Chris Weidman’s knockout victory over Anderson Silva at UFC 162 was definitely one of the biggest upsets in MMA history—not only for snapping Silva’s 16-fight win streak in the UFC, but also because Weidman became the first fighter to ever finish him by strikes.
Just where exactly does this fight rank in the annals of MMA upset history?
Should it be ranked higher than Matt Serra’s shocking victory over George St-Pierre at UFC 69: Shootout on April 7, 2007?
Is it more impressive than Fabricio Werdum’s triangle victory over Fedor Emelianenko in Strikeforce on June 26, 2010?
Does it surpass Mike Chandlers stunning fourth-round submission finish over Eddie Alvarez at UFC 58 on November 19, 2011?
As far as betting odds are concerned, GSP was a -1300 favorite when Serra defeated him. Fedor was a minus-700 favorite when he was submitted by Werdum, and was undefeated in his previous 29 consecutive fights. Silva was actually the lowest favorite out of the others mentioned at minus-230, right behind Alavarez’s minus-260 when he lost to Chandler.
While GSP had lost to Matt Hughes six fights prior to Matt Serra, the fact that he was an overwhelming favorite and lost to a fighter who just won the “Comebacks” season of The Ultimate Fighter, that should rank that upset as the greatest of all time.
Fedor’s invincibility coming to an end at the hands of Fabricio Werdum should be second, especially due to the fact that the Russian standout lost his next two fights. Werdum being the first fighter to submit the Combat Sambo champion counts aplenty though.
Weidman’s knockout victory over Silva slides in nicely in the third position ahead of Chandler’s upset over Alvarez.
There are several factors that led to this ranking. One factor is that many fighters and experts were picking Weidman to win. The other is that Silva was only a minus-230 favorite, much lower than GSP’s line vs. Serra and Fedor’s vs. Werdum. Lastly, Silva is 38 years old, the oldest among the fighters who were upset and clearly closer to the end of his career than the beginning. GSP was 25 when he lost, Fedor was 32 and Alvarez was 27.
Weidman finishing “The Spider” is undoubtedly one of the greatest upsets in MMA history. Whether it’s the greatest upset or not is a matter of subjectivity. There is no disputing it is among the greatest.
Where do the Bleacher Report MMA readers rank it? Sound off in the comments below.
Michael Stets is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report
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