The Top 10 Most Recent UFC Upsets

10. Paulo Thiago vs Josh Koscheck @ UFC 95

Coming into this fight, Josh Koscheck, an American Kickboxing Academy fighter, had been there and done that—as far as the UFC welterweight division was concerned. The only glitches to appear on Koschecks record were losses to UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre and top-contender Thiago Alves (a fight which he took on short notice).

Paulo Thiago, on the other hand, was a relative unknown. He boasted a 10-0 record, but, having only fought in Brazil, it was impossible judge the young Brazilians talent. 

Koscheck patiently stalked Thiago, focusing on landing the KO punch. Koscheck rocked Thiago again with a big right, but Thiago just seemed to be standing in the pocket and

constantly dropping his hands.

The funny thing was, at that point Joe Rogan began to talk about fundamental flaws in Thiago's striking, when out of nowhere Koscheck ducked in to set up a combination and got hit with a picture-perfect uppercut that droped him!

Thiago went in for the kill, but the ref stepped in and immediately stopped the fight. Koscheck argued over the stoppage, but he did look wobbly when returning to his feet.

Unbelievable! The first big upset of 2009. Paulo Thiago, on a completely unknown one-fight contract, knocked out the No. 4 ranked welterweights in the world, Josh Koscheck.

9. Junior Dos Santos vs. Fabricio Werdum @ UFC 90

Fabricio Werdum a BJJ fighter that was developing a very dangerous striking game through his newly formed association with the world renowned Chute Box Academy.

In his two previous fights he had cemented his status as a top-five heavyweight contender, showcasing newly developed skills in his destruction of Gabriel Gonzaga and sending Brandon Vera packing to the light heavyweight division.

A title shot lay on the horizon, all that he had to do was beat Junior Dos Santos.

Dos Santos was coming into his UFC debut with a solid reputation in Brazil as an apprentice of the Nogueira brothers. All we had seen of this young man was a 30 second clip of him hitting the pads on Dana’s UFC 90 blog.  It was clear for everyone to see, this kid had some crazy power!

Werdum on the other hand looked huge! A clear indication fn the effect Brock Lesnar had on the heavyweight division, 230lbs. was no longer “big” and, if you wanted to take on Brock, you had to be as close to 260lbs. as possible.  The problem for Verdum was that he was looking past Dos Santos.

Werdum looked sluggish, throwing just two kicks, and when the first real engagement occurred it was Dos Santos with an uppercut. That blow landed and sent Werdum down, bloody and early, in the first.  Dos Santos immediately established himself as an exciting prospect.

Werdum went crashing out of the UFC, released from his contract.

8. Keith Jardine vs Chuck Liddell @ UFC 76

Both Chuck Liddell and Keith Jardine entered the Octagon sporting first-round, knockout defeats in their previous fights.

It was common knowledge that this fight was set up to ease Chuck back into contention, by placing him in the Octagon with a legitimate fighter with questionable chin.  Chuck had dominated the light heavyweight division for such a long time that there could be only one outcome in this fight, a Chuck KO.  Wrong!

Instead, Jardine fought a smart fight.  He stalking Liddell and made every minute more uncomfortable for the former champ.  Jardine edged towards victory with leg kicks and finally dropped Chuck in the second round.  This was Liddell's second loss and for the first time Chuck looked human.

The decision was read out, the crowd went silent, and Jardine left celebrating the biggest victory of his career.

7. Forrest Griffin vs Rampage Jackson@ UFC 86

By the time of this fight, everyone knew that Forrest Griffin was capable of a big upset. Training with Randy Couture on a daily basis can have that effect on any fighter.

Having previously beaten a lackluster Shogun, Forrest was given the opportunity of a lifetime. First he would coach the Ultimate Fighter, then he would get a title shot.

When this was announced by the UFC there were very few people picking him to defeat Rampage Jackson at UFC 86.

Rampage had Forrest's number in every aspect of the fight.  He was a better wrestler, a better striker, more powerful, and by his own admition, “meaner and uglier than Forrest.”

Forrest was a complete underdog, which, it seems, is when Forrest fights best. It was crucial that Forrest avoid the power of Rampage.  When Rampage landed an upper cut in the first round, it looked all over.

Forrest, of course, had other plans, he found his rhythm and began to throw leg kick after leg kick, none of which Rampage checked.

He hurt Rampage early with low kicks and peppered him with sharp punches throughout the fight. Rampage appeared flustered, he looked to have no answer for Forrest's game plan—other than to stand and trade.  Some, Rampage included, didn't believe Griffin deserved the win he received on the judge’s scorecards.  Nevertheless, a new light heavyweight champ was crowned.

6. Rashad Evans vs Chuck Liddell @ UFC 88

Most people thought that Chuck Liddell was about to get back into title contention after beating Wandelei Silva in one of the most exciting fights in UFC history.

Next on the road back to the title, was The Ultimate Fighter winner Rashad Evans.  Evans was a former Michigan State wrestler, who had developed a decent striking game through training with Greg Jackson.

Nobody would have believed that Evans striking had come far enough to stand and trade with the power of Liddell.

Evans, in order to win this fight, would surely have to find a way to take Liddell down, and we have all seen what trying to take Chuck down usually leads to.

Chuck would frustrate wrestlers by stuffing every takedown attempt, then land a knockout combination.

Nobody saw it coming. Chuck was stalking Evans and forcing him to dance around the ring. Chuck was the one beginning to look frustrated. Chuck went in for an uppercut and the next thing was saw was Liddell, flat on his face, out cold.

I remember thinking, “oh my god what the hell happened there?”

The replay showed the knockout, everyone was in agreement. We had just witnessed one of the greatest counter punches of all time.  The fact that it was an overhand right, Chuck's signature punch, made it all the more special.

An eery quiet descended on the Philips Arena, Liddell was still receiving medical attention, what an upset, what a punch!

5. Forrest Griffin vs. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua @ UFC 76

Mauricio Rua came to the UFC having fought in PRIDE, built a reputation as one of the top light heavyweight fighters in the world, and placed high on many pound-for-pound rankings.

UFC fans favourite Forrest Griffin was selected as Shoguns debut test inside the octagon.  Rua was a clear favourite and was expected to eventually be matched up against Rampage Jackson, thee UFC champ at that time, who Shogun had destroyed during their days in PRIDE.

However, Griffin again came up with the perfect game plan. He bullied Rua around the octagon and kept a frantic pace both standing, and on the ground.

When the third round began, Griffin was already leading on the judges cards. By the mid-way point of the thrid, Shogun was fatigued.  He had no gas left in the tank to deal with Forrest's supreme conditioning and heart.

Forrest continued to ground and pound a weary Shogun. When Shogun presented his back to Forrest, he sunk in a rear naked choke against the gassed and beaten up Shogun. The upset of 2007 had just occurred, Forrest ran around the Octagon letting every emotion flow. What a victory, and what a a journey through the UFC.

4. Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Mirko Cro-Cop @ UFC 70.

Cro Cop was seen as the UFC’s most promising fighter following the PRIDE acquisition. He was a supremely talented heavyweight, who had been a member of the Croatian secret police and parliament.

Cro Cop’s stand up, at the time, was on a level above any other fighter in the heavyweight division.  His notorious head kicks have put many of his previous opponents put to sleep. Cro Cop debuted in the UFC with a victory over Eddie Sanchez in which he utilised that signature kick.  He looked to be on schedule for the title shot.

Cro Cop faced off against Gabriel Gonzaga in a No. 1 contender fight, to see who would be next to face Randy Couture. While Gonzaga had displayed decent performances leading up to this fight, nobody could have expected him to own Cro Cop the way he did.

He dictated the pace from the beginning, at times dominating Cro Cop on the ground. Then, after the fight was stood back up to the feet, Gonzaga gave Cro Cop a bitter taste of his own medicine, a right-footed head kick.  He delivered the kick so solidly to the head of Cro Cop that the Croatian superstar was asleep before falling awkwardly, twisting his right leg underneath him.

This kick will be seen on UFC highlight reels for years to come, not just for the first class way in which it was delivered, but for the shocking upset that echoed throughout the UFC.

3. Frank Mir vs Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira @ UFC 92

A battle between two of the best heavyweight jiu jitsu practitioners.  Nogueira was a legend of MMA, the former PRIDE champ, and the current UFC interim champ. Nogueira had only lost four fights and was one of the most consistent fighters in MMA history. He was seen as the favourite from the time this fight was announced.

Frank Mir, on the other hand, had been on a rollercoaster journey in the UFC. A former champion, Mir was unable to defend his belt following a motorcycle accident; he had never been the same fighter.

Many people questioned Mir’s heart, conditioning, and general mental state. Mir took a year off and came back to face the debuting WWE-star Brock Lesnar.  He won through a Lesnar mistake which gifted him a kneebar.

This put Mir in line for the heavyweight title, many people however, still questioned Mir’s place as one of the top four heavyweight fighters in the UFC.

Surprisingly this fight began and ended on the feet. It was a stand-up battle from start to finish. Mir declined to engage Noguera on the ground after the several knockdowns. In the stand up battle, Mir was clearly the sharper fighter, peppering Noguera with straight punches until the impeccable chin of the champion began to look like glass.

By the end of the first round, viewers wondered if this fight was actually happening, Mir fans throughout the world were beginning to pinch themselves. The real upset came in the second round when Mir continued his barrage on the champion, eventually ending it via punches which Nogueira could not defend.

The TKO was the first time in Noguera’s illustrious career that he had been knocked out! Even the Russian sensation Fedor Emelianenko had never managed this. A spectacular upset victory for Mir.

2. Randy Couture vs. Tim Sylvia @ UFC 68

Many people may ask why this is considered an upset and the same answer is always given. Randy Couture was coming out of retirement and moving up a weight class to face (whether people like it or not) one of the most dominant heavyweight champions in UFC history. Not to mention the 10 year age gap and a huge weight difference between the two fighters.

Tim Sylvia had basically cleared the heavyweight division out with his awkward fighting style.  At 6'8'', the man mountain made Couture look like a dwarf as they squared up in the centre of the octagon.

Few believed Randy when he claimed to have found a hole in Sylvia’s game.  The main hope among hardcore Couture fans was that Randy would not be embarrassed.

Randy dropped Sylvia in the opening seconds of round one and continued to punish him throughout the fight, never letting Sylvia dictate the pace, and dominating him on the ground.

When Bruce Buffer read out the decision a state of euphoria erupted around the Nationwide Arena, Randy had yet again caused the upset of the year!

1. Matt Serra vs Georges St. Pierre@ UFC 69

As if there was any doubt, I present the greatest upset in recent UFC events and perhaps all of mixed martial arts. Nobody in the world gave Matt Serra, the comeback edition of the Ultimate Fighter winner, a chance against an opponent largely considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world today.

With only a submission loss to Matt Hughes on his near-perfect record, Georges St. Pierre was the complete fighter.  He was dominant in every aspect that the modern day UFC fighter needs to be, as opposed to his slightly tubby BJJ brawler opponent Matt Serra .

Of course a perfect skill set doesn’t do you any good if you get punched in the head. Serra did everything right, maintained composure, and forced a stunned GSP to tap out in devastating and shocking fashion.