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The UFC’s champions are undoubtedly the best fighters on the planet in their respective weight classes, and so it stands to reason that they often surprise the fans when they’re in action.
Over the years we’ve seen numerous UFC champions unleash a surprising gameplan on their opponents to defeat them, often showing off skills that nobody really knew they had.
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Will we see Israel Adesanya, for instance, unleash his inner wrestler to defeat Robert Whittaker in their middleweight title rematch next weekend? It’d be surprising, but to be honest, we’ve seen stranger things happen in the octagon.
With that in mind, here are five times that a UFC champion used a surprising gameplan to beat their opponent.
#5. Georges St-Pierre vs. Matt Hughes – UFC 79
While he became largely renowned for his wrestling game during his later years, former UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre was actually a fighting chameleon of sorts.
The Canadian developed his skills in each area so well that he was essentially able to dominate his opponents in all facets of the game, meaning that he would often surprise the fans with some of his gameplans.
One example of St-Pierre being able to shift his style in order to surprise an opponent came in his third meeting with legendary former welterweight kingpin Matt Hughes at UFC 79, with the interim welterweight title on the line.
St-Pierre had only taken the bout on late notice following the withdrawal of Matt Serra, but he was still heavily favored given he’d wiped the floor with Hughes just over a year prior.
That fight saw 'Rush' stuff Hughes’ takedown attempts and pick him apart standing, leading to a second round head kick knockout, and many fans expected him to repeat the same gameplan in this clash.
For his part, Hughes evidently expected this too – and switched his stance to southpaw, reportedly in order to make it easier for him to lunge in for takedowns.
However, St-Pierre decided to nullify that by switching his plan entirely. Instead of striking with Hughes, he decided to wrestle with him – and took him down in the opening moments of the fight.
Hughes – who had rarely been taken down due to his powerful wrestling – looked like a fish out of water on his back, and from there, St-Pierre was able to dominate him en route to a second round submission win via armbar.
The victory not only gave St-Pierre the overall win in his trilogy with Hughes, but the fact that he’d beaten him on the ground after destroying him standing left no doubt as to who the division’s new king was.
#4. Kamaru Usman vs. Jorge Masvidal – UFC 261
When Kamaru Usman first defended his UFC welterweight title against Jorge Masvidal in 2020, it quickly became clear that the easiest path to victory for him was to use his powerful wrestling game.
Clearly wary of the vaunted striking and knockout power of ‘Gamebred’, Usman struggled for traction in the first round of their meeting and only found success when he began to wear Masvidal out by clinching with him and eventually taking him down.
When the two men were signed in a rematch at UFC 261 last year, the feeling was that Usman would simply need to repeat the same gameplan in order to pick up another victory. It wouldn’t be very entertaining, but it definitely felt like the path of least resistance.
However, with another year’s experience and training under his belt, Usman clearly felt more comfortable standing in the rematch. Rather than spam the clinch as he’d done in their first bout, he seemed happy to stand and strike with Masvidal.
It seemed like a risky choice – but it quickly became clear that ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ was in fact the sharper striker. In the second round, he proved it once and for all by leveling Masvidal with a brutal right hand that knocked him senseless.
We’d seen Usman use his striking to win title bouts before – most notably against Colby Covington and Gilbert Burns – but never against a dangerous kickboxer like ‘Gamebred’, meaning that to see a finish like this was a major shocker.
#3. Fabricio Werdum vs. Cain Velasquez – UFC 188
When Fabricio Werdum faced off with UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez in the summer of 2015, it seemed almost like an impossible task for him.
Sure, Werdum had one of the most vaunted grappling games in the history of the division. However, he was up against arguably the most well-rounded fighter in the division – a man who could wrestle phenomenally, bully opponents in the clinch and knock them out with brutal strikes, too.
It felt like Werdum’s only path to victory would be to somehow get Velasquez to the ground to submit him – and while he eventually did that, it didn’t come in the way anyone expected.
Werdum instead surprised everyone by largely preferring to clinch with Velasquez. This was usually the champion’s sweet spot, as Velasquez tended to mash his foes into the fence and bully them with short punches.
In this fight, however, he found himself shockingly outgunned by Werdum’s Muay Thai work. The Brazilian continually hit him with knees and sharp elbows, even overpowering him.
Velasquez tried to fight back, but eventually, it was clear that Werdum’s gameplan was sapping his vaunted cardio. In the third round, he made the error of sloppily shooting for a takedown, and dived directly into a guillotine choke that forced him to tap out.
The fight was a major lesson for Werdum’s doubters, as he proved that not only was he an ace Brazilian jiu-jitsu grappler, but he had the skills in all areas to take out the very best in the game.
#2. Francis Ngannou vs. Ciryl Gane – UFC 270
The recent heavyweight title bout between champion Francis Ngannou and interim titleholder Ciryl Gane was as big a bout as the UFC had seen in some time. Furthermore, there was no doubt that the winner would be considered the greatest big man on the planet.
With both men coming from a striking background, it felt like the fight would come down to one simple question: would it be Ngannou’s brutal punching power that would win the day, or would Gane’s more technical, patient approach take him to victory?
It seemed highly doubtful that either man would want to take the clash to the ground. Also many observers felt like if it did go to the mat, Gane – who had three submission wins on his ledger – would have an advantage.
However, after struggling with the accuracy and timing of ‘Bon Gamin’ in the opening couple of rounds, Ngannou decided to change things up entirely.
Showing a hugely improved wrestling game, ‘The Predator’ began to close the distance to grab hold of Gane – and quickly overpowered him, throwing him to the ground like a ragdoll at times.
Gane had little answer for the takedowns. While Ngannou’s ground-and-pound didn’t do all that much damage, it quickly became clear that ‘The Predator’ was winning the fight.
In the end, Ngannou’s newly-developed wrestling game took him to a stunning unanimous decision win – and going forward, he’ll undoubtedly be seen as a far more dangerous fighter than he was before.
#1. Georges St-Pierre vs. B.J. Penn – UFC 94
As was mentioned previously, Georges St-Pierre was always a master of being able to switch up his styles inside the octagon, a fighting chameleon of sorts who could tailor a gameplan to defeating a specific opponent.
The best example of this was undoubtedly his second UFC welterweight title defense against his old rival B.J. Penn in January 2009.
'Rush' had fought Penn in early 2006 prior to first winning the title, and to say he struggled against the Hawaiian would be an understatement. Using his sharper boxing, Penn jabbed St-Pierre up throughout the early going of the fight and only succumbed to the Canadian’s takedowns when he gassed out.
It stood to reason, then, that St-Pierre’s best path to victory would be to outwrestle Penn from the start. However, given the Hawaiian’s striking and takedown defense, it wouldn’t be easy.
St-Pierre, however, had an ace up his sleeve in the form of a unique gameplan. Throughout the first round, and in the early part of the second, he largely refused to strike with Penn, instead looking to clinch ‘The Prodigy’ and force him into the fence.
It felt like an almost cowardly gameplan at first, but midway through the second round, St-Pierre switched things up again and suddenly, began to take Penn down with ease. From there, it was all downhill for the Hawaiian, as 'Rush' simply pounded him into submission – forcing him to quit on his stool after the fourth round.
It was only in the post-fight interviews that St-Pierre revealed his cerebral plan. He’d decided to clinch with Penn in order to force blood to pool into his shoulders, essentially gassing his arms out and leaving him far more vulnerable to the takedown.
To say this was a smart – and surprising – gameplan from the Canadian was an understatement. However, it led him directly to one of the best victories of his career, and still stands as a testament to his greatness more than a decade on.
