Unlikely Partnerships Outside the Octagon

MMA occupies a rather special niche in the world of sports, in which the unexpected is the only certainty and the outsiders are never far away from the main event. MMA fighters have different backgrounds; some of them are wrestlers, some are Brazilian Jiu-jitsu black belts, some are strikers, and some are street fighters. However, it is the game that is brutal, full of top-speed and no-nonsense, and then there are instances when the impossible happens and a team comes up trumps. These are the stories of heroes and villains, of hard work and luck, and these stories have written the history of MMA.

Over the years, there have been numerous occasions where a fighter, who was considered to be a huge outsider, pulled off a major upset. These upsets also won the hearts of the fans and made MMA a sport where no fight is finished until the last round. Here you will find some of the most stunning upsets in the history of MMA, the moments that defined the future of the sport.

Matt Serra vs. Georges St-Pierre, UFC 69 (2007)

One of the greatest underdog stories in the history of MMA can be considered a victory of Matt Serra over Georges St-Pierre at the UFC 69. Georges St-Pierre (GSP) was the current UFC welterweight champion and was considered by many as one of the best mixed martial arts fighters of his generation. Prior to the bout, GSP was the man to beat after dethroning another UFC superstar in the form of Matt Hughes for the title. Matt Serra, on the other hand, had deserved his title shot by winning the fourth season of ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ but was considered a massive underdog.

It was not a conventional path that Serra took to get to a title shot. Serra, a black belt in Brazilian jiu jitsu, was not really regarded as a powerful striker, even though he showed great skills on the ground. Everyone thought that GSP would outmuscle Serra using his athletic ability, wrestling, and all-around skill to dominate the fight. But what happened in the Octagon that night became one of the biggest upsets in the history of MMA.

During the first round, Serra managed to hit GSP with a number of punches, which made the champion out of focus. Seeing that he had the opportunity, Serra continued to pound his opponent through strikes that made the referee call it quit at 3:25 of the first round. MMA world was stunned. The guy who nobody expected to win, Matt Serra, had just knocked off one of the most legendary fighters of all time. This is still considered one of the biggest upsets in the history of MMA and just goes to show that anything can happen.

Holly Holm vs. Ronda Rousey, UFC 193 (2015)

This was the case in 2015, when Ronda Rousey was not only a UFC champion but also an icon in the UFC. The Olympic juduka had slashed through the bantamweight line-up, knocking out almost all of her rivals in the first round and thus becoming a mainstream icon. In the main event of the UFC 193, Rousey fought the former boxing champion Holly Holm, whom many believed had no chance against Rousey on the ground.

Rousey was a heavy favorite going into the bout, and almost everyone believed that she would make it 7-0 on her record and continue with the same modus operandi of submitting her opponent. But Holly Holm had other plans to make. Since the start of the round, Holm opted to use her superior standup to keep Rousey at a distance and score accurate punches while evading Rousey’s takedowns. Holm’s footwork and ability to control distance made Rousey uncomfortable and, at the same time, made her realize that she has been outclassed in every aspect of the fight.

In the second round, Holm made one of the biggest highlights in the history of the UFC. Holm defeated Rousey by TKO after landing a head kick that put the latter on the floor and then a series of punches. The MMA world was left stunned as Rousey, the unbeatable champion, was defeated in a way that no one expected. The fight of Holly Holm over Ronda Rousey is considered one of the biggest shocks in the history of UFC and the moment that marked the development of women’s MMA.

This fight: Forrest Griffin vs. Mauricio ”Shogun” Rua, UFC 76 (2007)

When Forrest Griffin was matched up against Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC 76, few people expected anything other than a rout. Shogun was considered one of the most dangerous fighters in the world at the time, having had a near perfect record in the PRIDE organization and having defeated fighters such as Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson, Ricardo Arona, and Alistair Overeem. His stand-up Muay Thai striking and powerful ground and pound easily favored him against Griffin, who was famous for winning the first season of the Ultimate Fighter series.

However, Griffin did not let Shogun’s lineage get the best of him, and he came into the fight with a very aggressive approach. In the first round, Griffin constantly attacked Rua with his kicks and takedowns and used good ground-and-pound. When the fight continued, Griffin’s cardio and heart were taking a toll on Shogun, who started to tire up in the later rounds.

In the last round of the fight, Griffin locked in a rear naked chokehold and made Shogun tap, thus resulting in one of the biggest upsets in the history of the UFC. Forrest Griffin’s win made him a future title contender and also made him one of the most popular fighters in the UFC. It was the high point of his career and the best example of the fact that anything can happen in the field.

Michael Bisping vs. Luke Rockhold, UFC 199 (2016)

Michael Bisping’s fighting career was long, and he was able to prove that he is a true warrior with a heart of steel. But by the time he was challenging Luke Rockhold for the UFC middleweight title at UFC 199, few thought that Bisping was going to leave the octagon as the champ. Bisping had agreed to fight on short notice of 17 days following the withdrawal of the fight due to an injury to the former champion, Chris Weidman. Rockhold, who had beaten Bisping before in 2014 by submission, was the favorite for the fight, and many expected a repeat of the same.

However, Bisping was coming into the fight with nothing to lose and everything to gain. In the first round, Bisping managed to land a clean left hook on Rockhold’s jaw, which had the champion stunned on the canvas. In an abrupt manner, smelling blood, Bisping increased the pressure on Rockhold with punches to defeat him and clinch the UFC middleweight title.

It was a dream come true for Bisping, who has been in the UFC for many years but has always been labeled as a contender but not a champion. Bisping’s victory over Rockhold is one of the most memorable moments in UFC history and a perfect example of the fact that nothing is impossible in the MMA.

T. J. Dillashaw vs. Renan Barao, UFC 173 (2014)

J. Dillashaw defeated Renan Barao at UFC 173, who was one of the best pound-for-pound fighters across the globe at that time. Barao was entering the fight with a record of nearly nine years without a single defeat; he was the UFC bantamweight champion and one of the toughest competitors in the division with his excellent striking and Brazilian jiu-jitsu skills. T. J. Dillashaw, on the other hand, was an average contender who was only given an opportunity to challenge for the belt when the original challenger pulled out late.

Before the fight, Dillashaw was an underdog, but the man had a perfect strategy in his hands, which was developed by his trainer, Duane Ludwig. Right from the start of the fight, Dillashaw was able to use footwork, speed, and accurate striking to overwhelm Barao and keep himself out of range of Barao’s big counterpunches. In the fifth round, Dillashaw was able to add the final touches to his masterpiece when he landed another head kick that at least stunned Barao and then followed up with punches that allowed him to get a TKO win.

The victory of Dillashaw over Barao is one of the biggest upsets in the history of bantamweight division and signified the start of a new period. Barao’s reign was cut short, and Dillashaw, the Cinderella man, had come through and put in a performance like no other.

6. Chris Weidman v. Anderson Silva, UFC 162 (2013)

Originally, for many years, Anderson Silva was considered the best fighter in the history of MMA. During his reign as the UFC middleweight champion, he displayed a level of striking that was second to none, coupled with sensational knockouts and an air of indestructibility. Before the event UFC 162, Silva had made his title defense 10 times, and he was considered invincible. Chris Weidman, a wrestler by the background and not so famous fighter, was considered by many as just another statistic in Silva’s career.

However, Weidman entered this fight with a lot of confidence, and the confidence proved to be valuable in what has been considered one of the biggest upsets in UFC history. In the second round, Silva, who is infamous for his flamboyancy and head movement, started provoking Weidman, putting his hands down in a challenge. Weidman, seizing the moment of Silva’s arrogance, hit him with a perfect left hook that put Silva down. Weidman continued using ground-and-pound, and that was the end of Anderson Silva’s dominance.

Weidman’s win stunned the world and was a reminder that anything can happen in MMA and no fighter is safe. It was for Weidman what can be considered one of the best upsets in the history of the sport.

Conclusion

MMA is not a sport that is based on certainty, and winning and losing can be a split-second decision. The stories of Matt Serra, Holly Holm, Forrest Griffin, Michael Bisping, T. J. Dillashaw, and Chris Weidman tell us that no fighter is ever counted out until the last round. These moments of shocking triumph not only enthralled the world but also changed the legacies of the fighters involved, demonstrating that with the heart, determination, and willingness to take the role of the underdog, one can achieve historic victories.

All these fighters came into the Octagon as underdogs, but all of them left as champions or carved their legacies in the MMA. The victories they achieved were shocking the world of the sport and changing the world as we know it. These upsets embody the essence of MMA, where the cunning and the timing are more important than the statistics, probabilities, or awards.