Tag: Rankings/List

Many of the most timeless submissions in the history of MMA unfolded unexpectedly.

Anderson Silva’s fifth-round triangle armbar of Chael Sonnen was a classic stunner simply because it spoiled a seemingly definite upset win for The American Gangster.

Others, such as Forrest Griffin’s rear-naked choke of Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, generated extraordinary attention due to the nature and the degree of the upset.

Regardless of their modus operandi, every fighter on this list secured a spot in MMA lore for his acumen to catch the masses off guard by executing submissions in the most unlikely instances.

Here are the most shocking submissions in MMA history. 

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With so many moving parts in play, luck can have a huge role in the success or failure of a mixed martial arts fighter.

Think about all the things that have to line up. You have to avoid injuries. You need to link up with the right training camp. You need favorable opponents. You need a functional promotion. You need good management. You need to stay strong against distractions and diversions. And this is to say nothing about the, you know, actual fight.

Here are five fighters who, for some combination of reasons or another, had pretty unlucky MMA careers. They are listed here in no particular order.

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If success in MMA hinges greatly on hard work and dedication, it seems almost farcical to assume that good fortune plays a major role in the outcome of any high-profile fight.

But for some, like the fighters on this countdown, their careers were made or salvaged because of providential breaks.

In the most opportunistic instances, these fighters enjoyed lopsided matchups, benefited from favorable calls from judges or referees or received forgiveness for typically unforgivable offenses.

Here’s a glimpse at the luckiest fighters in MMA history.

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Every sport has sleepers.

In mixed martial arts, a sport defined by its depth, sleepers exist in the darkest of corners.

They are the lurkers in the night. The unseen forgers of violence and beauty. Unheralded souls capable of doing the impossible just to be noticed.

Whether it’s an undefeated rising star looking for his breakout performance or a veteran five years removed from a world title shot who has now found his true groove, the UFC offers plenty of sleepers.

Here is one for each weight class.

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Following UFC Fight Night 48, it didn’t look like the UFC rankings would be shaken up too much.

Middleweight contender Michael Bisping disposed of unranked former Strikeforce champion Cung Le in the main attraction. Similarly, Tyron Woodley steamrolled Dong Hyun Kim, who was ranked lower than him in the welterweight division.

Then, UFC Fight Night 49 came on Saturday evening and caused all kinds of chaos.

Thales Leites knocked out Francis Carmont, who was ranked three positions higher than the Brazilian heading into the weekend. Unranked welterweight Jordan Mein likely bounced Mike Pyle from the ranking with a knockout victory of his own. Finally, and most surprisingly, Rafael dos Anjos stunned former lightweight champion Benson Henderson in the headlining matchup.

What movement has all this caused in the Top 15 rankings? Here are the latest official UFC rankings via UFC.com, which are voted on by various members of the MMA media.

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