5 greatest underdog championship wins in UFC history

Ronda Rousey & Holly Holm [Image Courtesy: Getty Images]

The UFC is typically known for its stellar matchmaking, especially when it comes to title fights. However, in the past there have been cases where champions have begun to assert such dominance over their divisions, that they make every challenger who comes up against them a heavy underdog.

That is exactly the case in the co-main event of UFC 266 this weekend, when the UFC women's flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko takes on Lauren Murphy. Shevchenko has never lost in a UFC flyweight bout and is a huge favorite going into this fight with Murphy.

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However, there have been times in the past where big underdogs picked up an upset win despite all the odds being stacked against them. In this list, we breakdown five of the greatest underdog championship wins in the UFC.

#5. Chris Weidman vs. Anderson Silva - UFC 162

In his prime, Anderson Silva was one of the greatest mixed martial artists in the world. He tore through the UFC middleweight division, making light work of fighters such as Rich Franklin and Dan Henderson, who had been considered to be at the very pinnacle of the sport.

Silva won and defended the UFC middleweight title, also venturing up to light heavyweight for a few fights. A slightly dicey victory against Chael Sonnen was the closest he had come to losing at that point in his career. He soon rectified it by dominating their subsequent rematch.

So when Silva was matched up against a young prospect by the name of Chris Weidman, most fans and media alike presumed it would be business as usual for 'The Spider'.

What happened next was a knockout that shocked the world. Anderson Silva was doing his typical mid-fight showboating when Weidman caught him with a punch that sent the Brazilian falling to the mat.

One of the most stunning moments in UFC history 🙌

Chris Weidman shocked the world when he caught Anderson Silva at UFC 162 😮

He makes his return to the octagon at #UFC230 https://t.co/i21os5aJpA