t just beat Barao for the championship, he dominated him. This wasn’t like the Fedor vs. Werdum fight, where Werdum caught Fedor off guard, Dillashaw put on a clinic. Barao looked more like a sacrificial lamb waiting for the axe to fall than a legendary UFC champion. Dillashaw danced rings around him and eventually won by TKO in the fifth round, after dominating the first 4.
Barao’s career spiraled after that. 4 months after UFC 173, he would miss weight and be pulled out of a rematch against Dillashaw one day before the fight. He would eventually return to beat Mitch Gagnon in unconvincing fashion, looking like a shadow of his former self.
The two finally squared off again at UFC on Fox 16 this past Sunday for the championship. Dillashaw obliterated Barao in a master class picking up where he left off 14 months ago. After getting two beat downs at the hands of Dillashaw, it’s difficult to imagine a scenario where Barao gets a third shot at the bantamweight championship. He is expected to move up to 145lbs with the cut to 135 becoming too difficult for him. Barao was on course to become the greatest champion in UFC history, then along came TJ Dillashaw and changed his life forever.
#3 Silva vs. Weidman 1
In the build up to his middleweight title defense against Chris Weidman, Dana White called Anderson Silva the greatest mixed martial artist of all time. And why wouldn’t he? Silva had just dominated former Light Heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin, a fight that Lyoto Machida says taught him more about the sport than any coach. Fans were getting excited at the prospect of a super fight between Anderson Silva and Georges St. Pierre, the two biggest stars in the game, 2 champions separated by 15lbs.
Enter Chris Weidman. He wasn’t a TJ Dillashaw style underdog but his opponent was the most dominant champion in UFC history. If Weidman had a shot at winning it was going to be through wrestling. He had to take Silva down and keep him there, much like Chael Sonnen did for 4 and a half rounds against Silva. However even if the fight did go to the ground, Silva’s Jiu Jitsu was far superior to Weidman’s and he fancied himself even on his back. If there was one thing that wasn’t going to happen, it was a Weidman win by knockout.
Half way through the first round, Silva tried to bait Weidman by dropping his hands and taunting him. We had seen it before. Silva is such an elusive fighters that some of the best in the world struggled to get near him. At times it felt like they were trying to catch smoke. Weidman bit the bait and let his hands go. After avoiding a haymaker, Silva got caught with a huge left hand dropping him to the ground. Weidman saw his chance and pounced. Assuming mount he began beating down on Anderson Silva till eventually, the referee was forced to stop the fight.
Weidman is still the champion having beaten Anderson Silva in a rematch some 5 months after winning the belt. He has gone on to beat Lyoto Machida and Vitor Belfort, adopting the moniker ‘the Brazilian killer.’ He is on a collision course with top contender Luke Rockhold in one of the most anticipated fights of recent times.
After being beaten by Weidman in the rematch on account of breaking his leg, Silva spent 9 months in recovery. He returned this January to beat Nick Diaz via unanimous decision. However, he tested positive for a banned substance, a charge he has fought and is currently in dispute with another body claiming the test results were negative. Nobody knows what the future holds for Silva, who flirted with the Brazilian taekwondo Olympic team for a while, however we would all love to see him back and get the send off he truly deserves.
#4 Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Mirko Cro Cop Filipovic
After winning the pride open weight grand prix, Mirko ‘Cro Cop’ Filipovic signed with the UFC. A celebrated fighter, Cro Cop was had won his 5 previous fights via 1st round KO. Gonzaga was no scrub and he too was on a 5 fight win streak, though in less impressive fashion. The two fought in Manchester, England, at UFC 70 in a UFC Heavyweight championship title eliminator.
While Gonzaga backed himself, the odds favored Cro Cop. He was a one punch KO artist the likes of which hadn’t been seen in MMA. He had the ability to land his shot no matter who he was up against, and had just beaten legendary fighter Wanderlei Silva with a vicious head kick. Words cannot do justice to just how devastating Cro Cop’s kicks were. They were so powerful that they put Edson Barboza or Stephen Thompson’s kicks to shame.
Cro Cop would lose to Gonzaga, which while surprising, does not merit a place on this list by itself. It’s how he lost. In the first round, Gonzaga unleashed a head kick that put Cro Cop to sleep. Gonzaga did to Cro Cop what Cro Cop did to everybody else. There was no flurry of ground punches after the kick. It was so devastating that Cro Cop did not move for a considerable period of time. It truly is a knockout that has to be seen to be believed.
Cro Cop had to wait 8 long years till he could finally get his revenge this past April beating Gonzaga in Poland. The KO at UFC 70 however, will live long in the memory.
#5 St. Pierre vs. Serra
The Ultimate Cinderella story. A real life Rocky. A guy that has no right to be in the ring with one of the greatest champions of all time, stuns the world and becomes champion. Matt Serra was put into the Ultimate Fighter 4: The Comeback featuring fighters who had already fought in the UFC but never had a title shot. After a close split decision win in the finale over Chris Lytle, Serra was guaranteed a title shot against reigning Welterweight king, Georges St. Pierre.
Most MMA purist hated the idea of guaranteeing a title shot to someone who didn’t deserve it. Serra didn’t have to beat a former champion or a widely recognized name to get his shot, he won a reality TV show. Not only was this considered to be unfair on the other fighters in the division but many felt it was unfair on Serra, who was in for the beating of his life.
Much like Dillashaw would be many years later, Serra was a huge underdog. Nobody gave him a chance against St. Pierre. However, unlike Dillashaw, this wasn’t a prelude of things to come. Serra would lose the rematch and go on to have an average career before retiring. St. Pierre, on the other hand, would never lose again and have one of the most decorated careers in UFC/MMA history. Perhaps the fact that it was a fluke and looking at how their careers progressed after that fight makes Serra’s win even more impressive.
