Sherdog’s Top 10: UFC Upsets

7. B.J. Penn def. Matt Hughes
UFC 46 “Supernatural”
Jan. 31, 2004 | Las Vegas
It seems unthinkable that the great “Prodigy,” B.J. Penn, would ever be an underdog back in the day, but he was in 2004, when he first tangoed with then-UFC welterweight champ Matt Hughes. Hughes had won 13 in a row, and his reign at 170 pounds had been a sight to behold. To say Hughes destroyed his opposition during his reign would be a gross understatement.

Prime Penn, as it turned out, was almost unbeatable. When he was a focused fighter, virtually no one stood a chance against the Hawaiian. Such was the case when Penn and Hughes tangled, and by the time it was over, it was as if a champion had fought a child.

Penn tore the champ to shreds on the feet and dominated the woozy and battered Hughes in every element of the fight. By the time the dust settled and Hughes figured out what had happened, he had been the victim of a rear-naked choke and the title had changed hands. Penn was a beast back then, and his domination of Hughes sent shockwaves throughout the fledgling sport.

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