In the world of MMA, there is no higher pressure situation than fighting for a UFC title. It’s strange that despite being the best fighters, they often make tactical mistakes in such fights, and these mistakes can directly lead to devastating defeats. Here are the five biggest tactical mistakes in UFC title fights.
#5. Chel Sonnen vs. Anderson Silva – UFC 148
Chel Sonnen’s middleweight title challenge against longtime champion Anderson Silva in the summer of 2010 remains highly memorable despite his narrow miss due to a miraculous fifth-round triangle choke. He not only defeated Silva with powerful wrestling and slammed him to the ground but also bullied him with a surprisingly aggressive striking attack.
While Sonnen later tested positive for a banned substance, everyone wanted to see a second match between the two after pushing ‘The Spider’ to the limit. When the rematch happened in 2012, in the early stages, it seemed like Sonnen was repeating his tricks and might even take the lead. He defeated Silva and dominated the first round, with the Brazilian rarely attacking.
But in the second round, “American Gangster” made a truly fatal mistake. When he was unable to defeat Silva early on, he chose to brawl with him instead, and for reasons known only to him, he threw a reckless spinning backfist at “Spider”. The blow missed by a mile, and Sonnen fell on his back. Silva pounced from there, nailing him with a knee to his chest and quickly finishing him off with a follow-up.
While it’s still debatable whether Sonnen would have won the game if he hadn’t thrown a spinning attack, it’s certainly true that the miss led to his downfall and remains one of his biggest tactical mistakes in a title fight inside the Octagon.
#4. Valentina Shevchenko vs. Alexa Grasso – UFC 285
In 2015, former flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko lost to Alexa Grasso in one of the biggest upsets in UFC history due to a missed spinning back kick in the fourth round. Her choice to throw strikes at such low probability became her undoing. This kick, usually perfectly timed in a stand-up game, was so shocking that Grasso not only ducked under it but also used it to jump onto the champion’s back. She then sank into a tight face crank, forcing “Bullet” to tap out.
No one saw Grasso’s victory coming, and while she later proved her worth with a successful defense in a rematch with Shevchenko, her victory might not have been possible if “Bullet” hadn’t made such a huge tactical mistake.
#3. Anderson Silva vs. Chris Weidman – UFC 162
Throughout his legendary seven-year reign as UFC middleweight champion, Anderson Silva became known as one of the greatest masters in the history of the promotion. However, his unique approach proved to be the cause of his downfall when he faced Chris Weidman in 2013. After struggling in the first round, Silva decided to taunt Weidman with his feet in the second round. Unfortunately, he underestimated Weidman’s reach and was hit with a hard left hook, knocking him unconscious for the first time in his career.
There’s an argument to be made that Weidman’s style has always been kryptonite for Silva, but equally, if he hadn’t taken such an unconventional approach in this fight, the result could have been much different. So it’s hard not to see his mistake as one of the biggest in a UFC title fight.
#2. Petr Yan vs. Aljamain Sterling – UFC 259
When Petr Yan faced off against Aljamain Sterling at UFC 259, he was on his way to a decision victory until a mistake in the fourth round cost him the title in a strange finish. Yan hit Sterling with a knee to the head, knocking him unconscious, which led to Yan’s disqualification and loss of the title.
Had he won, his title reign might have continued to this day, making this tactical mistake a true sliding door moment for the Russian.
#1. Cat Zingano vs. Ronda Rousey – UFC 184
Facing a formidable opponent in bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey, Cat Zingano’s reckless charge at the start of the fight resulted in her long-awaited title shot ending in just 14 seconds. The embarrassing loss effectively ruined Zingano’s UFC career, and she won only one more fight in the Octagon before leaving the promotion. Whether she had the skills to beat Rousey is debatable, but it’s safe to say she was better than this avoidable and embarrassing mistake.
