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Any time a UFC fight is booked, there's usually a favorite who fans and analysts alike expect to emerge victorious against the underdog. That's the reality of MMA and sports in general. Someone is always favored to win. Sometimes, predictions are correct when evaluating the skill-level of the fighters in question.
The MMA world was correct, for example, when they predicted that Khabib Nurmagomedov would defeat Dustin Poirier, which 'The Eagle' did. But everyone was wrong when they predicted a Conor McGregor win in the Irishman's initial bout against Nate Diaz at UFC 196.
Hardly anyone expected Stockton's finest to win. That is the kind of fighter that this list explores; fighters who the general MMA community assumed were worse than they are; fighters who proved that they're better than their doubters were willing to give them credit for.
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#5. Conor McGregor - UFC lightweight
It's easy to forget how underestimated Conor McGregor once was. During his rise as a featherweight, 'The Notorious' was discredited through every step of his journey to the divisional throne. His brash trash-talk and bold predictions made his fellow 145'ers disregard him as a joker and jester in a division ruled by José Aldo.
His TKO win over Marcus Brimage was disregarded by some due to 'The Bama Beast's' history as a bantamweight. Similarly, his win against Max Holloway was scoffed at due to the Hawaiian's inexperience at the time. His TKO over Diego Brandão was also dismissed, with many citing his foe's status as a short-notice replacement.
While his victory against Dustin Poirier was respected, his subsequent win against Dennis Siver was not taken seriously, with many criticizing the German's skill-set. His comeback against Chad Mendes was famously scoffed at due to his foe being a short-notice replacement.
The level of doubt the Irishman confronted was stacked so high that he began daring people to keep doubting him as he kept winning. Even his 13-second KO against José Aldo was labeled a fluke by some. Donald Cerrone famously dismissed the Irishman's chances at 155 pounds, citing that the lightweights were too big and strong.
Finally, however, after 'The Notorious' took apart Eddie Alvarez in one of the finest title-winning performances in UFC history to become the promotion's first double champion, nothing more could be said.
He proved everyone wrong.
#4. Alex Pereira - UFC middleweight champion
Alex Pereira has enjoyed a short journey to the top of the middleweight rankings. He dethroned Israel Adesanya to capture UFC gold in only his seventh professional MMA bout. Thus far, he has only had four fights in the octagon. Due to his relative inexperience, he's been doubted by many.
During the leadup to his bout with 'The Last Stylebender', countless people mentioned the Brazilian's greenness. The caliber of opponents he faced to earn a title shot was also called into question given that Sean Strickland, other than Israel Adesanya himself, is the only currently ranked foe he has defeated.
Furthermore, many UFC fighters expressed their belief that the flashy Nigerian-New Zealander had far too much MMA experience for his rival to contend with. They cited his bouts with skilled opponents like Robert Whittaker and claimed that 'Poatan' would lose. His prior kickboxing wins over Adesanya were also widely discounted.
Many eagerly spoke about how different an MMA bout would be. Others claimed that 'Poatan' wouldn't have earned a title fight had the UFC not fast-tracked him due to his history with Adesanya as they claimed he lacked the skill to defeat top contenders at 185 pounds.
Despite all the criticism, Pereira silenced his doubters by dethroning Adesanya with a fifth-round TKO to crown himself the new middleweight champion. Claims that he couldn't defeat top contenders crumbled as he defeated the one man who no one else at middleweight could.
#3. Aljamain Sterling - UFC bantamweight champion
For most of his career, Aljamain Sterling has been heralded due to the breadth of grappling skills at his disposal. His combination of strong wrestling, high-level Brazilian jiu-jitsu and powerful kicks have rendered him a tough outing for anyone in the bantamweight division.
But his skill-level came into question after his disqualification win against Petr Yan at UFC 259. Throughout the course of that bout, 'Funk Master' was on the losing end. He conceded several takedowns and suffered a knockdown. Everyone was certain that he would lose, but 'No Mercy' made an ill-timed decision that cost him.
He landed an illegal knee on Sterling while he was a grounded opponent, leading to a DQ. The nature of the bout led many to completely discount Sterling's chances of winning a rematch. This was only magnified after the American opted to have neck surgery instead of rushing into an immediate rematch.
By the time their rematch was booked for UFC 273, everyone was certain that 'Funk Master' would suffer a loss. Fans predicted that he'd be destroyed by Petr Yan.
So, after he stunned the world by outgrappling his foe en route to a split-decision win that no one thought him capable of, he proved his doubters wrong.
#2. Sean O'Malley - UFC bantamweight
Sean O'Malley has always had a deep pool of striking skills and natural talent. Furthermore, his deceptive punching power and his height and reach advantages render him an extremely dangerous foe for anyone who can't outgrapple him. He's also fast and has a bag of versatile tricks and feints to walk his foes into counters.
Unfortunately, 'Sugar' wasn't highly regarded by many UFC fans due to his record against high-level foes. Up until his bout with Petr Yan, he looked fantastic against lower-regarded fighters. But every time he faced anyone close to the top 10, he had far less impressive performances.
He lost his undefeated record against Marlon 'Chito' Vera via TKO and struggled to get anything going against Pedro Munhoz before an eye poke led to the bout being ruled a no contest. So, when 'Sugar' was scheduled to face Petr Yan at UFC 280, no one gave him a chance.
The MMA world was largely unanimous in its belief that O'Malley was going to suffer a lopsided and even brutal loss against Yan.
Instead, the rising bantamweight star rose to the occasion and made the bout competitive en route to earning a split-decision win against an opponent who everyone predicted would destroy him.
#1. Charles Oliveira - UFC lightweight
Back in 2016, no one would have ever imagined that Charles Oliveira would one day be capable of becoming a UFC champion. He was a featherweight with a history of missing weight and coming up short against certain contenders. At the time, he hadn't been on a win streak in over a year.
He was written off by many. Not only was he regarded as a gatekeeper with a quitter's mentality, he wasn't ranked as a potential title threat by anyone. But after a minor setback against Paul Felder during his return to the lightweight division, 'Do Bronx' went on a thrilling tear.
He amassed an 11-fight win streak, which included finishes against the likes of three-time Bellator lightweight champion Michael Chandler and former UFC interim lightweight titleholders Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje. During his legendary win streak, he defied the odds by capturing the 155-pound title.
After being completely written off by his doubters, 'Do Bronx' carved out a legacy as one of the greatest lightweights in history. Furthermore, he became the owner of the record for the most submissions and finishes in the promotion.
