Julianna Peña is in her second reign as UFC ladies’s bantamweight champion. In successful three of her previous 4 fights, she has crushed two different champs. That is the sort of résumé that ought to situate a fighter on prime of the world. And but the MMA world continues to low cost Peña.
She defends her belt Saturday at UFC 316 in Newark, New Jersey (ESPN+ PPV, 10 p.m. ET), and regardless of her opponent, Kayla Harrison, being a relative newcomer who has been barely examined on the sport’s highest stage, Peña would be the one going into the combat as a large betting underdog.
So what else is new?
For Peña, being ignored is her life story. Rising up in Spokane, Washington, because the youngest of 4 kids, she was a daily goal of her older brother’s roughhousing. “He was a huge WWE fan, and he beat the snot out of me and my two older sisters,” Peña instructed ESPN, including with a smile, “I used to be his favourite, as a result of I’d by no means cry, and, despite the fact that he was a lot greater and stronger than me, I stored attacking him with every thing I had.”
Persevering by battle royals with an Andre the Big wannabe fell proper consistent with her upbringing by a mom decided to instill toughness in her youngest.
“She used to inform me, ‘You’ll get up for your self,'” Peña recalled. “My mother put that spirit within me, of by no means backing down.”
This might be Peña’s fourth consecutive combat as an underdog. Most famously, she overcame the fourth-longest odds in UFC title combat historical past to submit Amanda Nunes. She misplaced the 2022 rematch seven months later, however final October she recaptured the title by dethroning Raquel Pennington, who was favored of their combat by almost 2-to-1 odds.
How lengthy has it been since Peña walked into the cage as a favourite? It final occurred manner again in 2021, when she defeated Sara McMann at UFC 257. The headliner that night time was a long-inactive fellow by the identify of Conor McGregor. Keep in mind him?
Peña needed to overcome obstacles on her technique to the large present. She was on a two-fight dropping streak on the regional scene in 2013 when she was forged on Season 18 of the UFC’s actuality TV present, “The Final Fighter,” but she received the present and a UFC contract below the teaching of her pal and coaching associate Miesha Tate. The opposing group’s coach was Tate’s bitter rival, dominant champ Ronda Rousey, and the warmth between them spilled over to the fighters. That animosity drew Peña all the way in which to Australia a pair years later to root towards “Rowdy Ronda” in a title combat with Holly Holm that was broadly anticipated to be a mismatch. “I used to be entrance row, cheering Holly on, giving her all my power,” Peña recalled. “Once they entered the Octagon, I bear in mind [Holm] pacing forwards and backwards in her nook. And I stood up at my seat and was pointing to her, yelling, ‘You bought this! You are able to do this!'”
Because it turned out, after all, Holm might do it. As an unimaginable +870 underdog, she picked aside, annoyed and bloodied Rousey on the way in which to a vicious second-round knockout.
“I used to be past ecstatic to see Holly do this. It was so inspiring to see,” Peña mentioned. “The issues I took away from that combat had been that the entire world can rely you out, however so long as you might have perception in your self, you are able to something. And that no one is invincible.”
Each takeaways got here in useful for Peña years later when she was getting ready to problem Nunes. The second her rear-naked choke vanquished the champ, the shocked crowd went eerily quiet, and Peña realized one thing else about herself.
“I discover the sound of silence stunning,” she mentioned. “Whenever you’re an underdog, it is simply a chance to silence all people who doubted you. There’s nothing higher.” When Peña steps into the cage with Harrison this weekend, she might be in search of to silence her doubters as soon as extra. As of Wednesday, Peña is a +500 underdog, per ESPN BET. Can she prime any of the notable UFC shockers of the previous? Here is one observer’s rating of probably the most impactful title combat upsets.
The closing odds listed under had been sourced from ESPN’s UFC database.
1:22
Valentina Shevchenko wins again ladies’s UFC flyweight title at UFC 306
Valentina Shevchenko defeats Alexa Grasso within the co-main occasion of UFC 306 to realize again her ladies’s UFC flyweight title.
10. Alexa Grasso (+600) defeats Valentina Shevchenko by fourth-round submission
UFC 285, March 4, 2023
Throughout her 4 years as ladies’s flyweight champion and even earlier than, Shevchenko had given followers cause to imagine she was invincible in fights towards mere mortals. The one two losses in her 14-fight UFC profession to that time had come towards Nunes, and so they’d occurred up within the GOAT’s 135-pound weight class, not down in Shevchenko’s 125-pound class. Amongst Shevchenko’s most fight-deciding weapons had at all times been her kicks, and on this night time she unleashed one which primarily ended the bout — and her title reign. Late in Spherical 4 of a combat she was successful on the scorecards, Shevchenko spun for a physique kick but it surely missed, leaving her again uncovered. Grasso grabbed maintain and rapidly secured a rear-naked choke to drag off the upset.
9. Amanda Nunes (+220) defeats Cris Cyborg by first-round knockout
UFC 232, Dec. 29, 2018
Cyborg was no stranger to fast finishes. Up to now in her profession, half of her victories had resulted in Spherical 1. She was a one-woman wrecking crew. However on this night time, she was the one getting wrecked … and rapidly. The 2 champions — Cyborg at featherweight, Nunes at bantamweight — each got here out swinging, and the sooner Nunes repeatedly beat her greater opponent to the punch. One knockdown. Two. Three. 4. It was over in 51 seconds, making Nunes certainly one of simply 4 UFC fighters to be a champ in two divisions concurrently.
1:14
Flashback: Michael Bisping wins middleweight gold with KO of Luke Rockhold
Flip again the clock to UFC 199 when Michael Bisping shocked the MMA world and beat Luke Rockhold in Spherical 1 to win UFC gold.
8. Michael Bisping (+400) defeats Luke Rockhold by first-round KO
UFC 199, June 4, 2016 (watch the fight on ESPN+)
Simply 18 months earlier than this combat, Rockhold had indignantly completed Bisping with a guillotine choke — utilizing only one arm. Nobody was begging to see extra of that, however there the UFC was, 10 days earlier than a pay-per-view most important occasion and in want of a alternative opponent for then-UFC middleweight champion Rockhold after former champion Chris Weidman was pressured out due to damage. The decision went out to Bisping. Did Rockhold take him flippantly within the rematch? The champ held his palms defiantly low and seemed torpid from begin to end. And what a brutal end it was, with Bisping clipping his bitter rival with a left hook and gleefully ending him on the canvas.
7. Frankie Edgar (+620) defeats BJ Penn by unanimous choice
UFC 112, April 10, 2010
There was a time when Penn was broadly thought-about the gold normal of MMA. A two-division UFC champion, he had made a profession of preventing greater males, together with champions Georges St-Pierre, Matt Hughes and Lyoto Machida. Edgar, alternatively, lacked that golden pedigree and was small for a light-weight, however he established himself because the little engine that would towards Penn. He outworked “The Prodigy” on his technique to a unanimous choice, though the combat was so shut that the UFC booked a rematch 4 months later. Edgar received that one, too, later writing for ESPN, “Going into the primary combat, I believed I might beat BJ. I did not know, however I believed. Going into the second combat, I knew I might. I believe that is why the hole between us was lots greater the second time.”
6. Henry Cejudo (+400) defeats Demetrious Johnson by break up choice
UFC 227, Aug. 4, 2018 (watch the fight on ESPN+)
“Mighty Mouse” had received 13 fights in a row, together with a file 11 defenses of the lads’s flyweight title, going into his rematch with Cejudo, whom he knocked out within the first spherical two years earlier. So this turnaround was a shocker. It might need appeared increased in these rankings if the combat hadn’t been scored a break up choice that many observers thought ought to have gone Johnson’s manner. As a substitute, the win set Cejudo on a path towards glory, as within the uncommon and coveted champ-champ standing.
5. Julianna Peña (+650) defeats Amanda Nunes by second-round submission
UFC 269, Dec. 11, 2021
Sure, “The Venezuelan Vixen” deserves a spot among the many prime 5 of title combat upsets. She beat the GOAT at a time when Nunes was champion of two weight courses and had received 12 fights in a row. Peña entered the combat simply 10-4 as a professional and 2-2 in her most up-to-date 4 bouts. The place was her path to victory? Nobody might discover one — besides Peña herself. “I’ve a supreme perception in myself, as a result of I understand how a lot ardour and dedication I’ve for this sport,” she mentioned. “Me beating Amanda that night time simply got here right down to pure perception and arduous work.”
4. Chris Weidman (+200) defeats Anderson Silva by second-round KO
UFC 162, July 6, 2013 (watch the fight on ESPN+)
Silva had owned the middleweight championship for seven years — a UFC-record reign of two,457 days. Together with making 10 title defenses, he had even taken a number of bouts at gentle heavyweight, extending his successful streak to 16 in a row, probably the most consecutive victories in UFC historical past. “The Spider” was not merely beating everybody, he was making them seem like fools. Silva toyed with Weidman, too, early on this combat. However the challenger was undeterred. He stored shifting ahead, at the same time as Silva evaded every thing he threw. When Weidman missed with a proper hand early within the second spherical and swiped his fist again towards the champ’s head, it threw off Silva’s timing for a break up second — simply lengthy sufficient for a follow-up left hand to drop Silva and ship shockwaves by the game.
3. Matt Serra (+850) defeats Georges St-Pierre by first-round TKO
UFC 69, April 7, 2007
This one is commonly cited as the largest title combat upset in UFC historical past. That is smart on the face of it — GSP, a number one candidate for GOAT standing, dropping to a actuality TV present contestant. However Serra’s season of “The Final Fighter” featured a forged of fighters with UFC expertise. Serra had made 9 earlier Octagon appearances, together with going the gap towards Penn, a former champion. And St-Pierre, making his first protection of the welterweight title, had not but established his supremacy. Having mentioned all that, this nonetheless was a stunning consequence, particularly contemplating how simply St-Pierre had dealt with Hughes to win the title 5 months earlier. Going into the combat with Serra, it appeared {that a} new period was dawning. Then, a looping proper hand by Serra despatched the champ crumbling, together with any expectations.
2:44
McGregor: ‘I did say the fitting hand can be his downfall’
UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor joins SportsCenter to interrupt down his 13-second knockout win over Jose Aldo at UFC 194 and if he’d be keen to present Aldo a rematch.
2. Conor McGregor (+100) defeats. José Aldo by first-round KO
UFC 194, Dec. 12, 2015 (watch the fight on ESPN+)
Numerically, this one does not measure as much as the opposite presumed mismatches on this listing, however canonically it represented a serious turning level within the sport’s trajectory. McGregor truly opened as a slight favourite at some sportsbooks. Oddsmakers clearly had been swayed by the superstar recognition of McGregor and their understanding that some devotees would lay down cash on the Irishman regardless of him by no means having been within the cage with anybody even shut in stature to Aldo, winner of 18 in a row. McGregor talked a great sport, and that was sufficient for some.
The file exhibits that McGregor beat Aldo in 13 seconds. However he truly received the combat effectively earlier than that. McGregor taunted the champ even earlier than they had been booked to combat, and the thoughts video games solely ramped up because the combat obtained nearer. Throughout a prefight information convention, McGregor grabbed the belt from the dais and held it excessive, as if it had been his. By combat night time, Aldo was furious. He got here out of his nook with uncharacteristic aggression, and within the very first trade, McGregor cracked the champ with a counterpunch that despatched Aldo crashing to the canvas and McGregor’s star energy skyrocketing. That punch, and what led to it, modified MMA perpetually.
1:11
Holm’s KO of Rousey shocked the world
Holly Holm shocked the world by knocking out Ronda Rousey at UFC 193 in entrance of over 56,000 folks in Melbourne. Order UFC 243 right here https://plus.espn.com/ufc/ppv.
1. Holly Holm (+870) defeats Ronda Rousey by second-round KO
UFC 193, Nov. 14, 2015 (watch the fight on ESPN+)
This was the upset to upstage all upsets, though MMA followers of latest classic may not view it as such an unlimited shocker. Trying again now, a decade later, one may bear in mind Rousey for getting smashed in her remaining two fights earlier than slinking off into retirement. However previous to that, she was the game’s most dominant fighter — by far. “Rowdy Ronda” entered the Holm combat at 12-0 with 12 finishes, all however certainly one of them coming within the first spherical. Rousey’s three fights earlier to the Holm bout had resulted in 16, 14 and 34 seconds. Nobody might cling along with her.
Then, earlier than a crowd of 56,214 at an Australian guidelines soccer stadium in Melbourne, Rousey bumped into Holm. She largely bumped into Holm’s left fist, many times. It was beautiful to look at the combat not instantly go to the mat, like all earlier Rousey fights had. It was beautiful to see the champion’s face redden and her spirit dissipate. It was beautiful to see Holm’s head kick within the opening minute of Spherical 2 ship Rousey and her aura of invincibility crashing to the canvas.
