What was behind some of the biggest upsets in UFC history? Analyzing their causes
Upsets are special attractions in the UFC, and indeed, all of MMA. They're rare, but when they do happen, they leave fans and fighters alike in disbelief over what just happened, and how. Few will ever forget the scenes when Matt Serra defied the odds to TKO Georges St-Pierre and capture the UFC welterweight title.
Even fewer will forget the sight of the seemingly unstoppable Ronda Rousey meeting her match when she crossed swords with Holly Holm at UFC 193. While some fighters are so dominant they never lose, the likes of Khabib Nurmagomedov and Jon Jones are extremely rare.
Usually, every dog has their day, if they're around for long enough. But what exactly causes upsets to happen? Sometimes, it's age catching up to legends of the sport. But in other cases, it can be MMA catching up to the tricks that once made a fighter great. Here, two of the most high-profile upsets will be examined.
Ronda Rousey vs. Holly Holm, UFC 193, Cause of Upset: A bad style matchup
An invincible fighter will always look invincible until someone attacks the holes in their skill-set. Sometimes, those holes aren't obvious until they're exposed. But in other cases, they're clear. However, the fighter who has them may never face anyone with the right tools to capitalize on those vulnerabilities.
Beneath the hyperbolic statements that defined Ronda Rousey's iconic reign over women's MMA, was a great but ultimately mortal fighter. With her mortality, came flaws. 'Rowdy's' goal inside the octagon was closing the distance on her foe to enter the clinch, where her Olympic-level Judo skills would pay dividends.
Along her journey as a fighter, her striking skills evolved, but she never developed a complete skill-set. As a fighter intent on clinching her opponent, she needed a reliable method of safely moving through the fire of her foe's punches. Furthermore, a natural byproduct of this style of engagement is forward pressure.
OTD in 2014:
Holly Holm +900 KO’d Ronda Rousey https://t.co/ZSkSTpwEpE
Unfortunately, 'Rowdy' possessed neither the footwork nor head movement to do so correctly. She chased her opponent in a straight line, never cutting off their angles of escape by stepping across their bodies as they moved. Furthermore, she did not move her head off the center-line when striking.
This meant her head was in the same place it was before and after she threw punches. In short, she was easy to counter because her head was stationary, always in position to be hit. Against Holly Holm, Ronda Rousey faced her worst possible style matchup.
'The Preacher's Daughter' is a mobile fighter. She keeps a long distance to have the time and space to throw kicks, while circling and moving laterally. This caused Rousey to chase her in a straight line, which meant Holm kept running her foe into her punches by simply moving, and sticking her fist in front of Rousey's face.
The Olympic judoka ran into her punches, and due to the momentum of her reckless charges, created collisions between her chin and Holm's fist, replicating the force of a power punch. In short, Holm didn't need to throw hard punches if Rousey kept running into them with a lot of momentum.
Additionally, in the clinch, 'The Preacher's Daughter' kept her elbows tucked close to her midsection, depriving Rousey of an arm for her to use in a throw, toss or trip. Before Holm's evolution into a wall-and-stall clinch fighter, this movement-based style of out-fighting was her bread and butter.
So by the second round, Rousey was hopeless and Holm put her out of her misery with a head kick. The reason behind this upset is simple. Holly Holm was just a nightmarish style matchup for Ronda Rousey.
Anderson Silva vs. Chris Weidman, UFC 162, Cause of Upset: A good gameplan
At the peak of his legendary 16-fight win streak, Anderson Silva looked unbeatable. Few will ever forget the superhuman manner in which he dismantled Forrest Griffin, a former UFC light heavyweight champion. Not only did he knock him out, he did it with the most lackadaiscal, pawing right had.
Back then, hardly anyone had the faintest idea on how to beat 'The Spider'. While Chael Sonnen mounted a valiant effort at UFC 117, showing that a pressure-based, grinding style of wrestling could pose problems for Silva, it was easier said than done. The Brazilian had learned his lesson against 'The American Gangster'.
So by the time they clashed in a rematch, he was not nearly as allergic to that same school of fighting. His true vulnerability, curiously, lied in striking. Anderson Silva detested being on the lead, but he also hated opponents who wouldn't bite on his feints, so at times, he'd resort to taunting his foe to trigger a response.
If they refused to come forward in fear of getting countered, perhaps taunting and mocking them would frustrate and anger them enough into a reckless charge? Either way, 'The Spider' preferred hanging back with his hands held low to entice his foe with the illusion of an open target.
La fin d’une Ère 😟🔙
Le jour où Chris Weidman a choqué le monde en mettant KO Anderson Silva
Il mettra fin a la plus longue série de victoire consécutive de l’histoire de l’UFC ( 16 victoires ) https://t.co/O4K8ChU04h
Once his opponent committed to a power-punch, he simply leaned back at the waist and sniped them down the middle with a straight. But therein lied the problem. The UFC Hall of Famer leaned away with his entire upper-body, meaning that if someone doubled or tripled a jab or straight against him, it could be fruitful.
Doubling or tripling a jab or straight would cause him to lean back further, until he's leaning so far back that he can no longer lean any further without falling over due to poor balance. This is something that Chris Weidman and his coaches noticed as they studied tape on 'The Spider', preparing him for a future clash.
So by UFC 162, Weidman was ready. He refused to bite on any of his foe's feints in the first round, forcing the Brazilian to resort to taunting in the second, as he had no way of drawing the All-American into the fight he wanted. But after Weidman threw a jab-right straight combination, it was the beginning of the end.
Silva leaned away, and Weidman doubled his right straight, forcing 'The Spider' to lean too far back. With his balance off-set, hands low and his footing weak, Silva was in the worst possible position to defend himself. Weidman switched to a left hook and blasted his exposed chin in the most shocking knockout in UFC history.
After Chris Weidman unveiled the formula to beating Anderson Silva, Michael Bisping took it to claim his own victory over the UFC middleweight GOAT. This, then, was simply the result of a good gameplan and a fighter disciplined enough to see it out.