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Upsets are a part of the game. It's arguable that there's nothing better in the sport of MMA than watching a fighter that was counted out by everyone, breakthrough expectations, and pull off what nobody thought possible. Fans just recently saw this in spades, as Julianna Pena upset the odds to dethrone Amanda Nunes via second-round submission at UFC 269 to become bantamweight champion.
However, Pena's win is far from an outlier. Throughout the history of the UFC, there have been some massive upsets that have shaken the foundation of the promotion. Without further ado, let's take a look at the top 10 upsets that happened inside the Octagon.
10 Shana Dobson def. Mariya Agapova
While a fight that won't stand out to most fans, Shana Dobson holds one of the largest upsets in UFC history. The then 3-4 Dobson was matched up with Mariya Agapova at UFC Vegas 7 in what was viewed as a squash match by many.
Dobson then beat the odds, after outlasting an Agapova onslaught early, she took down the prospect and secured a TKO victory in the second round. The win is tied as the highest betting upset in women's MMA history.
9 Joe Lauzon def. Jens Pulver
Nowadays, Joe Lauzon is seen as the bonus king. Currently tied for second place with the most post-fight bonuses in UFC history, J-Lau was brought into the UFC as a sacrificial lamb to former lightweight champion Jens Pulver at UFC 63. Pulver was making his long-awaited return to the promotion after leaving the UFC in 2002 while still champion.
The debuting Lauzon made history at UFC 63, springing one of the biggest upsets ever. Lauzon cracked Pulver early in the first round and quickly secured the knockout win to cement his place as a contender.
8 Henry Cejudo def. Demetrious Johnson
Before he was Triple C, Henry Cejudo was seen as a lightly regarded contender for Demetrious Johnson's throne at UFC 227. Cejudo had already been knocked out by Johnson in a previous encounter at UFC 197, so heading into their second bout nobody thought things would be different.
Cejudo gave the fight of his life, ultimately ending the dominant reign of Mighty Mouse, winning by split-decision. In addition to being one of the biggest upsets, the fight is also seen as one of the greatest flyweight bouts in UFC history. As a result of this upset, Henry became the UFC Flyweight Champion, going on a 574-day reign.
7 Nate Diaz def. Conor McGregor
While Nate Diaz may not have been surprised after defeating Conor McGregor, seemingly everyone else was. McGregor was coming off a knockout win over Jose Aldo to become featherweight champion, and also had one of the most dominant rises ever seen. Nate Diaz, meanwhile, was on vacation when he got the call to fight McGregor on two weeks' notice.
After outlasting McGregor's attacks in the first, Diaz rocked McGregor in the second. Diaz then worked his way into a rear-naked-choke attempt and was able to get the tap, securing one of the biggest upsets of all time.
6 Chris Weidman def. Anderson Silva
Nobody expects a dominant reign like Anderson Silva's to end. Let alone in the devastating fashion that it eventually did, as The Spider lost his UFC middleweight strap at UFC 162 by getting knocked out while taunting.
The first round of UFC 162 was a back and forth one, and heading into round two it seemed that Silva wasn't shaking his younger foe Weidman. Eventually, Silva began taunting and showboating to the crowd, when he did, Weidman came through with a combination that knocked the champion out cold. Just like that, the 17-fight winning streak was over, and Chris Weidman became champion.
5 Rose Namajunas def. Joanna Jedrzejczyk
Joanna Jedrzejczyk was well on her way to becoming the greatest female fighter of all time when she encounter Rose Namajunas at UFC 217. Jedrzejczyk was 14-0 and had already racked up five title defenses when she faced off against the-then 6-3 Namajunas.
Namajunas then shocked the world in Madison Square Garden. She knocked out one of the most feared strikers in women's MMA history inside the first round in a massive shocker to most fight fans.
4 Holly Holm def. Ronda Rousey
Ronda Rousey was the face of the UFC in 2015. Rowdy had quickly not only become the face of the organization, but was everywhere, and was MMA's biggest crossover star. Rousey was doing movies, appeared at WrestleMania 31 alongside The Rock, and seemed on top of the world.
Perhaps it was the hype of her being such a large icon that made her crash to earth that much more stunning. Rousey faced off against Holly Holm at UFC 193 and got knocked unconscious in the second round. The win is tied alongside Shana Dobson's for the largest betting upset in women's MMA history.
3 Michael Bisping def. Luke Rockhold
Saying that Michael Bisping had the odds against him at UFC 199 is putting it lightly. The British fighter was on the set of a movie when he got the call on 17 days' notice to face Luke Rockhold for the UFC middleweight title. The two men fought 18 months earlier, and Bisping got dominated en route to a second-round submission loss.
Despite the history and lack of preparation, Bisping jumped at the opportunity. The man long regarded as a gatekeeper made UFC history, knocking out Luke Rockhold in the first round to become the promotion's first-ever British champion.
2 Matt Serra def. Georges St-Pierre
Matt Serra in the mid-2000s quickly developed a reputation for being a good, but not a great fighter. Serra was on The Ultimate Fighter season four and was guaranteed a title shot if he was able to get through the welterweight field, which he did. The issue is that he would have to face off against Georges St-Pierre, who was already being touted as a potential GOAT.
Serra didn't care though, as he downplayed the odds and knocked out Rush in the first round. The win was largely the reason why Serra was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2018, as he retired eight years earlier with an 11-7 pro record.
1 Julianna Pena def. Amanda Nunes
Julianna Pena's fight against Amanda Nunes at UFC 269 was a fight not cared for by many. Pena got the title shot largely off of her trash talk, as she only had a one-fight winning streak heading into the bout with The Lioness who was regarded as the greatest female fighter of all time.
There was only one person who thought that Julianna Pena could defeat Amanda Nunes at UFC 269, and she's now walking around with the belt. The Venezuelan Vixen submitted Nunes in the second round to secure one of the biggest upset wins of all time.