5 shocking upsets in the UFC
Every bout has an underdog. The margins between the two competitors are usually narrow enough to ignore. However, there are some instances when the two fighters that walk into the Octagon are mismatched either in the eyes of fans or bookmakers or both. In such cases, when the world expects the favourite to walk away with an easy win, very few rise to the occasion.
Anyone who has followed the UFC is usually treated to a tonne of upsets but there are few that seemed an impossibility before the fight, owing to various reasons, making the underdog’s victory all the more impressive. Here are the 5 most unbelievable upsets in the UFC.
#5 Chris Weidman vs Anderson Silva 1 (UFC 162)
Anderson ‘The Spider’ Silva is a sure future entrant into the hall of fame. The Brazillian who dominated any MMA promotion he graced with his presence, was on the longest title streak in UFC history of 10 consecutive title defences and 16 straight wins when he was set to face Chris Weidman back in 2013.
The then middleweight champion was expected to leave the arena with the belt in his hand for the eleventh consecutive time and young Weidman seemed like a mismatch even though the American was on a roll of his own.
The Spider began the fight with his usual skilled nonchalance. Despite being taken down by Weidman, Silva dealt with the early pressure, controlling the fight as it went to the ground and dominating subsequently on the feet. The Brazilian even taunted the American by calling him toward the fence and slipping most of Weidman’s barrage of combinations.
Everything seemed to be going as planned for the veteran even in the second, as he continued to mess with the wrestler, taunting him to keep throwing and even pretending to be dazed. That was when Weidman caught on to Silva’s pattern and threw a perfectly timed right which he set up with a 1-2 followed by a lazy back hand. The right that connected sent SIlva crashing to the mat as Wiedman swarmed with ground and pound to claim the UFC Middleweight championship.