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With fedor losing,I think this is a good time to hear what people think are the biggest upsets in MMA.
I'm sure there are others not on here and the order might not be spot on but I think these were all really major upsets of there times.
#10 - Joe Lauzon KO’s Jens Pulver
UFC 63 was supposed to be the welcome back party for the UFC’s first lightweight champion, the heavy handed Jens Pulver. Nobody told Joe Lauzon though,Lauzon turned Jens’ return party into a 48 second nightmare for Jens. A big shot to the chin and that was that.
Since the stunning loss to the,then unknown Lauzon, Jens has dropped six more fights. Pulver has gone 3-7 in his last ten, and most fans have called for the legends retirement. Pulver.He’s scheduled to return to competition this August.
#9 - Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou KO’s Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
Sokoudjou entered the Pride Fighting Championships an unknown with a 2-1 professional record.While Lil Nog was already a star in Japan with big victories over Guy Mezger, Kazushi Sakuraba, Alistair Overeem and Dan Henderson. It’s pretty clear who the favorite was heading into the bout, the only question remaining was ’why feed this new Predator look-a-like to the wolves in his Pride debut?.
It took a mere 23 seconds for “The African Assassin” to finish lil Nog. Two low kicks, two high kicks and a left hook later and Nogueira was asleep. Remarkably Sokoudjou would do it again in his next Pride fight against another pride hero,Ricardo Arona in less than two minutes. Sadly for him,Since the Arona fight Soko has amassed a losing record of 4-5.
#8 - Kazuyuki Fujita Decisions Mark Kerr
If Royce Gracie owned the MMA the mid 1990’s, the latter portion of the decade clearly belonged to “The Smashing Machine” Mark Kerr. A wrestler with ground and pound that would make Mark Coleman proud, Kerr mauled his first dozen opponents. Explosive everywhere the fight took place, Kerr looked to be unstoppable, and cries for a clash with legendary Rickson Gracie echoed overseas.
Enter relative rookie and former pro wrestler Kazuyuki Fujita in The Pride 2000 Grand Prix, a tournament in which many critics had predicted Kerr would dominate. If Royce Gracie owned the MMA landscape during the mid 1990’s, the latter portion of the decade clearly belonged to “The Smashing Machine” Mark Kerr. A ferocious wrestler with ground and pound that would make Mark Coleman proud, Kerr mauled his first dozen opponents. Explosive everywhere the fight took place, Kerr looked to be unstoppable, and cries for a clash with legendary Rickson Gracie echoed overseas.
Enter relative rookie and former pro wrestler Kazuyuki Fujita. The setting? The Pride 2000 Grand Prix, a tournament in which many critics had predicted Kerr would dominate.
After absorbing a ton of strikes from the Kerr, Fujita turned the tables on a tired Smashing Machine. The battered Fujita took the knackered Kerr’s back and for 10 minutes proceeded to pound on his head.
Sadly,this was the downfall of Mark Kerr, who never again looked quite the same.
#7 - Forrest Griffin Submits Mauricio “Shogun” Rua
Top five ranked light heavyweight Mauricio “Shogun” Rua made his UFC debut back at UFC 76. After going on an astonishing tear in Pride FC (which included victories over Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Ricardo Arona, Alistair Overeem and Kevin Randleman) Shogun ran into a run of injuries. An freak arm injury against Coleman plus knee issues definitely began to hinder Shogun’s training.
Shogun was a still a clear favorite to defeat Forrest, but the momentum Rua once brought to competition had slowed, and Forrest was considered a game opponent who could pose a genuine threat should Shogun make any mistakes. Rua made the worst mistake possible,he showed up ill prepared for elite competition,and after 3 rds of losing the exchanges,Shogun ended up flattened out with Forrest's arm wrapped tightly around his neck. With 15 seconds left on the clock Rua dropped his UFC debut as he willingly submitted to the choke.
#6 - BJ Penn Submits Matt Hughes
Matt Hughes had been busy ruling the welterweight division for a good three years straight. He’d already mowed down quality opposition in Carlos Newton, Hayato Sakurai, Sean Sherk and Frank Trigg, and there were no clear indicators that anyone at 170 pounds could offer much of a challenge, let alone defeat the dominant champion.
All that changed when highly touted lightweight B.J. “The Prodigy” Penn signed the dotted line, agreeing to a chance to go against the champ in his first fight back after his year long hiatus. At the end of the 1st,Penn landed a big overhand to an already downed Matt Hughes. Penn recognized how badly he’d hurt Hughes and moved in for the kill. Seconds later Penn sunk a tight rear naked choke, and Matt Hughes had to tap or be rendered unconscious.
#5 - Kazushi Sakuraba TKO’s Royce Gracie
While some may argue that this match wasn’t all that much of an “upset”, the truth of the matter is, masses were beginning to recognize Royce Gracie as a frail assassin who could remove the limb of any man to cross his path. Sakuraba, despite holding big victories over Vernon White, Guy Mezger and Royler Gracie, remained an unknown commodity to North America. But all that changed after 90 grueling minutes of battle.
A great deal of the match could be labeled one massive stalemate, but Sakuraba put in more work, inflicted more damage and ultimately forced the seasoned Gracie to wilt under the pressure. While Royce would not be caught tapping the mat under any circumstance, his corner found the mercy in their hearts to save Royce from absorbing any further punishment. After 6 brutal rounds the towel was finally thrown, and Sakuraba had put the stamp on his nifty new nickname “The Gracie Hunter”.
#4 - Pete Williams KO’s Mark Coleman
Back in the pre-Zuffa days of the UFC, Mark Coleman was known as a juggernaut with nearly unstoppable wrestling, the nastiest ground-and-pound in the sport and a dominant champ. Pete Williams in contrast was a virtual unknown. Though a 7-1 record heading into the match, not many viewers gave the lanky Lion’s Den product a chance against the aggression of Coleman.
After a solid 12 minutes of battle Mark Coleman had fatigued terribly, and no longer looked the monster who tore through opponents like Don Frye, Dan Severn and Gary Goodridge. Pete Williams on the other hand still looked fresh. Back against the cage, hands down, mouth gaping open, Coleman never saw the high kick to the face coming.
#3 - Gabriel Gonzaga KO’s Mirko “Crocop” Filipovic
In early 2007 “Cro-cop” was considered the most dangerous striker in the heavyweight division,earning stunning victories over Aleksander Emelianenko, Josh Barnett, Mark Coleman and Wanderlei Silva,to name a few, on his way to claiming the title of 2006 Pride Open Weight Grand Prix Champion. The man had spent little more than half a decade competing at the top end of MMA.
All those wondrous feats seemed to fade from memory the exact second Gabriel “Napao” Gonzaga’s right high kick connected with the unblocked head of the favored Croation. It was lights out immediately as Cro-cop crashed to the canvas, legs twisted precariously. It was a moment that marked the decline of Crocop’s career, and the peak of Gonzaga’s. It also lives on in countless highlight reels, and remains one of the most shocking upsets of all time.
#2 - Fabricio Werdum Submits Fedor Emelianenko
Fedor landed, an off balance Werdum went down, our favorite Russian lunged in for the kill, and before we knew it Fedor was trapped in a tight triangle armbar. In just 69 seconds an idol (and consensus pound-for-pound king) was face to face with the same fate he’d forced upon every man to ever challenge him.
Whether fan or detractor, it was an oddly bittersweet moment. For a full decade a great many men have challenged Fedor within the cage (and ring), and for a decade those men have failed in their attempts at victory (forgetting the Kosaka loss), a great many in miserable fashion.
Saturday, June 26th, 2010 Superman slipped, and ultimately fell. As a result, the world tilted, the power dimmed, and Fabricio Werdum ensured the bout will be among the top upsets in MMA history books for years to come.
#1 - Matt Serra TKO’s George St. Pierre
Nobody gave the unranked at the time Matt Serra a shot in the hell at beating the UFC welterweight champion Georges “Rush” St. Pierre back at UFC 69. Serra didn’t let that detract him, he entered the octagon looking calm, and confident,Three and a half minutes, and a load of unanswered punches later and Matt “The Terror” Serra had managed the unmanageable, he destroyed the pound-for-pound contender and heavily favored GSP. Most amazing was not Serra’s victory itself, so much as the fashion in which he easily trounced St. Pierre.
GSP and Serra met once more inside the octagon almost exactly one year later at UFC 83. The second fight however, wasn’t quite as good to Serra as the previous match. St. Pierre took his title back via complete domination from opening bell to the final moments of round two, at which point the fight was mercifully waved off as St. Pierre landed vicious knees to the body of Serra.
This is based on a thread I saw on another board.
What do you lot think? What order do you think they should be classed and is there any fights that I have missed?
I'm sure there are others not on here and the order might not be spot on but I think these were all really major upsets of there times.
#10 - Joe Lauzon KO’s Jens Pulver
UFC 63 was supposed to be the welcome back party for the UFC’s first lightweight champion, the heavy handed Jens Pulver. Nobody told Joe Lauzon though,Lauzon turned Jens’ return party into a 48 second nightmare for Jens. A big shot to the chin and that was that.
Since the stunning loss to the,then unknown Lauzon, Jens has dropped six more fights. Pulver has gone 3-7 in his last ten, and most fans have called for the legends retirement. Pulver.He’s scheduled to return to competition this August.
#9 - Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou KO’s Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
Sokoudjou entered the Pride Fighting Championships an unknown with a 2-1 professional record.While Lil Nog was already a star in Japan with big victories over Guy Mezger, Kazushi Sakuraba, Alistair Overeem and Dan Henderson. It’s pretty clear who the favorite was heading into the bout, the only question remaining was ’why feed this new Predator look-a-like to the wolves in his Pride debut?.
It took a mere 23 seconds for “The African Assassin” to finish lil Nog. Two low kicks, two high kicks and a left hook later and Nogueira was asleep. Remarkably Sokoudjou would do it again in his next Pride fight against another pride hero,Ricardo Arona in less than two minutes. Sadly for him,Since the Arona fight Soko has amassed a losing record of 4-5.
#8 - Kazuyuki Fujita Decisions Mark Kerr
If Royce Gracie owned the MMA the mid 1990’s, the latter portion of the decade clearly belonged to “The Smashing Machine” Mark Kerr. A wrestler with ground and pound that would make Mark Coleman proud, Kerr mauled his first dozen opponents. Explosive everywhere the fight took place, Kerr looked to be unstoppable, and cries for a clash with legendary Rickson Gracie echoed overseas.
Enter relative rookie and former pro wrestler Kazuyuki Fujita in The Pride 2000 Grand Prix, a tournament in which many critics had predicted Kerr would dominate. If Royce Gracie owned the MMA landscape during the mid 1990’s, the latter portion of the decade clearly belonged to “The Smashing Machine” Mark Kerr. A ferocious wrestler with ground and pound that would make Mark Coleman proud, Kerr mauled his first dozen opponents. Explosive everywhere the fight took place, Kerr looked to be unstoppable, and cries for a clash with legendary Rickson Gracie echoed overseas.
Enter relative rookie and former pro wrestler Kazuyuki Fujita. The setting? The Pride 2000 Grand Prix, a tournament in which many critics had predicted Kerr would dominate.
After absorbing a ton of strikes from the Kerr, Fujita turned the tables on a tired Smashing Machine. The battered Fujita took the knackered Kerr’s back and for 10 minutes proceeded to pound on his head.
Sadly,this was the downfall of Mark Kerr, who never again looked quite the same.
#7 - Forrest Griffin Submits Mauricio “Shogun” Rua
Top five ranked light heavyweight Mauricio “Shogun” Rua made his UFC debut back at UFC 76. After going on an astonishing tear in Pride FC (which included victories over Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Ricardo Arona, Alistair Overeem and Kevin Randleman) Shogun ran into a run of injuries. An freak arm injury against Coleman plus knee issues definitely began to hinder Shogun’s training.
Shogun was a still a clear favorite to defeat Forrest, but the momentum Rua once brought to competition had slowed, and Forrest was considered a game opponent who could pose a genuine threat should Shogun make any mistakes. Rua made the worst mistake possible,he showed up ill prepared for elite competition,and after 3 rds of losing the exchanges,Shogun ended up flattened out with Forrest's arm wrapped tightly around his neck. With 15 seconds left on the clock Rua dropped his UFC debut as he willingly submitted to the choke.
#6 - BJ Penn Submits Matt Hughes
Matt Hughes had been busy ruling the welterweight division for a good three years straight. He’d already mowed down quality opposition in Carlos Newton, Hayato Sakurai, Sean Sherk and Frank Trigg, and there were no clear indicators that anyone at 170 pounds could offer much of a challenge, let alone defeat the dominant champion.
All that changed when highly touted lightweight B.J. “The Prodigy” Penn signed the dotted line, agreeing to a chance to go against the champ in his first fight back after his year long hiatus. At the end of the 1st,Penn landed a big overhand to an already downed Matt Hughes. Penn recognized how badly he’d hurt Hughes and moved in for the kill. Seconds later Penn sunk a tight rear naked choke, and Matt Hughes had to tap or be rendered unconscious.
#5 - Kazushi Sakuraba TKO’s Royce Gracie
While some may argue that this match wasn’t all that much of an “upset”, the truth of the matter is, masses were beginning to recognize Royce Gracie as a frail assassin who could remove the limb of any man to cross his path. Sakuraba, despite holding big victories over Vernon White, Guy Mezger and Royler Gracie, remained an unknown commodity to North America. But all that changed after 90 grueling minutes of battle.
A great deal of the match could be labeled one massive stalemate, but Sakuraba put in more work, inflicted more damage and ultimately forced the seasoned Gracie to wilt under the pressure. While Royce would not be caught tapping the mat under any circumstance, his corner found the mercy in their hearts to save Royce from absorbing any further punishment. After 6 brutal rounds the towel was finally thrown, and Sakuraba had put the stamp on his nifty new nickname “The Gracie Hunter”.
#4 - Pete Williams KO’s Mark Coleman
Back in the pre-Zuffa days of the UFC, Mark Coleman was known as a juggernaut with nearly unstoppable wrestling, the nastiest ground-and-pound in the sport and a dominant champ. Pete Williams in contrast was a virtual unknown. Though a 7-1 record heading into the match, not many viewers gave the lanky Lion’s Den product a chance against the aggression of Coleman.
After a solid 12 minutes of battle Mark Coleman had fatigued terribly, and no longer looked the monster who tore through opponents like Don Frye, Dan Severn and Gary Goodridge. Pete Williams on the other hand still looked fresh. Back against the cage, hands down, mouth gaping open, Coleman never saw the high kick to the face coming.
#3 - Gabriel Gonzaga KO’s Mirko “Crocop” Filipovic
In early 2007 “Cro-cop” was considered the most dangerous striker in the heavyweight division,earning stunning victories over Aleksander Emelianenko, Josh Barnett, Mark Coleman and Wanderlei Silva,to name a few, on his way to claiming the title of 2006 Pride Open Weight Grand Prix Champion. The man had spent little more than half a decade competing at the top end of MMA.
All those wondrous feats seemed to fade from memory the exact second Gabriel “Napao” Gonzaga’s right high kick connected with the unblocked head of the favored Croation. It was lights out immediately as Cro-cop crashed to the canvas, legs twisted precariously. It was a moment that marked the decline of Crocop’s career, and the peak of Gonzaga’s. It also lives on in countless highlight reels, and remains one of the most shocking upsets of all time.
#2 - Fabricio Werdum Submits Fedor Emelianenko
Fedor landed, an off balance Werdum went down, our favorite Russian lunged in for the kill, and before we knew it Fedor was trapped in a tight triangle armbar. In just 69 seconds an idol (and consensus pound-for-pound king) was face to face with the same fate he’d forced upon every man to ever challenge him.
Whether fan or detractor, it was an oddly bittersweet moment. For a full decade a great many men have challenged Fedor within the cage (and ring), and for a decade those men have failed in their attempts at victory (forgetting the Kosaka loss), a great many in miserable fashion.
Saturday, June 26th, 2010 Superman slipped, and ultimately fell. As a result, the world tilted, the power dimmed, and Fabricio Werdum ensured the bout will be among the top upsets in MMA history books for years to come.
#1 - Matt Serra TKO’s George St. Pierre
Nobody gave the unranked at the time Matt Serra a shot in the hell at beating the UFC welterweight champion Georges “Rush” St. Pierre back at UFC 69. Serra didn’t let that detract him, he entered the octagon looking calm, and confident,Three and a half minutes, and a load of unanswered punches later and Matt “The Terror” Serra had managed the unmanageable, he destroyed the pound-for-pound contender and heavily favored GSP. Most amazing was not Serra’s victory itself, so much as the fashion in which he easily trounced St. Pierre.
GSP and Serra met once more inside the octagon almost exactly one year later at UFC 83. The second fight however, wasn’t quite as good to Serra as the previous match. St. Pierre took his title back via complete domination from opening bell to the final moments of round two, at which point the fight was mercifully waved off as St. Pierre landed vicious knees to the body of Serra.
This is based on a thread I saw on another board.
What do you lot think? What order do you think they should be classed and is there any fights that I have missed?
