Biggest MMA Upsets We Know Of

According to some new research, over 300 million people around the globe fancy themselves dedicated fans of Mixed Martial Arts, with this sport boasting the highest level of interest in the US, UK, China, Brazil, and Singapore. That is an impressive figure, given that one can say that the sport did not exist a little over three decades ago, as the UFC got formed in 1993. Still, it did not feature the established ruleset MMA has now at that time, and one can argue that the sport was alive and well in various forms before the creation of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, with its roots stretching back to Ancient Greece and Pankration.

For many, MMA is more appealing than boxing because it is more unpredictable. That is inherently so given that there are more ways to win/lose here, and there is no ten-count as there is in boxing, which is a far more limited form of one-on-one combat. Hence, upsets are more likely to happen in MMA. While fans can argue which win/loss dumbfounded them most, below, we rattle off fights where we know the bookies got it way off and tell you by how much they underestimated certain fighters.

Sokoudju Beats Lil Nog – +1250

The African Assassin, Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou Nkamhoua, often gets called one of MMA’s biggest disappointments. This Cameroonian judoka moved to the US in 2001 to advance his judo career and began training with MMA legend and pioneer Dan Henderson.

Three fights into his start as a professional mixed martial artist, following a KO loss from then-unknown Glover Teixeira, Sokoudju got a call to step into the PRIDE ring for the organization’s February 2007 Las Vegas event – Pride 33. He would go up against Antônio Rogério Nogueira, the twin brother of Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira, the famous Minotauro. Nicknamed Lil Nog, Nogueira was a -2500 favorite, while Sokoudjou was a +1250 (12.5/1) underdog. Sokoudjou shocked the world by knocking out Lil Nog in twenty-three seconds, becoming the first person ever to finish one of the Noguiera twins.

In his next fight, Sokoudju pulled off another upset by beating grappling star Ricardo Arona by KO in one minute and fifty-nine seconds into the first round. However, these two contests remained the high point of Remeau’s career, as he did not find much success at the grand stage, accumulating a 19-18 overall record.

Zac Riley Beats Hugo Viana – +985

Hugo Viana is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who fought in the UFC, amassing a 3-3 record. He got cut in August 2015 after suffering two losses in succession at the hands of Aljamain Sterling and Guido Cannetti. Following his UFC exit, this Tae Kwon Do and grappling specialist got announced as a participant in RFA’s 34 card, headlined by another ex-UFC veteran, Serbian Bojan Veličković. For his RFA debut, Viana got matched up with The Anointed Warrior, Zac Riley, a combatant with one RFA fight under his belt and a 3-3 record. Riley startled everyone, including bookmakers, by winning a comfortable unanimous decision over Viana, who has not fought since.

Shana Dobson Beats Mariya Agapova – +950

Few non-hard-core UFC fans know who Shana Dobson is, as she has not fought since February 2021 and is unlikely to ever compete again. This female flyweight entered the UFC through the twenty-six edition of the Ultimate Fighter TV show, where she represented the team led by former UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alverez, which went up against a squad coached by perennial LW contender Justin Gaethje. Dobson faced veteran Roxanne Modafferi on the show and lost in the first round by TKO. Nevertheless, she got another chance in the UFC at the Ultimate Fighter 26 Finale, where she managed to defeat Ariel Beck via a technical knockout.

After her 26 Finale victory, Dobson lost three fights in a row to Lauren Mueller, Sabina Mazo, and Priscila Cachoeira, the last one by KO just forty seconds into the first round. So, when she got matched up with Kazakhstani Mariya Agapova, who was on a three-fight win streak, few gave her a shot. Nonetheless, Dobson managed to stun everyone by making the ref wave off the fight in the second round due to punches.

Holly Holm Beats Ronda Rousey – +950

Along with Dobson’s stunning triumph, Holly Holm KO-ing one of MMA’s few mainstream sports phenomons, Ronda Rousey, stands as the largest betting odds upset in UFC women’s history. In retrospect, it seems ridiculous that Holm was such a long shot in November 2015 when she faced Rousey at Etihad Stadium in Melbourne, Australia. But, when one adds context to why the odds bookmakers set at that time, things look a tad more reasonable.

Yes, Holm was a boxing champion when she started in MMA. However, she came into the UFC to barely edge out then largely unknown Raquel Pennington, who would go on to become the organization’s bantamweight champion. Holm then had an uneventful fight with Marion Reneau before her Rousey one. Ronda, on the other hand, was crushing everyone not named Miesha Tate in the first round. Her last three fights lasted a combined staggering minute and four seconds. So, bookies were right to make her a massive favorite (-1400). Nevertheless, her shortcomings were exposed by Holly Holm, and then her MMA adventure came to a crashing end when Rousey entered the cage against Amanda Nunes when she got quickly and brutally battered.

Christian Echols Beats Patrick Downey – +900

Who is Christian Echols? He is an unheralded fighter who got called up by Bellator MMA to act pretty much as a body for famed amateur wrestler Patrick Downey to throw around and beat. Downey was a potential star for Bellator and an acclaimed college wrestler who was an NCAA All-American and standout junior-level freestyler who competed at the international level.

Bellator had high hopes for Downey, and those grew after he won his first fight in the organization by art-triangle choke with one thirty-six-second passing in the first round. Hence, expert expectations were that he would make short work of the anonymous Echols, who was making his Bellator debut with an unspectacular record of 2-2. Once the bell run, things did not work out at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville at Bellator 289, as Echols survived a quick takedown and then fended off multiple Downey takedown attempts, to landing a devastating uppercut KO, essentially ending Downey’s MMA run.

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