Ten UFC and Boxing Upsets That Shook Up the World
by Larson Hill

Who could have predicted the dramatic outcome of CBS’s EliteXC broadcast on October 4 when Ken Shamrock pulled out of his fight with Kimbo Slice at the last minute only to be replaced by Seth “The Silverback” Petruzelli? No matter what the ratings say, CBS came out the winner as last minute opponent Petruzelli stunned fight fans when he swiftly disposed of favorite Kimbo Slice in 14 seconds of the 1st round with one decisive blow. It’s the type of Cinderella story that all fighters dream of being a part of at least once. And with Kimbo’s rapid descent to the mat, it’s a Hollywood script that writes itself.

As we still savor our Saturday night fight fun, here’s a look at our “Ten UFC and Boxing Upsets That Shook Up the World” from days gone by in both the octagon and boxing ring.

Pete Williams Stuns Mark Coleman – UFC 17

When UFC and MMA wasn’t as mainstream and widely accepted as it is today, one of the biggest upsets of the then mainly underground sport came in 1998 in Mobile, Alabama at UFC 17 when rising Lion’s Den star Pete Williams knocked out former and first UFC Heavyweight champ Mark Coleman. Coleman, who beat Dan Severen a year earlier, had lost a war to Maurice Smith in an overtime decision and was looking to regain his form up against Peter Williams. A former Olympic wrestler, Coleman was known to get fatigued in later rounds but was still heavily favored to beat Williams on his way back to the top of UFC. Shocking the UFC world with one of the most famous (if not the most watched) kicks to the head the sport has ever seen, Coleman leaned forward, accepted Williams’ boot before hitting the mat for the first time in his career in dramatic fashion.

Gabriel Gonzaga Over Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic - UFC 70

Despite racking up five straight victories between 2004 and 2006, Brazilian born fighter Gabriel Gonzaga shocked the UFC world when he knocked out imposing Croatian cop Mirko Filipovic in the first round at UFC 70. With an impressive right kick to the head, Gonzaga finished off Filipovic with nine seconds to spare in round one. Highly touted after winning the 2006 Open Weight Grand Prix, Cro Cop was a formidable star on the rise until Gonzaga stopped Filipovic in his tracks, forcing the former PRIDE star to reevaluate his strategy and approach to UFC. The stunning upset earned Gonzaga a subsequent fight with Randy Couture at UFC 74 where he lost in the new champion’s first title defense after reclaiming the Heavyweight title.

Sugar Ray Leonard Beats Marvin Hagler - 1986

It’s the fight that everyone wanted to see but supposedly would never happen but did finally go down at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas in 1987. After leaving the ring in 1982 due to an eye injury only to make a lackluster comeback, Sugar Ray Leonard came out of a three year retirement after being floored by unknown Kevin Howard in 1984 to take on Middleweight champ Marvelous Marvin Hagler. At the time, both Hagler and Leonard were two of the era’s greatest boxers and the biggest financial draws outside of the higher-profile Heavyweight division. Although most fans wanted to see the fight years earlier, people were still curious despite the fact that Hagler and Leonard were reaching the end of their careers. Throughout his career Hagler dominated the Middleweight division and was favored to beat the perceived “rusty” Leonard until Sugar Ray shocked the boxing world and took Hagler a full 12 rounds to earn a split decision victory. To this day the Hagler – Leonard fight still divides boxing fans as many look at it one of the most controversial and shocking decisions in fight history.

Randy Turpin Beats Sugar Ray Robinson - 1951

By the time former Welterweight turned Middleweight champ Sugar Ray Robinson flew to London to fight British and European Middleweight champ Randy Turpin, Robinson already had over 90 professional bouts, with only one loss to the legendary Jake LaMotta (another huge upset), which he later avenged. Widely considered to be the best boxer in history, by 1951 Robinson was fighting all comers and put his title on the line after beating LaMotta a year earlier to fight Turpin, who was thought to be nothing more than a notch on Robinson’s belt despite being a good fighter and heavy puncher in his native England. Although most thought Robinson would win the bout handedly, Turpin took the champ 15 rounds before earning a decision in one of the most surprise upsets in the history of boxing. Randy Turpin’s reign as world champ was short-lived when two months later he traveled to the U.S. where Sugar Ray Robinson regained his titled after beating Turpin in a rematch in New York City.

Rashad Evans Over Chuck Liddell – UFC 88

UFC 88 proved that under the hot lights above the octagon, ice melts faster than we thought. If there was a universal definition for the words “one punch knockout”, Rashad Evan’s overhand right bomb to the jaw of Chuck Liddell would be it. In September 2008 at UFC 88, Evans shocked the fight world when in textbook knockout fashion he took the legs out from underneath legendary former champion Chuck Liddell. One of the greatest fighters to ever step into the octagon, Liddell was surprisingly on the receiving end of one of the greatest knockouts in UFC history. Whether it’s UFC, boxing, street fighting, MMA, or whatever form of hand-to-hand combat, you won’t find a better knock out than this.

Randy Couture Beats Tim Sylvia - UFC 68

Comebacks make upsets so much sweeter and that’s exactly what went down at UFC 68 when then retired UFC Hall of Fame inductee Randy Couture stepped back into the octagon to face then current champ Tim Sylvia. Over a year removed from his second loss to Chuck Liddell, the 43 year old Couture was the heavy underdog since most odds makers and fight fans thought the former champ turned film/TV personality’s best days were behind him. From the get-go, Couture shocked Sylvia with an early Kimbo-like punch and dominated the fight until winning a unanimous decision to become the first ever three-time UFC Heavyweight champion. In many ways when you look at fighters to retain the Heavyweight title, Randy Couture is the Muhammad Ali of UFC.

Matt Serra Beats George St. Pierre – UFC 69

Six months after becoming UFC Welterweight Champion, heavily favored French-Canadian George St. Pierre was an odds on money-in-the-bank lock to beat Matt Serra. In true “shock the world” fashion, Serra stunned fans and the UFC when he knocked out St. Pierre with a volley of strikes at UFC 69 in April 2007. At the time, St. Pierre was an unstoppable force and arguably the greatest athlete in all of fighting until Serra’s victory threw the entire Welterweight division into chaos. Serra’s upset over St. Pierre is widely considered to be the greatest upset in the history of UFC. One year later, George St. Pierre and Matt Serra squared off again in their second bout, with St. Pierre reclaiming the Welterweight title after knocking out Serra in the second round of the headliner at UFC 83.

Muhammad Ali Knocks Out George Foreman - 1974

Muhammad Ali’s legendary “Rumble in the Jungle” in Zaire with then Heavyweight champ George Foreman has become one of the classic underdog stories in fight history. At the time, despite Ali’s already impressive legacy, no one thought the former champ had a hope in hell of beating Foreman. No One! After laying waste to Ken Norton and rolling over Joe Frazier, George Foreman was unstoppable in 1974. Not only was he one of the hardest punchers in the history of boxing, the fear and hype over Foreman had created an almost monster-like image. At the time, Ali was still struggling to regain his form after being reinstated from his suspension and stance over the Vietnam War. As widely reported and on record, Ali knew he had an uphill climb to beat Foreman so he began to verbally create an aura of fear and intimidation around himself while training for the battle. After many stops and starts, and with Ali’s verbal jousting, Foreman was thrown off his game and knocked out in explosive fashion by Muhammad Ali in arguably the most unlikely upsets in boxing history.

Cassius Clay Beats Sonny Liston - 1964

There haven’t been too many fights that have shaken up the world like when Cassius Clay (then soon to be Muhammad Ali) defeated Sonny Liston in 1964 to win his first Heavyweight title. Like his bout with Forman a decade later, no one thought Clay would last three rounds with the most terrifying fighter in the world. Although Clay was an Olympic gold medalist, Sonny Liston was a bone-crushing street brawler who was expected to make short work of the flamboyant 22 year old up and comer. In what became the first fight to showcase his no-fear approach to getting inside an opponent’s head, Clay stood up to Liston prior to the fight, making fun of the champ in order to rattle his confidence. After eight rounds of taking punches and dancing with the speedier Clay, Liston refused to come out of his corner and handed Cassius Clay his first Heavyweight title. After the fight, Clay let boxing fans know he “shook up the world!”

Buster Douglas Drops Mike Tyson - 1990

When Mike Tyson traveled to Tokyo, Japan to defend his Heavyweight title against James “Buster” Douglas in 1990, absolutely no one was paying attention. It was viewed as just another fight on Tyson’s already impressive title belt. That is until Buster Douglas shocked the world by knocking out the mighty Tyson in the 10th round to claim the Heavyweight crown in what’s considered by many to be the biggest upset in sports history. If you could go back in time, it’s safe to say that you wouldn’t find one person on the planet that would have predicted Tyson’s defeat. At the time, no one thought Mike Tyson could be defeated. Amazingly, Douglas turned the unstoppable Tyson into a dazed mess who slumped to his knees in the corner barely able to hang on to his mouthpiece in one of the most memorable images to ever come out of the ring. If you look back at the footage of the entire fight, Buster Douglas looked like a seasoned pro as he handedly took Tyson to task in the best fight of his life. Since Mike Tyson’s loss to Buster Douglas the Heavyweight division hasn’t been the same since, as much of the glory has been transferred to the lighter, more explosive fighters.