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 degree, Peña would be the one going into the battle 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 an everyday 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 informed ESPN, including with a smile, “I used to be his favourite, as a result of I might by no means cry, and, although he was a lot greater and stronger than me, I saved attacking him with the whole lot I had.”
Persevering by battle royals with an Andre the Big wannabe fell proper in step with her upbringing by a mom decided to instill toughness in her youngest.
“She used to inform me, ‘You’ll rise up for your self,'” Peña recalled. “My mother put that spirit within me, of by no means backing down.”
This will probably be Peña’s fourth consecutive battle as an underdog. Most famously, she overcame the fourth-longest odds in UFC title battle 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 battle by practically 2-to-1 odds.
How lengthy has it been since Peña walked into the cage as a favourite? It final occurred method 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 massive present. She was on a two-fight dropping streak on the regional scene in 2013 when she was solid 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 good friend and coaching companion 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 best way to Australia a pair years later to root towards “Rowdy Ronda” in a title battle 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. “After they entered the Octagon, I keep 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 may do it. As an unimaginable +870 underdog, she picked aside, annoyed and bloodied Rousey on the best way to a vicious second-round knockout.
“I used to be past ecstatic to see Holly try this. It was so inspiring to see,” Peña mentioned. “The issues I took away from that battle had been that the entire world can depend you out, however so long as you’ve gotten perception in your self, you are able to something. And that no one is invincible.”
Each takeaways got here in helpful for Peña years later when she was making ready to problem Nunes. The second her rear-naked choke vanquished the champ, the shocked crowd went eerily quiet, and Peña discovered one thing else about herself.
“I discover the sound of silence lovely,” she mentioned. “Once you’re an underdog, it is simply a chance to silence everyone who doubted you. There’s nothing higher.” When Peña steps into the cage with Harrison this weekend, she will probably 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 battle upsets.
The closing odds listed under had been sourced from ESPN’s UFC database.
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 motive to consider 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, they usually’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 basically ended the bout — and her title reign. Late in Spherical 4 of a battle she was successful on the scorecards, Shevchenko spun for a physique kick however it missed, leaving her again uncovered. Grasso grabbed maintain and shortly 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 led to Spherical 1. She was a one-woman wrecking crew. However on this night time, she was the one getting wrecked … and shortly. 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.
8. Michael Bisping (+400) defeats Luke Rockhold by first-round KO
UFC 199, June 4, 2016 (watch the battle on ESPN+)
Simply 18 months earlier than this battle, 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 major occasion and in want of a substitute opponent for then-UFC middleweight champion Rockhold after former champion Chris Weidman was pressured out due to harm. The decision went out to Bisping. Did Rockhold take him flippantly within the rematch? The champ held his fingers defiantly low and regarded 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 customary of MMA. A two-division UFC champion, he had made a profession of combating greater males, together with champions Georges St-Pierre, Matt Hughes and Lyoto Machida. Edgar, however, lacked that golden pedigree and was small for a light-weight, however he established himself because the little engine that might towards Penn. He outworked “The Prodigy” on his technique to a unanimous choice, though the battle 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 battle, I believed I may beat BJ. I did not know, however I believed. Going into the second battle, I knew I may. I believe that is why the hole between us was loads greater the second time.”
6. Henry Cejudo (+400) defeats Demetrious Johnson by cut up choice
UFC 227, Aug. 4, 2018 (watch the battle on ESPN+)
“Mighty Mouse” had received 13 fights in a row, together with a report 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 may need appeared increased in these rankings if the battle hadn’t been scored a cut up choice that many observers thought ought to have gone Johnson’s method. 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 battle 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 battle 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 may 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 battle 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 battle. However the challenger was undeterred. He saved transferring ahead, whilst Silva evaded the whole lot 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 cut 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 most important title battle upset in UFC historical past. That is sensible 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 solid 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 surprising consequence, particularly contemplating how simply St-Pierre had dealt with Hughes to win the title 5 months earlier. Going into the battle 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 prepared to provide Aldo a rematch.
2. Conor McGregor (+100) defeats. José Aldo by first-round KO
UFC 194, Dec. 12, 2015 (watch the battle on ESPN+)
Numerically, this one does not measure as much as the opposite presumed mismatches on this record, however canonically it represented a significant turning level within the sport’s trajectory. McGregor truly opened as a slight favourite at some sportsbooks. Oddsmakers clearly had been swayed by the movie star 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 very good sport, and that was sufficient for some.
The report reveals that McGregor beat Aldo in 13 seconds. However he truly received the battle effectively earlier than that. McGregor taunted the champ even earlier than they had been booked to battle, and the thoughts video games solely ramped up because the battle bought nearer. Throughout a prefight information convention, McGregor grabbed the belt from the dais and held it excessive, as if it had been his. By battle night time, Aldo was furious. He got here out of his nook with uncharacteristic aggression, and within the very first change, 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. Holly Holm (+870) defeats Ronda Rousey by second-round KO
UFC 193, Nov. 14, 2015 (watch the battle on ESPN+)
This was the upset to upstage all upsets, though MMA followers of latest classic won’t view it as such an unlimited shocker. Trying again now, a decade later, one may keep 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 battle 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 led to 16, 14 and 34 seconds. Nobody may 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, repeatedly. It was beautiful to look at the battle 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.
