They say MMA is exciting because anything can happen -- and it's true.
They say MMA is exciting because anything can happen -- and it's
true. A dominant performance can be instantly undone by a simple
mistake; a seemingly hopeless underdog can still twist out a win in the
final seconds of a fight.
Perhaps the most famous comeback in UFC history is Matt Hughes over
Frank Trigg at UFC 52 for the Welterweight Championship. Minutes into
the first round, Hughes was in worst case scenario mode with Trigg on
his back trying to secure a rear naked choke. Hughes did not give up
and amazingly reversed the position mere seconds later. Hughes sunk in
a choke of his own and retained his belt. Performances like these make
champions and one day UFC Hall of Famers.
And crowd-pleasing come-from-behind victories aren't just
one-in-a-million events -- they happen every few fights. Here are 11
great jaw-dropping, odds-defying, crazy comeback wins in recent UFC
history.
1. Paulo Thiago vs. Josh Koscheck, UFC 95
- Paulo Thiago's debut in the Octagon was greeted by three minutes and
change of Josh Koscheck trying to knock his head off. "Kos" stalked
Thiago with his trademark loaded up right hand that three months
earlier had rendered Yoshiyuki Yoshida unconscious. Thiago ducked and
dodged that fist missile for nearly three and half minutes before he
countered Koscheck suddenly with an uppercut followed by a fight ending
left hook. Not a bad way to start a UFC career.
2. Terry Martin vs. Chris Leben, UFC Fight Night 11
- Every UFC fan predicted a brutal knockout finish from a big puncher
match-up like Chris Leben and Terry Martin. After 10 minutes of action,
the duo were still on their feet slugging it out. Both fighters were
gassed from two rounds of throwing power punches and absorbing their
punishment. Martin landed a series of blows that staggered the hard
headed Leben. It looked as if Martin only needed to land a few more big
wallops to finish "The Crippler" for good. With just over a minute left
in the final round, Martin made the mistake of dropping his guard to
taunt Leben. That moment was all "The Crippler" needed to set-up a
quality counter and KO the brazen Martin.
3. Roger Huerta vs. Clay Guida, TUF 6 Finale
- Down two rounds to the cardio-machine Clay Guida, Roger Huerta knew
he had to do something near miraculous in this third round to win.
Waiting for the round to start, Huerta was psyching himself up like a
mad man and, just in tune, so was Guida. The two caught eyes and in
that moment everyone in the audience, at home and in the cage knew that
something wild was about to happen. Guida and Huerta flew at each
other, resulting in Huerta dropping Guida with a series of hard
strikes. "El Matador" dove on Guida's back and sunk in the rear naked
choke to punctuate his victory.
4. Scott Smith vs. Pete Sell, TUF 4 Finale
- This fight was destined to be a fan favorite: two fighters looking
for a one punch knockout and zero thought of grappling. The first round
delivered on that promise with Pete Sell and Scott Smith standing and
trading bombs for the entirety. The second round started with much of
the same until Sell finally tilted the fight in his favor with a body
shot. Smith reeled in pain from Sell's right uppercut to his liver and
appeared nearly helpless against the cage. Sell rushed in, thinking
this would be his crowning moment, instead he was met with a final
overhand right by Smith. Sell was out instantly, which was good for
Smith because he fell to canvas unable to continue as well. A one punch
knockout was expected and delivered by "Hands of Stone" Scott Smith.
5. Minotauro Nogueira vs. Heath Herring III, UFC 73
- Former PRIDE Heavyweight Champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira was famous
for two things: submission victories and an iron chin. No one could
have expected in Nogueira's UFC debut that Heath Herring would almost
knock him out via high kick. In what seemed like a nightmare to "Big
Nog" fans, for the first time against an opponent not named Fedor or
Henderson, it appeared like Nogueira was going to get beaten. Herring
hesitated with his next attack just enough for Nogueira to shake the
cobwebs loose. Nogueira survived that first round calamity and came
back in the second and third focused. Nogueira out fought Herring on
the ground and standing the other two rounds, keeping his winning
streak against Herring unmarked.
6. Jeremy Stephens vs. Rafael dos Anjos, UFC 91
- If only fights lasted two rounds instead of three rounds in the UFC.
If only punching wasn't allowed in the UFC. These were the thoughts
running through Rafael dos Anjos' head the nanosecond before Jeremy
Stephens nearly uppercutted it off 39 seconds into the third round. For
two rounds, these two young lightweights fought a fast paced grappling
match in favor of the Brazilian. Dos Anjos showed off his superior
takedowns, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and overall ground game, which quelled
all of Stephens' electric stand-up. Coming out for the third round,
"Lil' Heathen" knew only a knockout could secure him a win and he did
just that. With nothing to lose, Stephens loaded up a fight ending
uppercut that when fired off landed perfectly. That punch won Stephens
the fight and "Knockout of the Night" honors.
7. Michael Bisping vs. Denis Kang, UFC 105
- Four months after being knocked out with an overhand right, Michael
Bisping was experiencing deja vu when Denis Kang tagged him with an
overhand right a minute into their bout. Bisping fell to the canvas and
Kang jumped right on top of him. The following four minutes was "The
Count" in survival mode with Kang looking to finish what he had
started. Bisping defended effectively from his back and pushed the
fight into the second round. The biased British crowd cheered Bisping
on as he attacked the second round with new energy. Head kicks, two big
takedowns and a lot of ground and pound secured another win for Bisping
on his native soil.
8. Nate Diaz vs. Kurt Pellegrino, UFC Fight Night 13 -
The night started off poorly for Nate Diaz: he was taken down
immediately, gave up his back, was taking shots to the side of the head
and he hadn't landed one punch of his own yet. It got overwhelmingly
worse when Kurt Pellegrino locked on a crucifix position and rained
down punches which cut Diaz open. Diaz gutted it out the rest of the
first round, giving himself another shot at his Jersey shore opponent.
The second round started out much the same with "The Batman" scoring
another takedown on Diaz, but this time Diaz was ready. Using his long
legs, Diaz defended better off his back and, eventually, secured a
fight ending triangle choke submission. For Diaz's victory celebration,
he offered up a double gun salute to the crowd while Pellegrino tapped.
9. Todd Duffee vs. Mike Russow, UFC 114
- In his first fight since setting the record for fastest-ever knockout
in the UFC, Todd Duffee entered the Octagon escorted by his corner and
seven mountains of hype. He spent the first two rounds showing off that
devastating power against a seemingly iron-jawed Mike Russow, whose
grappling prowess was ineffective against the gargantuan Duffee.
Although Duffee gassed, Russow was further crippled by a broken arm,
and it appeared that the crowd would have to wait the full fifteen
minutes for the unanimous decision... until an over-the-top right
halfway through the third round sent Duffee careening toward the
canvas, out cold.
10. Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir I
- It did not take long for Brock Lesnar to make an impact in the UFC.
That "impact" was his XXXL sized fist hitting Frank Mir's face almost
as soon as the bell rang in his debut fight. All 265+ pounds of Lesnar
dove onto the fallen Mir looking to finish the fight as quick as it
started. In the midst of Lesnar pounding Mir with hammer fists, referee
Steve Mazzagatti stopped the action to warn Lesnar of illegally
striking the back Mir's head with said hammer fists. With that
momentary break, Mir regained his faculties. As Lesnar attempted to
achieve top position, Mir used his superior Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to wrap
up one of Lesnar's legs. Mir wrenched back on the isolated leg and
Lesnar was forced to tap.
11. Rashad Evans vs. Forrest Griffin, UFC 92
- In Forrest Griffin's first UFC Light Heavyweight title defense he
took on burgeoning knockout artist Rashad Evans. The opening two rounds
went quite favorably for the Champion. Griffin scored with a variety of
strikes early and often, which kept the heavy handed Evans retreating
and on defense. The third frame started with much of the same until
Evans timed and caught a Griffin low kick. Evans forced Griffin to the
ground and dealt out some excessive ground and pound. A couple solid
elbows and a whole lot of left hooks brought an end to Griffin's title
reign and Evans was crowned the new UFC Light Heavyweight Champion.