MMA is widely acknowledged as one of the least predictable of any sport. The phrase 'anything can happen in the Octagon' has become idiomatic in the UFC community as fans have all too often been left scratching their heads after one of the sport's supposed greats has been beaten by someone everybody had cast off as a hack. Regardless of how dominant a champion is, put any adult male against them wearing flimsy 4-ounce gloves and they'll still have a chance of connecting with a lucky shot: now substitute this every-man figure for an actual fighter who, despite being dismissed as the underdog, has still managed to ascend the heights of the sport's premier promotion, the UFC. Everyone is mortal and anybody is capable of having an off-night. This unpredictability is part of the reason for the UFC's trailblazing expansion over the last 5 or so years to: people simply love a David vs Goliath story. The following are the 10 biggest head-scratching upsets in UFC history...
10. Fabricio Werdum vs Junior 'Cigano' dos Santos, UFC 90
Result: dos Santos by KO (punches) in the 1st round. Werdum had himself been involved in an astounding MMA upset as he hammered his name into the sport's history books by being the first man to defeat Fedor Emelianenko. He found himself on the other end of an upset at UFC 90. Very few predicted he would fall to UFC newcomer Junior dos Santos and even dared to suggest that Cigano would win with a devastating first round knock out. Amusingly, during the fleeting 81 seconds of the fight, commentators Joe Rogan and Mike Golberg didn't stop singing the praises of Werdum, discussing how since his last fight he had added an advanced set of stand up techniques to his already masterful Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu skills. Just as Joe Rogan was elaborating on Werdum's size advantage dos Santos cut him off by delivering a massive right hand uppercut to Werdum before landing a barrage of unnecessary ground strikes to the defeated Werdum. No one would ever again underestimate dos Santos' boxing.