UFC 193: Holly Holm KO's Ronda Rousey
It was the kick heard around the world. Holly Holm knocked Ronda Rousey out cold 59 seconds into the 2nd round of their title fight at UFC 193. Heading into the bount, both fighters had been undefeated, Holm at 9-0-0 and Rousey at 12-0 going into this fight. Those numbers changed when Holm landed a kick to the head of Rousey about a minute into round two pout down the champion, thus ending her title reign. Holm became the second female bantamweight champion in UFC history, halting Rousey's run of six consecutive title defenses. It was the seventh knockout win of Holm's MMA career and her quickest finish. Here's an even bigger kicker. Prior to UFC 193, Rousey's past three fights lasted 34, 16, and 14 seconds. But she was no match for former champion boxer and underdog Holm. Rhonda is still one of the biggest, if not the biggest, star in the sport of MMA and UFC. But this loss knocked her down a peg. Don't be surprised if we get a rematch soon.
Boxing: Buster Douglas KO's Mike Tyson (1990)
How big of an underdog was James "Buster" Douglas when he stepped into the ring against Tyson in Japan? The Mirage, which had opened three months earlier, was the only Las Vegas casino to make odds on the fight. They had Douglas as a 42-1 underdog, which is why when he knocked out Tyson, who was 37-0 at the time, in the 10th round, Jim Lampley called it, "The biggest upset in the history of heavyweight championship fights!" In the sport of Boxing, nobody was better at that time than Tyson. Buster Douglas was given no chance what so ever. But Douglas did the impossible and knocked Tyson flat out. This is going down as the biggest upset in boxing history, and one of the greatest fights ever.
New York Jets defeat Baltimore Colts in SuperBowl III (1969)
Not too many people gave the Jets much of a chance in this football game. The NFL had dominated the AFL since the merger in 1966, in fact it wasn't even really close. Then all of a sudden, Joe Namath comes in with The Guarantee, saying the Jets were going to pull off the win. Sure enough, the Jets went out there, knocked off the Colts and claimed the only Superbowl title in New York Jets history. One of the most iconic images taken from this game was the slow-motion shot of him wagging his index finger as Namath ran off the field. Here's some food for thought about this game. Baltimore didn't score its touchdown until late in the fourth quarter but already trailed 16-0 by then to the 18-point underdog Jets. Yes the Jets were underdogs by 18 points in this game, but didn't let it get to them and walked away with the 16-7 victory.
New England Patriots defeaat St. Louis Rams in SuperBowl XXXVI (2002)
St. Louis was the highest scoring team in the NFL, ringing up 503 points and going 14-2 during the regular season. New England was coming in with an unknown in Tom Brady at QB, because Drew Bledsoe was taken out by the Jets in week two. So Brady lead the Pats on a run at the end of the season and a couple of nail bitting victories early in the playoffs. One of which was the Tuck Rule game against the Raiders in the wild card game. Now lets flash forward to the Super Bowl.While St. Louis piled up 427 yards of offense, the 14-point favorites held only one lead (3-0) and the Patriots' dynasty was born as Tom Brady set up Adam Vinatieri's 48-yard, game-winning field goal in Super Bowl 36.
New York Giants defeat New England Patriots SuperBowl XLII (2008)
The New England Patriots were looking to complete their perfect season, but it was the New York Giants who would play party pooper at the 2007 Super Bowl. This game of course had one of the most iconic catches in sports history, as David Tyree caught a pass by pressing the ball against his helmet. This catch would lead the Giants onto their game-winning drive, where they took the game with a 17-14 lead. There was no doubt that many had pretty much labeled the Patriots as winners before the game even started (12-point favorites), as this team was proven under coach Bill Belichick with quarterback Tom Brady. The Giants, on the other hand, were nobodies, but they became somebodies with this win. There is nothing more upsetting than losing a shot at perfection.
Appalachian State defeats Michigan (2007)
Going into the contest, Michigan was the #5 team in the country. It was supposed to be a cakewalk. Nobody told that to Appalachian State. But it came as a shock to the crowd of 109,000 people at the big house in Ann Arbor Michigan. Not only did the Mountaineers win, but they knocked the Wolverines completely out of the Top 25 in the process. Ranked No. 5 entering the season, Michigan had national-championship aspirations. But Appalachian State had different plans. Led by dynamic Quarterback Armanti Edwards and speedy wide out Dexter Jackson, the Mountaineers became the first Division I-AA team to beat a ranked Division I-A team, defeating the Wolverines 34-32. This is going to go down as one of the biggest upsets in all of football at any level.
Pittsburgh Pirates defeat New York Yankees (1960 World Series)
It was a tough series that went seven games in the 1960 World Series. New York Outscored Pittsburgh over the length of the series by a total of 55-27. Let that sink in for a second. New York scored 55 runs, compared to the 27 runs scored by the Pirates. Yet, thanks to the heroics of Bill Mazeroski hitting the walk off home run in game seven, the Pirates clamed the World Series Crown, the last one the team has to date. Yes the two teams were close in record during the 1960 season, Pittsburgh won 95 games while the Yankees won 97.This series was also loaded with players who would eventually win MVP awards at some point in their careers: Dick Groat (1960) and Roberto Clemente (1966) for the Pirates and Yogi Berra (1951, 1954, 1955), Bobby Shantz (1952), Mickey Mantle (1956, 1957, 1962), Roger Maris (1960, 1961), and Elston Howard (1963) for the Yankees. New York had the more talented and higher scoring roster, but Pittsburgh kept the series close (with the exception of game three a 10-0 Yankee win and game six a 12-0 Yankees win). Pittsburgh hung around and won it on the famous game seven home run from a light hitting second baseman.
New York Mets over Baltimore Orioles (1969 World Series)
This was a Mets team that was never supposed to be in the World Series. Here we had a team that had never finished higher than ninth place (next-to-last), and they had not won more than 73 games in a season since joining the National League in 1962. The Mets were not highly regarded before the 1969 season started, but nobody was saying that when the season ended. New York finished the regular season with 100 wins and came out of the National League as a big surprise. They were going up against a more experienced Baltimore team in the Series. Baltimore took game one and still showed the Mets that they weren't quite in their league. That was all Baltimore managed to win in that entire series. What made the Mets the better team in that series was their clutch hitting and defense. Cleon Jones and Ron Swboda made two of the most memorable catches in World Series history. You also have a huge turning point in the deciding game as well. The Orioles led Game 5 of the '69 World Series 3-0 when Mets manager Gil Hodges proved that a pitch thrown by Baltimore's Dave McNally had hit Cleon Jones in the foot. Hodges showed the umpire that there was shoe polish on the ball. Donn Clendenon, pictured left, followed with a crucial two-run home run in the Mets' 5-3 victory that clinched the Series.
Cincinnati Reds defeat Oakland A's (1990 World Series)
The Oakland A's were coming into the World Series winning once in two previous tries, so they had high hopes the third time around would give them their second title in three years. Plans changed when they were going to take on Lou Piniella and his Cincinnati Reds. The A's, being their for the third time in just as many years, were ready to become a dynasty. Unfortunately, one for three just won't do it. The A's were just never in it, as the Reds took Game 1 7-0. That was all she wrote, as the Reds went on to sweep them to claim the 1990 World Series.
Golden State Warriors defeat Dallas Mavericks (2007 NBA Playoffs)
Golden State won 42 games and were heavy underdogs in this series, for good reason. They were facing the best team in the NBA in 2007, the 67 win Dallas Mavericks. Dallas was supposed to roll through this series and through the playoffs on the way to a title. Golden State had other ideas, as they managed to pull off the upset, winning the series in six games. You can easly pick a storyline for this one because this series had it all. Golden State became the first 8th seed to knock off a top seed in a seven-game series. Coach Don Nelson getting revenge on his former team and bitter enemy, Dallas owner Mark Cuban. The Warriors winning their first playoff series in 16 seasons. Baron Davis, on a gimpy hamstring, pulling a Willis Reed to score 20 points in the Game 6 clincher. It had a little bit of everything.
USA defeats USSR (1980 Winter Olympics)
Talk about a major upset of all time, look no further than this one. Nobody gave these kids much of a chance. Facts are they were going up against one of the mightiest teams in all of hockey history. Before the Olympics had started in 1980, the Russians had played 48 games, winning all 48 of them. It was supposed to be a no contest. Herb Brooks, coach of that scrappy USA team, didn't want to hear of it. He got the team geared up for the game, making sure they were ready to go. During the contest, the US was one of the first teams to actually be able to skate with the Soviets for an entire hockey game. Brooks taught the US team to play the Russian style and throw it right back in the Russians face. It will be forever known as the Miracle on Ice, the night when a scrappy bunch of U.S. amateur and collegiate players knocked off the favored Soviets 4-3 in Lake Placid.
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