Top 10 Times Arrogant Fighters Got HUMBLED

#10: Jake Paul Gets Starched By Anthony Joshua

To say that Jake Paul cherry-picked his first batch of opponents in the boxing ring would be an understatement. Ageing veterans, YouTubers, and athletes who had no relation to combat sports made up his resumé by the time 2025 came around. Sure, Jake had made a boatload of money, but many fans couldn’t understand why he was strutting like he was the second coming of Rocky Marciano. When he decided to actually take on a high-level heavyweight, in Anthony Joshua, everyone instantly knew that he was biting off more than he could chew. Indeed, the paycheque was nice, but he had no problems on fight-night outclassing him and leaving his jaw severely broken.

#9: Ricardo Mayorga Learns a Brutal Lesson

They don’t make ‘em quite like Ricardo Mayorga anymore. This former fan favourite was known for his highly abrasive personality and his tendency to drink alcohol and smoke cigarettes during fight week. Part of his unique brand of mental warfare involved hurling brutal insults at his opponents, crossing every possible line. Oscar De La Hoya was one such opponent, and after being pushed to his absolute limit by Mayorga consistently during fight-week, the bout finally arrived. When we say that De Le Hoya punished Mayorga, we mean it. His defense was on-point from the get-go and he was able to batter Mayorga confidently until it was stopped midway through the sixth round.

#8: Julianna Pena’s Post-Upset Bravado Shattered

It would be unfair to say that Julianna Pena got lucky when she defeated Amanda Nunes the first time around, but The Lioness did not look like herself on that night. She was stifled by Pena’s jab in a way that didn’t make sense, given her pedigree, and when the takedown and submission eventually came, it just felt off. Pena took this upset victory as a license to adopt a truly wild level of bravado from that moment onwards. Had a new bantamweight queen really arrived? Or would Nunes rebound and right this wrong? As it turned out, the G.O.A.T had a truly brutal revenge plot in mind - and when UFC 277 came, she absolutely decimated Pena over five rounds.

#7: Ronda Rousey’s Streak Ends in Shocking Upset

Despite the fact that she remains a trailblazing figure within combat sports, Ronda Rousey well and truly got a little bit too big for her boots towards the end. While she was out there signing movie deals and chasing endorsements, the former world champion boxer Holly Holm was concocting the perfect gameplan to take her out. When UFC 193 rolled around, Holm was extremely locked-in to the task at hand and from the opening bell, she dominated the reigning champion. Rousey couldn’t get close enough to put her world-class judo to any use, and some very clear holes in her striking game became very noticeable. In the second-round, Holm closed the show, staggering Ronda on the feet before finishing her with that now-iconic head-kick.

#6: Canelo Alvarez’s Upset by Dmitry Bivol

The great Saul “Canelo” Alvarez’s rise through the divisions was incredible to watch. To see him go from welterweight all the way up to light-heavyweight was a real thrill, leaving no doubt about his status as a generational great. However, defeating an ageing Sergey Kovalev at light-heavyweight was one thing, doing the same to a prime Dmitry Bivol is another. Canelo was getting a little too confident in his ability to navigate heavier weight-classes, and in there with Bivol, his shortcomings were finally shown. Bivol was a different level of light-heavyweight out there, and even though the signs were there, he left us all shocked by comfortably outworking Alvarez to bring his momentum to a halt.

#5: Anderson Silva Gets Punished at UFC 162

Part of what made the great former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva so unmissable was his willingness to take risks that others would not. Dropping his hands and challenging his opponents to try and hit him was a common tactic, often resulting in a deft counter from The Spider. Unfortunately, when he came face-to-face with the powerful American wrestler Chris Weidman at UFC 162, it was that very same daredevil behaviour that cost him. After attempting to lean backwards out of the way of Weidman’s punches, he didn’t anticipate his opponent lengthening his combo with one extra shot. This punch landed clean on Silva’s chin, shocking the world, and leading to the crowning of a new middleweight champion of the world.

#4: Anthony Joshua Shocked by Andy Ruiz Jr.

There’s no denying Anthony Joshua’s status as one of the best heavyweights of his era. That said, he has been guilty of more than a few instances of overly cocky and ego-driven behaviour. Sure, Andy Ruiz Jr. doesn’t look like much, but his incredibly deceptive speed and power ended up being Joshua’s worst nightmare on one fateful night in 2019. AJ was the superstar, of the two, indestructible in his own mind right up until he wasn’t. When Ruiz first sent him down to the canvas, Joshua’s chin and his confidence never recovered. Even though he tried to smile his way through these rough moments, you could tell that his ego was being completely upended.

#3: The Fight of the Century

Billed as the ‘Fight of the Century’, this fight saw the former champion Muhammad Ali who never truly lost his belt, fighting the current heavyweight king Joe Frazier, who never took the title off of him. It had all the feelings of a unification bout, and Ali wasted no time accusing Frazier of being a paper champ. He took his trash-talk to some pretty heavy places too, giving ‘Smokin’ Joe some additional motivation to shut him up when it mattered most. The fight was competitive, but its biggest moment came when Frazier dropped Ali to the canvas, shocking the world. In the end, the decision went his way. Though Ali would win the trilogy, Frazier drew first blood.

#2: Conor McGregor Taps Out to Khabib

Lines relating to culture, family, and religion were crossed by Conor McGregor as soon as he had the opportunity to trash-talk Khabib Nurmagomedov. The Eagle made a mortal enemy out of the Irishman during the buildup to April 2018’s UFC 223, and when their fight was booked for UFC 229, things got even worse. The endlessly patient Khabib had his limits tested consistently by Conor’s relentless insults. On fight-night, though, McGregor’s trash-talking could not save him. Khabib even knocked the legendary striker down in round 2 before submitting him in the fourth. He then ‘out-showmanshipped’ the showman by nearly causing an all-out riot immediately after the fight - jumping into the crowd to attack Conor’s teammate Dillon Danis. The ultimate slice of humble pie in MMA.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Roy Jones Jr. Falls to Antonio Tarver

The Humbling Moment That Followed Heavyweight Success

Michael Bisping Falls at UFC 217

A Returning Legend Takes Out This Brash and Cocky Brit

Prince Naseem Hamed's Humbling at the MGM Grand

Barrera Knocks Hamed Down a Few Pegs In Iconic Performance

Michael Bisping’s UFC 100 Downfall

Dan Henderson Sends The Count to the Shadow Realm

Adrien Broner Meets Marcos Maidana’s Wrath

The Ultimate ‘Taste Of Your Own Medicine” Moment in the Ring

#1: Buster Douglas Knocks Out Mike Tyson

Perhaps the greatest instance of arrogance in boxing history came when Iron Mike Tyson took on James ‘Buster’ Douglas in Tokyo back in 1990. At this point in time, he was one of the biggest stars on the planet, flying way too close to the sun for his own good, while utterly disregarding his opponent. In fact, there was so much confidence in the corner of Mike Tyson ahead of his clash with Douglas that he supposedly didn’t have an ice pack in his corner to treat any potential damage mid-fight. When the bout got underway, Douglas showed up and put on the performance of his lifetime, KO’ing Tyson in the tenth round to pull off the biggest upset in the history of the sport.

But what do you think is the greatest combat sports upset of all-time? Let us know in the comments below.