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Some UFC fighters are favored over others. After all, why not predict an undefeated knockout artist to flatten an opponent with a losing record and questionable durability? However, because it is a sport, MMA is subject to numerous variables that can change the outcome of a bout.
Sometimes, certain fighters step inside the octagon with serious injuries that hamper their performances. For example, T.J. Dillashaw's preexisting shoulder injury left him seriously compromised during his title bout against Aljamain Sterling at UFC 280.
Regardless of the cause, fights are not always easy to predict. On occasion, fighters who are favored over others for stylistic reasons suffer unexpected losses due to their opponents adjusting mid-fight. They aren't always upsets per se, but they can be. Five such situations are detailed in this list.
#5. Stipe Miocic vs. Daniel Cormier, UFC 241
Stipe Miocic is now widely recognized as the greatest heavyweight in UFC history. However, that recognition was not easy to come by. For most of his career, the Ohio native was dismissed by many observers despite his impressive record. When compared to Daniel Cormier, this was especially clear.
'DC' is a former Olympian who looked nothing short of unstoppable for most of his MMA career. Furthermore, he spent the second half of his career in a more talent-rich division than the heavyweight division over which Stipe Miocic ruled. Other than his bouts against Jon Jones, 'DC' was spotless.
Thus, many expected him to defeat Miocic when they first crossed swords. Cormier proved many fans right by KO'ing his foe in the first round. By the time their rematch was announced, the result was a foregon conclusion in most people's minds. The Ohio native famously struggled against 'DC's' speed.
Why would it be different in their second bout? To the expectations of many, it wasn't different during the first few rounds. However, in the fourth round, Miocic capitalized on his foe's means of managing distance. By the standards of most heavyweights, Cormier is short.
To undercut his own reach disadvantage, he often extends both arms as he marches forward. Doing so enables him to trap his opponent's jabbing hand and throw a looping punch over the top. Unfortunately, with his arms extended forward, his midsection was left exposed.
Miocic made the necessary tactical adjustments and targeted his foe's unguarded gut with body blows until 'DC' could take no more. The Olympic wrestler dropped his arms and his head was open to shots, leading to a TKO loss against the fence.
#4. Julianna Peña vs. Amanda Nunes, UFC 269
No one but Julianna Peña herself expected her to defeat Amanda Nunes in their first outing. By then, Amanda Nunes had all but solidified her legacy as the greatest women's fighter in MMA history. UFC legends made up her list of victims, including all-time greats like Ronda Rousey and Cris Cyborg.
At bantamweight, she was as complete a fighter as any. No one could outwrestle her, and the strength of her Brazilian jiu-jitsu skills meant she was very difficult to submit. However, her game-changing traits were her knockout power and length. Elite punching power is extremely rare.
It's even rarer at women's bantamweight. Thus, many fighters who faced 'The Lioness' never experienced anything close to that level of power. It froze and shattered them. However, Julianna Peña showed no concern. Her first round against the Brazilian great was not perfect.
She was stunned by her foe's knockout power, but came to understand that her power came from leverage. Informed by her experience in the first round, 'The Venezuelan Vixen' applied immediate pressure. By doing so, she deprived Nunes of the space needed to throw her jab-right cross combinations with leverage.
With no leverage, Nunes' power was undercut. Furthermore, by constantly coming forward, Peña forced her foe to retreat constantly to try and reestablish space. Backstepping is exhausting, and that's partly why Nunes gassed out. Additionally, Peña also jabbed with her opponent to interrupt her combinations.
It eventually led to 'The Lioness' fighting in an uncharacteristic manner and tapping out to a rear-naked choke with no hooks, awarding her foe her UFC title.
#3. Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor, UFC 257
Back in 2014, Dustin Poirier faced Conor McGregor in the featherweight division. What resulted was a humiliating loss after considerable trash talk from the Irishman. At the time, 'The Diamond' was a different kind of fighter. All he possessed was a shifting combination and natural punching power.
From a defensive striking standpoint, Poirier was severely limited. He merely covered up and waited for his opponent to stop throwing so that he could then return fire. At UFC 178, the future interim lightweight champion covered up with a high guard to block McGregor's straight left.
The Irishman immediately recognized what his foe was doing and simply threw a punch around Poirier's guard and clipped him behind the ear. Before he knew it, 'The Diamond' was on the wrong end of a TKO. It was a one-sided loss, so when the two clashed years later at UFC 257, most people expected a McGregor win.
However, the Louisianan star showcased technical improvements that his opponent was not prepared to deal with. Poirier first evolved his defensive striking. He adopted the Philly Shell, enabling him to move his head off the center-line while his foe's punches bounced off his elbows, shoulders and top of the head.
Furthermore, 'The Diamond' returned fire with counterpunches while rolling with punches. He also developed a shark check hook to make the Irishman pay for leaning his upper body too far forward every time he tried to land his straight left. Additionally, he mixed in his shifting combinations with level changes.
This enabled him to land a takedown when he teased a shift to draw out his foe's straight left only to duck under his punch and secure a takedown. All of this combined with his calf kicks caused the Irishman to implode in the second round. Poirier TKO'd him to capture a win that no one expected him to.
#2. Leon Edwards vs. Kamaru Usman, UFC 278
For most of his career, Leon Edwards was not someone that most people thought of when they pictured a future champion. While many observers recognized him as a highly skilled and successful fighter, most fans felt that his chances of capturing UFC gold at welterweight were low.
The division is dominated by wrestlers like Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington, against whom 'Rocky' seems to struggle. This was the prevailing thought, especially since his last loss was to 'The Nigerian Nightmare'. By the time of their rematch, the Jamaican-English fighter was unbeaten in 10 UFC fights.
Other than the first round, he struggled against his Nigerian foe. He was thoroughly outwrestled and was forced to fight at a pace that was far too high for him. By the fifth round, he was down on the scorecards and a minute away from suffering a unanimous decision loss.
However, ever since Usman became a more competent striker, he has developed a habit of constantly slipping on the outside of straights. With one minute left, Edwards teased a straight left, tricking his foe into slipping his head on the outside of the blow.
Instead, Usman slipped his head right into the path of a thunderous high kick that knocked him out cold. It was a massive upset due to the strength of Usman's previous win streak and his performance throughout the bout.
#1. Aljamain Sterling vs. Petr Yan, UFC 273
When Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan first fought, 'Funk Master' was largely outclassed. He was repeatedly taken down and outstruck, even suffering a knockdown against 'No Mercy'. Were it not for an illegal knee that disqualified the Russian striker, Yan would have won the bout.
Instead, Sterling captured the title via disqualification, marking the first time a champion was crowned in such a manner. During their first fight, 'Funk Master' fought at a pace that was much higher than his cardio's was able to manage. He threw a high volume of kicks that quickly exhausted him.
Countless fans around the world predicted that a rematch would involve Yan dominating his foe. Memes were made which described Sterling as an actor for supposedly faking the severity of the illegal knee his foe had landed. Additionally, accusations of ducking became abundant after he elected to have surgery first.
However, once the two men entered the octagon for the second time, the results were interesting. 'Funk Master' lowered his volume of strikes and identified a vulnerability in the Russian's seemingly airtight takedown defense. As a bodylock specialist, Sterling often hooked his hands around his foe's waist.
To combat this, 'No Mercy' often turned his back to unhook his opponent's hands from his waist. Unfortunately, exposing his back to a grappler of Sterling's caliber allowed him to quickly secure body triangles after tripping or dragging Yan to the mat.
The former UFC champion was nearly helpless against his opponent's grappling. His only saving grace was his ability to avoid being submitted. Nevertheless, he lost the bout via split-decision to a foe many thought he'd easily run over.
