'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
UFC and combat sports fans in general are a fickle breed. Almost unilaterally, the phenomenon of recency-bias tends to override our opinions on fights and fighters. Variables like betting odds and media-constructed narratives often have a strong influence on our picks.
The beauty of MMA, more so than other sports, is that underdogs often emerge victorious. 2021 alone provided many unbelievable moments that left the oddsmakers and fans shellshocked.
Rose Namajunas' win over Zhang Weili at UFC 261 and Brandon Moreno's win over Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 263 are perfect examples of this. Both fighters' ability to win the belt was heavily questioned by the fans. Nevertheless, they managed to prove their doubters wrong, upsetting the odds in emphatic fashion.
That said, here are five fighters who silenced their critics in style.
#5. Former UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo
Jose Aldo, arguably the greatest featherweight of all time, opted to move down to bantamweight following three consecutive losses at 145 lbs. The former champion took on Marlon Moraes in his first bout at 135 lbs and came away on the wrong end of a split decision. Many believed he deserved to win the fight.
Following the retirement of former bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo, a vacant title was put on the line. Aldo took on Petr Yan for the vacant title at UFC 251, losing via TKO to the surging Russian. The Brazilian then managed to turn things around with back-to-back wins over Marlon Vera and Pedro Munhoz.
Former lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov subsequently downplayed Aldo’s success at 135 lbs. When asked about the Brazilian legend's triumphs at bantamweight, Numagomedov told reporters at a press conference in Russia:
“A guy wins one fight and everyone starts talking... Let him fight Petr [Yan] the same way, then we can say he’s peaking again. You saw what he did [against Yan], he closed up and waited for the ref to stop the fight. That shows that you’re not at your peak. If you’re getting hit and you’re conscious and you’re not defending yourself, I call those fighters businessmen. They come out to make money.”
Watch Khabib Nurmagomedov give his take on Jose Aldo's bantamweight run below:
Speaking on MMA Fighting’s Portuguese-language podcast Trocação Franca, Aldo responded to Nurmagomedov’s criticism. He openly wondered whether the Russian has “too much time” on his hands now that he’s retired from MMA.
The former WEC champion said:
“He’s saying you can’t peak again, but we just saw an example with Glover [Teixeira], who got there, lost, and got there again at age 42 and won [the UFC title], completely dominated the champion, took him down and submitted him.”
He added:
"Sometimes Khabib talks too much. He’s not doing much these days, he’s retired, so he’s looking for [attention] that way.”
In his next bout, Jose Aldo took on top-ranked Rob Font. Font was the heavy favorite going into the bout and the consensus opinion was that Aldo would struggle in the fourth and fifth rounds of the fight, like he did against Petr Yan.
However, the Brazilian dominated Font over five rounds, putting himself back in contention for the bantamweight title. He won via unanimous decision.
What 'The King of Rio' is doing is rather unprecedented. Aldo has never been outside the top five during a decade-long UFC career, across two weight classes. Have a look around the sport and try to find another example of someone doing what the Brazilian is doing right now. You won't find one.
#4. UFC featherweight Calvin Kattar
Calvin Kattar took on Max Holloway in the first UFC event of 2021. Holloway put on a masterful display of striking against Kattar, cruising to a comfortable unanimous decision victory. The judges scored the lopsided contest 50-43, 50-43 and 50-42 in favor of ‘Blessed’.
The Hawaiian broke multiple striking records in the bout. He landed 447 strikes out of 746 attempts on Kattar for a 60% accuracy rate. The volume striking proved to be too much for Kattar, who could hardly mount any offense in the fight.
Holloway even started showboating in the final few rounds, landing no-look punches and shouting at the cageside commentary team.
Many believed that Calvin Kattar would never be the same again. One-sided beatdowns like the one he endured against Holloway tend to leave a lasting impression on a fighter. The likes of Cody Garbrandt, Donald Cerrone, Tony Ferguson and Dominick Reyes have struggled to return to winning ways after taking a lot of damage in previous bouts.
Kattar smartly opted to take a year-long layoff following the bout. He returned to the octagon in January 2022 to take on rising featherweight Giga Chikadze at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Chikadze was riding a seven-fight win streak and was fresh off a sensational TKO victory over Edson Barboza.
The general consensus was that this was an extremely unfavorable matchup for Kattar.
As such, he was listed on multiple betting sites as the underdog. Nevertheless, he silenced his doubters with a spectacular domination of Chikadze. The 33-year-old somewhat surprisingly outstruck his Georgian counterpart, who's an experienced kickboxer and excellent striker.
The judges scored the contest 50-44, 50-45 and 50-45 in favor of the Bostonian, who earned an impressive victory in what was arguably his strongest performance yet.
#3. UFC women's bantamweight champion Julianna Pena
Julianna Pena was just another fighter in the women’s bantamweight division before UFC 269. She won The Ultimate Fighter in 2013 and compiled a 6-2 run before finally getting a crack at UFC bantamweight gold.
Her only UFC losses came against current flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko and former featherweight champion Germaine de Randamie.
Pena took on the GOAT of women’s MMA, Amanda Nunes, at UFC 269. Most were of the opinion that Nunes would make light work of Pena and the betting odds reflected the same. Nunes was a -1100 favorite going into the bout.
Julianna Pena took the fight to ‘The Lioness’ unlike anyone had done previously, repeatedly catching the long-reigning champion with her jab. In the second round, Nunes looked noticeably fatigued. Sensing her opportunity, Pena dragged the Brazilian to the ground and locked in a rear-naked choke to complete one of the biggest upsets in combat sports history.
Pena's win over Nunes left MMA fans around the world in shock. What made the victory even sweeter was the fact that she had predicted how the bout would play out and executed her game plan perfectly. Speaking to Joe Rogan in her post-fight interview, 'The Venezuelan Vixen' said:
"I told you! Don't ever doubt me again! Willpower, strength and determination! It will take you places."
Watch Julianna Pena’s post-fight interview with Joe Rogan below:
#2. UFC light heavyweight champion Glover Teixeira
Glover Teixeira joined the UFC nine years ago at the age of 31. Teixeira was a dominant force in the Brazilian regional MMA scene and was famously unable to compete in the United States due to visa issues.
Many believed the Brazilian joined the world's premier MMA organization a little too late in his career. However, he proved his doubters wrong and went on a five-fight winning streak after joining the promotion, earning himself a title shot against Jon Jones. He lost to Jones via unanimous decision at UFC 172.
His next nine bouts would see him go 5-4 in the light heavyweight division and the consensus opinion was that he was past his prime.
Much to the surprise of the entire MMA community, Teixeira has enjoyed an unbelievable career resurgence since turning 40 in 2019. Once again, he went on a five-fight winning streak to secure another shot at the title. He was booked to take on light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz in the main event of UFC 267.
Glover Teixeira produced one of the most inspiring performances in MMA history. He dominated Jan Blachowicz in the first round and locked in a rear-naked choke in the second to win the belt.
Despite being the underdog, the 42-year-old Brazilian emerged victorious and produced one of the most memorable feel-good moments of the year.
Watch Glover Teixeira’s post-fight interview with Daniel Cormier below:
#1. UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira
Charles Oliveira joined the UFC in 2010. The Brazilian endured a turbulent run in the promotion which culminated in spectacular fashion at UFC 262 last year.
Oliveira took on Michael Chandler for the vacant lightweight championship following the retirement of Khabib Nurmagomedov. Throughout the course of his career, ‘Do Bronx’ was accused of giving up in fights and not showing the heart of a champion. This notion was put to the test against Chandler as the American hurt Oliveira on numerous occasions in the first round of their bout.
However, the 32-year-old mounted an admirable comeback in the second round, knocking out his American counterpart 20 seconds into the round to win the belt.
It was his next bout, however, that truly changed the public perception of the Brazilian.
Oliveira took on Dustin Poirier in his first title defense at UFC 269. The Brazilian was the betting underdog going into the bout as many believed he would struggle against the power and pressure of 'The Diamond'. Additionally, Poirier was widely considered the uncrowned champ going into the fight, despite Oliveira holding the belt.
Lightweight contender Justin Gaethje, in the lead-up to the fight between Oliveira and Poirier, called the Brazilian "a quitter" and downplayed his chances of winning against 'The Diamond'.
However, Oliveira made a resounding statement with a stunning victory over Poirier. Adding to his record for most submission wins and finishes in promotional history, 'Do Bronx' locked in a rear-naked choke in the third round of the bout.
Poirier was forced to tap and Oliveira secured his first title defense.
2021 saw Charles Oliveira go from being a top contender in the toughest division to becoming an undisputed world champion. Moreover, there were a lot of lingering doubts surrounding the Brazilian's willingness to fight through adversity. He silenced his critics in style, producing two come-from-behind victories against top contenders in the 155 lbs division.
