5 greatest upsets in UFC women’s history
In the UFC—and indeed all of MMA—fights are usually won by those favored to emerge victorious. It's only natural for there to be mixed martial artists who earn more confidence from the sport's spectators. Picking against a more dominant fighter is unwise and unnecessarily risky.
However, upsets can and do often happen in MMA. On the men's side of the coin, some of the greatest-ever upsets include Matt Serra's stunning knockout win against all-time great Georges St-Pierre. Many hail regard it as the greatest upset in the history of mixed martial arts.
While women's MMA doesn't have as rich a history as its male counterpart, there have still been numerous noteworthy upsets. The most high-profile of its sort all took place in the UFC. Thus, this list compiles five of the greatest upsets in UFC women's history.
#5. Alexa Grasso vs. Valentina Shevchenko, UFC 285
Prior to the events of UFC 285, Valentina Shevchenko had one of the strongest records in WMMA history. The former kickboxer's losses were only to Amanda Nunes, a woman considered the greatest female fighter of all time who also possesses a significant size advantage against 'Bullet'.
#UFC285ALEXA GRASSO HAS SUBMITTED VALENTINA SHEVCHENKO!!
WE HAVE A NEW FLYWEIGHT CHAMPION 👑🇲🇽 #UFC285 https://t.co/t4HMH5vXnw
Her only other loss was against Liz Carmouche due to an illegal upkick that caused a large cut, prompting the cage-side doctor to declare her unfit to continue. Heading into UFC 285, 'Bullet' was the women's flyweight champion en route to securing her eighth title defense.
Only Alexa Grasso stood in her path. Many regarded the Mexican boxing specialist as an overmatched victim. Come fight night, however, she shocked the MMA world as she repeatedly stunned Shevchenko in the pair's kickboxing exchanges prior to dethroning her in the fourth round via face-crank.
#4. Amanda Nunes vs. Cris Cyborg, UFC 232
Back in 2018, there was no woman more feared in the world of mixed martial arts than Cris Cyborg. At the time, she hadn't lost a single fight since her MMA debut in 2005. With 20 wins on her record, 17 of which were KO/TKOs, she was considered the most terrifying force in WMMA.
Amanda Nunes knocks out Cyborg in the first round!!👀
Is she the best female fighter of all time!?!?
#UFC #UFC232Stream #UFCStream #ufc232 https://t.co/ElBJLaYxtd
At UFC 232, she faced the only other woman who could match her seismic punching power. No one, however, expected Amanda Nunes to win in the manner that she did. Many didn't expect her to win at all. After all, Cyborg hadn't lost in over a decade before the pair locked horns.
At UFC 232, their highly anticipated clash produced fireworks. Within 51 seconds, 'The Lioness' repeatedly rocked Cyborg against the fence, knocking her down as she pummeled her until a final blow sent her crashing into the mat face-first.
#3. Rose Namajunas vs. Joanna Jędrzejczyk 1, UFC 217
While former strawweight queen Joanna Jędrzejczyk has retired from MMA after a devastating knockout loss against reigning 115 lbs juggernaut Zhang Weili, there was a time when it seemed like she might never retire from the sport. No one even looked remotely capable of beating her during her years of peak activity.
#UFC217 Rose Namajunas def. Joanna via KO (Punches) 3:03 of R1 to become the new UFC strawweight champion! https://t.co/ZAPDpNACEU
Thus, Poland's first-ever UFC champion headed into a matchup with Rose Namajunas with supreme confidence. Prior to the bout, she was undefeated and no one managed to solve the puzzle of her world-class kickboxing skills. Meanwhile, 'Thug Rose' at the time had half as many losses as she had wins.
With a record of 6 wins and three losses, she was a heavy underdog. But within three minutes of their fateful encounter, she rocked and dropped Jędrzejczyk. Her follow-up punches dealt such damage that they forced her foe to tap out to strikes. No one expected her to lose, much less in the first round.
#2. Ronda Rousey vs. Holly Holm, UFC 193
Despite coming into the UFC as an undefeated fighter herself, Holly Holm was not initially regarded as a threat to Ronda Rousey. The truth of the matter is that in 2015, no one was considered a threat to 'Rowdy', not even half of the male bantamweight roster, according to Joe Rogan.
Thinking back to that time period, it's easy to understand why Rousey was thought to be invincible. Not only was she undefeated, but she finished every single one of her foes in emphatic fashion. Holm was considered another sacrificial lamb primed for slaughter in front of a then record-setting crowd in Melbourne, Australia.
Never forget when @HollyHolm shocked the WORLD against Ronda Rousey 😱
Holm is back in action Saturday in our #UFCSanAntonio co-main event! https://t.co/24hQBRYD9H
Instead, what ensued was one of the most jaw-dropping performances in MMA history. Holm thoroughly outstruck the former women's bantamweight queen and even secured a takedown of her own. It didn't take long for fans to realize that Rousey was completely out of her depth against 'The Preacher's Daughter'.
She stumbled across the octagon, hitting nothing but air while being countered as if she were a novice. In the second round, a head kick sent her crashing into the canvas. As the crowd stood to its feet in shock and several follow-up punches later, Holm became the first woman to defeat 'Rowdy'.
#1. Julianna Peña vs. Amanda Nunes, UFC 269
There is no denying Amanda Nunes' place in the halls of MMA legends. She is widely regarded as the greatest women's fighter of all time. No one else comes close to her accolades. She defeated seven champions while holding numerous records, including the most UFC title wins in WMMA history.
She possesses nuclear power in every single one of her limbs, so heading into a matchup with Julianna Peña, no one gave 'The Venezuelan Vixen' a chance. Why would they have? Before December 2021, she was on a one-fight win streak with a record of 10 wins and four losses.
Possibly the biggest upset in UFC history just went down at #UFC269!!!!!
Julianna Peña def. Amanda Nunes via submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:26 of Round 2. #AndNew
https://t.co/NAB0VQiKtd
She isn't noticeably powerful or an elite striker. Furthermore, her grappling pedigree, while serviceable, wasn't enough to stop her from being choked out by a kickboxer and BJJ white belt like Germaine de Randamie. What could she possibly do to trouble 'The Lioness' that greater fighters couldn't?
Grit, determination and a cunning gameplan were her answers. She interrupted every single one of Nunes' jabs with jabs of her own, stopping her from building into combinations. In the second round, Nunes was exhausted. Smelling blood, Peña pounced with a rear-naked choke to score the biggest win of her career.