MMA is one of the fastest-growing sports in the world, with almost every country in existence churning out fighters of varying quality. It is not hard to see why – it condenses basically every single martial art in existence into a stylistically volatile sport.
The mix of styles can, and does, produce upsets. A striker with fight-ending power can fall victim to the ground game. A wrestler-grappler with smothering ground control and submission skills can struggle on their feet.
Speaking of upsets, the most common big ones occur when a highly-touted prospect falters against someone they are supposed to crush. These can be called “hype train derailments”, as the excitement surrounding the defeated fighter completely dissipates. Within this decade alone, these are the five biggest instances.
China first became an emergent MMA market in the 2010s, but it did not truly explode in popularity until Weili Zhang won the strawweight title in 2020. Since then, various fighters from the country have plied their trade in the Octagon, to mixed results.
One of those names is Mingyang Zhang, nicknamed “Mountain Tiger”. The light heavyweight began his UFC career with a dominant win streak, peaking when he retired Anthony Smith in April 2025. For his next assignment, he drew Johnny Walker in Shanghai.
It was supposed to be a showcase, and it looked as if it would be exactly that after one round. Instead, Walker started delivering leg kicks, which compromised Zhang’s mobility. The end came when Zhang collapsed after another leg kick and cowered while being shelled from above, silencing the home crowd.
It is rare for a proven finisher to emerge in women’s MMA, but Maycee Barber was exactly that heading into 2020. After starting her UFC career with a destruction of Hannah Cifers at strawweight, she went ten pounds north and bludgeoned JJ Aldrich and Gillian Robertson.
That generated plenty of excitement, especially in a division that was widely derided at the time as being the land of boring fighters. So when Barber was booked against Roxanne Modafferi for UFC 246, many predicted a monstrous breakout that could also signal the end of her veteran opponent’s career.
What transpired instead was entirely different. Modafferi edged out the first round on the ground, then dropped Barber with apparently so hard a jab in the second round that “The Future”‘s knee crumbled. It was all dominance from there, as a compromised Barber languished everywhere, with Modafferi getting the unanimous decision win.
Without a certain surname, Biaggio Ali Walsh would be a mere footnote in MMA. Thankfully, his grandfather is none other than the late boxing legend Muhammad Ali, and that factoid alone brought considerable hype for his pro debut in 2024.
Walsh immediately impressed, winning his first two fights. Thus, when he was pitted against fellow Chicagoan Ronnie Gibbs after a ten-month absence, there was considerable excitement at what he could do. After all, it had been years since the Ali name held clout in the sports world.
Walsh nearly proved his promise by knocking down Gibbs in the first round, then following him to the ground to drop punches. Gibbs survived, however, and turned the tide, ending matters with an arm-triangle choke in the second round.
Sean Malley is currently the most successful alum in Dana White Contender Series (DWCS) history, winning the UFC bantamweight title and notching one retention. That came against Marlon Vera at UFC 299 in 2024, and it was booked based on their history.
It was August 2020 – UFC 252. O’Malley was coming off a triumphant return five months ago after consecutive suspensions for Ostarine and hip surgery sidelined him for over two years. Vera was supposed to be just another victim for him to look good against, but one moment changed everything.
As the first round neared its end, Vera threw a leg kick. O’Malley winced upon blocking it and soon crumpled to the ground, where he was pounded out.
Speaking of DWCS, this is the biggest upset in the show’s history and the fight that inspired this article.
Second-generation athletes are nothing new, and MMA has seen its fair share of children who followed their parents into the sport. The most notable example is AJ McKee, who has been a featherweight champion in Bellator.
None, however, have generated as much attention as Bella Mir.
The daughter of former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir was the first person to secure a Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deal with the promotion. She was an NCAA wrestling champion and had won her first four MMA fights, dominantly finishing all but one of them by submission. She was outspoken about becoming “the best athlete of all time”. If women’s 135 wanted an instant boost in both depth, name value, and superstar potential, here was an obvious signing.
Mir’s fight against Alex Apodaca on Tuesday was supposed to be just another showcase. DraftKings even had her as high as -6000, making her the biggest betting favorite in DWCS history.
Instead, Apodaca weathered Mir’s heavy hands and neutered her takedown threat, causing the prospect to tire and look out of her depth. The result was a unanimous decision win for Apodaca, who earned a UFC contract.
With this list done, whose hype train could falter next?
Dakota Ditcheva has been largely dominant throughout her MMA career, but hand injuries could threaten her longevity more than an opponent. It has gotten to the point that rather than wait for her to heal, the PFL booked a Liz Carmouche-Jena Bishop rematch for its inaugural women’s flyweight title.
Gable Steveson was utterly dominant in his MMA debut last month and is expected to crush his opponent next month. Eventually, however, the UFC may want to fast-track him to contention given the rather underwhelming state of the heavyweight division. The only question is, will that work, or will Steveson become yet another Greg Hardy – reviled for the blatancy of his push and going nowhere?
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