4. B.J. 'The Prodigy' Penn vs Matt Hughes, UFC 46.
Result: Penn by Submission (rear naked choke) in the 1st round. B.J. Penn is the only fighter to appear twice on this list both as the underdog and the defeated favourite. This is typical of his entire fighting career; fans wouldn't know if they'd see a motivated B.J. Penn or his under-conditioned, sluggish form which sometimes reared its head. Super fights are all the rage nowadays but this was one of the very first pitting the former Lightweight champion Penn against the dominant Welterweight champion Matt Hughes. Many believed that Hughes' sizeable strength advantage combined with his experience in Greco-Roman wrestling would secure him the win. Penn was indeed the naturally smaller of the two men walking around at a weight of 168lbs compared to Hughes' 180lbs and would be fighting at Hughes' preferred Welterweight. However, Penn's exceptional grappling skills were too much for Hughes' raw strength and he shocked the world by taking Hughes' back and forcing him to tap. Once again Penn had won UFC gold, this time in a higher weight class.
Sam Heard
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Hailing from South East London, Sam Heard is an aspiring writer and recent graduate from the University of Warwick. Sam's favourite things include energy drinks, late nights spent watching the UFC with his girlfriend and annihilating his friends at FIFA.
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