Sherdog.com’s 2014 Upset of the Year

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5. Will Brooks-Michael Chandler
Bellator 120
May 17 | Southaven, Miss.

Chandler was supposed to fight Eddie Alvarez at Bellator 120, but after the Philadelphian suffered a concussion, Bellator MMA needed a replacement and pegged Brooks to step up on a week’s notice to fill the void.

When the matchup was made official, some oddsmakers put Chandler at odds as high as -1500, meaning to win $100 dollars, a bettor would need to wager $1,500. On the other side of the equation, Brooks was a +800 underdog, meaning a bet of $100 would have earned an additional $800. Such doubt in Brooks’ ability was surprising, as the Season 9 lightweight tournament finalist came into the cage riding a four-fight winning streak and had only lost once in his career. Chandler, on the other hand, was coming off his first defeat in 13 fights at Bellator 106 -- a split decision loss in a rematch with Alvarez.

Nevertheless, Brooks proved his record was no fluke. After clearly losing the opening two frames of the bout to Chandler, Brooks turned the tables in the third and fourth rounds. At several points, Brooks was able to ground-and-pound Chandler from the mount and take his opponent’s back. Showing the heart of a champion, Chandler came back in the final round, putting Brooks on the mat and nearly finishing the fight with an arm-triangle choke. In the end, two of the three judges gave the fifth and deciding round to Brooks.

Because of the close nature of the fight and Alvarez’s decision to sign with the UFC, Brooks and Chandler fought again at Bellator 131. Again Brooks came into the bout as an underdog and again he defeated Chandler, this time via technical knockout.

More Year-End Awards » 2014 Fighter of the Year