Julianna Peña is in her second reign as UFC ladies’s bantamweight champion. In successful three of her previous 4 fights, she has overwhelmed two different champs. That is the type of résumé that ought to situate a fighter on high 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 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 big WWE fan, and he beat the snot out of me and my two older sisters,” Peña advised ESPN, including with a smile, “I used to be his favourite, as a result of I might by no means cry, and, despite the fact that he was a lot larger and stronger than me, I stored attacking him with every thing I had.”
Persevering by means of 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 rise up for your self,'” Peña recalled. “My mother put that spirit inside me, of by no means backing down.”
This can 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 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 title of Conor McGregor. Bear 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 pal and coaching associate Miesha Tate. The opposing crew’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. “Once 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 stated. “The issues I took away from that battle have been that the entire world can rely 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 surprised crowd went eerily quiet, and Peña discovered one thing else about herself.
“I discover the sound of silence stunning,” she stated. “Whenever you’re an underdog, it is simply a possibility to silence all people who doubted you. There’s nothing higher.” When Peña steps into the cage with Harrison this weekend, she can be looking for to silence her doubters as soon as extra. As of Wednesday, Peña is a +500 underdog, per ESPN BET. Can she high any of the notable UFC shockers of the previous? Here is one observer’s rating of essentially the most impactful title battle upsets.
The closing odds listed beneath have 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 achieve 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, 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 all the time 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 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 tug 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 shortly. The 2 champions — Cyborg at featherweight, Nunes at bantamweight — each got here out swinging, and the quicker Nunes repeatedly beat her larger opponent to the punch. One knockdown. Two. Three. 4. It was over in 51 seconds, making Nunes considered 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 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 foremost occasion and in want of a substitute opponent for then-UFC middleweight champion Rockhold after former champion Chris Weidman was compelled out due to harm. The decision went out to Bisping. Did Rockhold take him evenly within the rematch? The champ held his arms defiantly low and appeared 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 resolution
UFC 112, April 10, 2010
There was a time when Penn was broadly thought of the gold commonplace of MMA. A two-division UFC champion, he had made a profession of preventing larger 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 would towards Penn. He outworked “The Prodigy” on his technique to a unanimous resolution, 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 so much larger the second time.”
6. Henry Cejudo (+400) defeats Demetrious Johnson by cut up resolution
UFC 227, Aug. 4, 2018 (watch the battle on ESPN+)
“Mighty Mouse” had received 13 fights in a row, together with a document 11 defenses of the boys’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 larger in these rankings if the battle hadn’t been scored a cut up resolution 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 high 5 of title battle upsets. She beat the GOAT at a time when Nunes was champion of two weight lessons 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 stated. “Me beating Amanda that night time simply got here right down to pure perception and exhausting 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, essentially the most consecutive victories in UFC historical past. “The Spider” was not merely beating everybody, he was making them appear to be fools. Silva toyed with Weidman, too, early on this battle. 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 cut up second — simply lengthy sufficient for a follow-up left hand to drop Silva and ship shockwaves by means of the game.
3. Matt Serra (+850) defeats Georges St-Pierre by first-round TKO
UFC 69, April 7, 2007
This one is usually 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 space towards Penn, a former champion. And St-Pierre, making his first protection of the welterweight title, had not but established his supremacy. Having stated all that, this nonetheless was a surprising outcome, 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 appropriate 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 present 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 would not measure as much as the opposite presumed mismatches on this record, 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 have been swayed by the superstar reputation 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 an excellent recreation, and that was sufficient for some.
The document exhibits that McGregor beat Aldo in 13 seconds. However he truly received the battle properly earlier than that. McGregor taunted the champ even earlier than they have been booked to battle, and the thoughts video games solely ramped up because the battle obtained nearer. Throughout a prefight information convention, McGregor grabbed the belt from the dais and held it excessive, as if it have been his. By battle 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 battle 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. Wanting again now, a decade later, one would possibly 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 considered 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 may hold 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 gorgeous to observe the battle not instantly go to the mat, like all earlier Rousey fights had. It was gorgeous to see the champion’s face redden and her spirit dissipate. It was gorgeous to see Holm’s head kick within the opening minute of Spherical 2 ship Rousey and her aura of invincibility crashing to the canvas.