5 betting underdogs who won UFC championship fights in 2021

#4. Rose Namajunas (+170 underdog against Zhang Weili at UFC 261)

Rose Namajunas is no stranger to being the underdog going into a championship fight. The American took on a dominant champion in Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 217 in 2017. She knocked her Polish counterpart out in the first round.

Namajunas even defeated Jedrzejczyk in the rematch via decision, but subsequently lost the belt to Jessica Andrade. Famously, Namajunas struggled with the pressures of being a world champion.

Four years later, Chinese powerhouse Zhang Weili was the reigning UFC women’s strawweight champion. Rose Namajunas took on Weili in the co-main event of UFC 261 in Jacksonville, Florida, with many expecting the champion to steamroll the challenger and defend her belt.

However, what actually happened left the fans in attendance and those watching around the world in utter disbelief. Namajunas knocked Weili out with a sensational head-kick in the very first round to become a two-time UFC champion.

Watch Namajunas’ full post-fight interview with Joe Rogan below:

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#3. Brandon Moreno (+175 underdog against Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 263)

Brandon Moreno’s UFC career has been tumultuous to say the least.

The Mexican flyweight was a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter and suffered a loss in his first fight on the show. Considering how thin the UFC’s flyweight division was at the time, he signed a contract with the promotion despite coming up short on the reality series.

Moreno won three fights on the bounce, but lost two on the trot before being released by the UFC. He won the LFA flyweight championship and was subsequently re-signed by the world’s premier MMA organization.

Upon his return, ‘The Assassin Baby’ went on a four-fight unbeaten streak to earn a shot at the flyweight belt at UFC 256 in 2020.

At the time, the man holding the belt was considered among the best pound-for-pound fighters in the sport. Deiveson Figueiredo was quickly gaining a reputation for being a potential long-reigning champion at 125 lbs. Figueiredo’s well-rounded skills and terrifying aggression led many to believe that he would make light work of Brandon Moreno.

However, the bout turned out to be a razor-thin contest with the judges scoring the bout as a draw, allowing Figueiredo to retain his belt. Analysts and fans believed that Figueiredo wasn’t at his best on the night considering he had cut weight and fought just one month prior.

Nevertheless, the fact that Moreno survived 25 minutes with one of the best fighters in the world warranted a rematch, which was booked for UFC 263.

In most historic upsets, the final KO/TKO or submission tends to come out of nowhere. Much to the surprise of the entire MMA community, Moreno absolutely demolished Figueiredo in the rematch. The Mexican dominated every second of the bout before submitting the Brazilian in the third round to become the new UFC flyweight champion.

Watch Brandon Moreno’s full post-fight interview with Joe Rogan below: