SUMMARY
- The year 2023 saw some incredible fights, heated press conferences, and narratives that went beyond the octagon.
- Coincidentally, both Suga and Funkmaster defeated Petr 'No Mercy' Yan in controversial decision wins on their road to the title.
In the realm of sports, nothing is as thrilling as the victory of an underdog. We all crave those David versus Goliath moments in sports where the plucky underdog emerges victorious. The world of combat sports is no stranger to such moments of upset. The year saw a lot of fighters defy the odds and claim victory.
The year 2023 saw some incredible fights, heated press conferences, and narratives that went beyond the octagon. But what made the fight fans stay at the edge of their seats were the huge upsets. Fans hotly debated which upset victories were the best in 2023. Here are the 5 biggest upsets of 2023 in the UFC.
5. UFC 292: Sterling vs O’Malley
Sean O’Malley’s rise in the UFC has been nothing sort of meteoric. Dana White has proclaimed O’Malley as the new star of the UFC. Suga finally put his stamp on the bantamweight division by winning the title at UFC 292 by defeating Aljamain Sterling by TKO.
Coincidentally, both Suga and Funkmaster defeated Petr ‘No Mercy’ Yan in controversial decision wins on their road to the title. The Funkmaster is regarded as a phenomenal grappling artist. His resume includes impressive wins over Cory Sandhagen, TJ Dillashaw, and Henry Cejudo.
Even though Sterling won the first round on the judges’ scorecard, O’Malley defied the odds and landed a beautiful counter right in the second round to win the fight. The win marked the beginning of the era of the Suga Show.
4. UFC 285: Grasso vs Shevchenko
The most significant upset of the year has to be credited to Alexa Grasso for winning the Women’s Flyweight Championship. She defeated Valentina ‘Bullet’ Shevchenko in the title fight. The women’s divisions of the UFC are known to produce highlight reel-worthy upsets, such as Julianna Pena defeating Amanda Nunes in 2021.
Before earning her title shot, Grasso had defeated Viviano Araujo which set up the title fight at UFC 285. Her opponent, Valentina Shevchenko, is widely considered one of the greatest martial artists in the combat world. Far from being fazed, Grasso made her mettle known to the world by submitting Shevchenko via a face crank in the fourth round of the fight to earn the championship.
Her win was undoubtedly the biggest upset in the UFC in 2023. She also successfully defended her title against the Bullet at UFC Fight Night 227 through a split draw.
3. UFC 287: Adesanya vs Perreira
The rivalry between Israel Adesanya and Alex Perreira has spanned two different sports. At Glory Kickboxing, Perreira defeated Adesanya twice, and one of them was a brutal knockout. Fans were excited when Paotan finally made his way to the UFC, which set up a new chapter in their rivalry. All the narratives came to a standstill at UFC 281 as Alex Perreira caused an upset by knocking out Izzy in the final minute of the fifth round.
UFC 287 saw the rematch between Paotan and Izzy, and this time Adesanya was the underdog. Izzy started the match on the back foot, as Perreira’s leg kicks had him hurt. But he turned the tide in the final minute of round two with a brutal right, which knocked out Perreira.
Will these two ever face off again in the Octagon? Maybe the fans will see another chapter in the eternal rivalry between Adesanya and Perreira.
2. UFC 290: Whittaker vs du Plessis
A major upset occurred at UFC 290 as fan favorite Robert ‘The Reaper’ Whittaker lost to Dricus du Plessis via TKO in the second round. The bout was deemed a title eliminator and cemented Dricus as the number-one contender for the middleweight title.
Bobby Knuckles was hailed as an overwhelming favorite coming into the fight. Before the fight, Whittaker was considered the second-best in the division, and the only reason he was not the champion was because of the presence of Israel Adesanya. But at UFC 290, Dricus du Plessis showcased why he deserves to be the number one contender in the division with a decisive showing.
Du Plessis is set to face Sean Strickland at UFC 297 in 2024. Robert Whittaker is also set to make his comeback versus Paulo Costa at UFC 298. The fans wait eagerly to see how their next fights will shape up.
1. UFC 293: Sean Strickland vs Israel Adesanya
Sean Strickland has become a star in the UFC with his brash and outspoken ways. But what made Strickland’s popularity soar to new heights was earning the Middleweight Championship by defeating Israel ‘The Last Stylebender’ Adesanya at UFC 293. Many analysts and fans consider Adesanya to be one of the greatest fighters to have stepped foot in the Octagon.
Before their title fight, Israel Adesanya had comfortably won almost all his fights at middleweight. His only loss in middleweight was to long-time rival Alex Perreira, and his other loss was in the light heavyweight division to Jan Blachowicz. Adesanya’s elusive style had frustrated every one of his opponents and earned him comparisons to the great Anderson Silva.
Before the title bout, Strickland had a string of mixed results in the company, even losing via TKO to Adesanya’s rival Alex Perreira. But MMA math never works, as Sean pulled out a performance for the ages versus Izzy and comfortably defeated him. Many credited Sean’s defensive boxing and distance management as the keys to his win.
These were the most significant upsets of 2023. Fans are visibly excited for 2024, which has a ton of exciting matches with the potential for even greater upsets.