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The UFC is the greatest arena for one of the world's most extreme sports: MMA. Due to its extreme demands, mixed martial arts produces extremes of athleticism and skill in those who take part in the sport. But it is also an unforgiving world, where promising careers can come to a brutal end via knockout.
The sport is defined as one that consists of the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. Very few fighters enjoy those highs, while the vast majority who sign with the UFC experience the lowest of lows at some point in their career. Not everyone is expected to achieve greatness, in fact, most aren't.
But some fighters defy expectations. Those who weren't expected to become champions or achieve the level of success that they ultimately come into represent the rare few who defied the odds. This list covers five such fighters.
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#5. Dricus du Plessis, UFC middleweight
Dricus du Plessis is a fighter that no one expected to reach the heights that he has. He never had a poor record. In fact, the South African has an exceptional record of 20 wins and two losses. Furthermore, he is a former EFC middleweight and welterweight champion, and former KSW welterweight champion.
But his fighting style, which features reckless lunges, poor striking mechanics, a hyper-exposed chin, and was once defined by how quickly he gassed out, had everyone convinced that he wouldn't achieve much in the UFC. Surely, his approach to fighting wasn't conducive to long-term success.
However, du Plessis simply kept on winning. As he climbed the middleweight rankings, he reached Derek Brunson, who everyone was sure would beat him. Instead, the South African TKO'd him. Fans chalked it up to a fluke and were confident that former titleholder Robert Whittaker would school him.
But du Plessis exceeded their expectations again, defeating a man who had only ever lost to Israel Adesanya at middleweight. Now, Dricus du Plessis is the #1 ranked middleweight on the roster. Only the champion sits above him.
#4. Jorge Masvidal, former UFC welterweight/lightweight
Jorge Masvidal was never supposed to become as much a household name as he has. 'Gamebred' was a journeyman for most of his career, winning some fights and losing others. In particular, his inability to do enough to win cost him several fights that he lost via split decision.
He was skilled and serviceable, but ultimately unremarkable as a fighter. Masvidal was nothing special and was treated as such. However, his fortunes changed in 2019 when back-to-back highlight reel knockouts over Darren Till and Ben Askren caught the attention of Nate Diaz, who challenged 'Gamebred' to a fight.
One of MMA's biggest stars wanted to fight him, and they did, competing for the symbolic BMF title, which Masvidal won by TKO'ing Diaz in round three. The three-fight win streak he'd amassed earned him the opportunity that had eluded him for years: a UFC title shot.
Masvidal was never meant to be there. He wasn't supposed to have reached the heights that he did. But he had caught lightning in a bottle. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to dethrone Kamaru Usman, and 'Gamebred' lost all four of his subsequent bouts post-Diaz, before retiring.
#3. Forrest Griffin, former UFC light heavyweight
When people think of UFC champions, it is unlikely that most picture Forrest Griffin. The Hall of Famer is a legend of the sport, but exactly how he reached such heights may very well be a question asked by many. Griffin was not remarkable by any means.
He wasn't an exceptionally skilled fighter, nor did he possesses elite-level athleticism in the sense that he had crippling knockout power, blistering speed, or anything of the sort. What he had was a heart, and a stubborn willingness to survive, and somehow, it allowed him to do what no one expected of him.
First, he defeated the legendary Maurício 'Shogun' Rua, a future light heavyweight champion. Then, he achieved the greatest success of his career by dethroning Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson as light heavyweight champion, capturing the title in a massive upset.
Where all-time greats like Dan Henderson and Chuck Liddell had failed, Forrest Griffin succeeded. He didn't land a flukey flash knockout either, he simply outfought 'Rampage' for 25 minutes.
#2. Alexander Volkanovski, UFC featherweight champion
While fans now recognize Alexander Volkanovski as one of the greatest fighters in the world, there was a time when he was fighting to earn the respect of the fans. No one had him pegged as a future champion during his rise in the UFC featherweight division.
But 'The Great' continued his ascension, eventually defeating Max Holloway to capture undisputed gold. In doing so, he exceeded fan expectations of him, but his greatest odds-defying moment came years later when he challenged Islam Makhachev for lightweight supremacy.
Ahead of the bout, much was made about the large size difference between Volkanovski and Makhachev. In particular, the Dagestani referenced his physical strength as an advantage, with even Bobby Green describing it as inhuman. Not many expected Volkanovski to do as well as he did.
But the Australian gave an extremely good account of himself, exceeding every expectation as he competed with Makhachev in the grappling department, and dropped him in the final round to close out the fight with ground-and-pound. Some even thought he had done enough to win.
Unfortunately, Makhachev's hand was still raised. But Volkanovski had done enough to shatter his foe's aura of invincibility.
#1. Michael Bisping, former UFC middleweight
Michael Bisping spent most of his time as a middleweight being overshadowed by fighters thought to be greater and more skilled than him. From Anderson Silva and Lyoto Machida to Chris Weidman and Luke Rockhold, there were many who popped into fans' minds when they thought of elite middleweights.
No one thought of Bisping. He'd string together a few wins, then lose a title eliminator and tumble down the rankings. He was knocked out by Dan Henderson, and Vitor Belfort, and outworked by Chael Sonnen. No one envisioned him as elite, and he couldn't even earn a title shot to try and prove everyone wrong.
After aging and losing sight in his right eye, courtesy of a Vitor Belfort head kick, fans never expected anything of him. But, as fate would have it, a title shot came his way in a rematch against a man who had beaten him in the past, Luke Rockhold. Unfortunately, 'The Count' accepted the bout on short notice.
He had 17 days to prepare, so no one expected him to win. But come UFC 199, he did just that, shocking the world by knocking Rockhold out to become the middleweight champion.
