With 2023 shortly approaching, it’s time handy out our annual 12 months-Finish MMA awards. Final yr, for the primary time within the historical past of this publication, we launched an Upset of the 12 months class. There was little shock when it got here to our inaugural Upset of the 12 months, with the award going to Julianna Pena’s defeat of ladies’s GOAT Amanda Nunes.
2022 as soon as once more sees the give attention to the ladies’s aspect of the game, and one other historic upset. Learn on for our reasoning in awarding the 2022 Upset of the 12 months!
Jay Anderson: I’m going with Larissa Pacheco right here, although to be trustworthy, she did present she chilly cling with Kayla Harrison by means of their first two conferences. In two prior fights, she pushed Harrison, taking her the gap each occasions. Lastly, the third time was the attraction, and she or he served up Kayla’s first loss whereas profitable one million {dollars} within the course of. Additionally of word: Pat Downey got here into MMA with lots of hype due to his wrestling pedigree. His first battle went very a lot in line with plan. Struggle quantity two? Not a lot. Christian Echols, a +1500 underdog at occasions, dropped Downey like a sack of potatoes. Reminding us all that in MMA, anybody can win on any given night time.
Gabriel Gonzalez: Aljamain Sterling vs Petr Yan. A minimum of Leon Edwards had put collectively a ten battle win-streak going into his rematch with Kamaru Usman. Most had mentioned that Sterling was on borrowed time as a champion after he appeared to be on his approach out of the primary battle with Yan earlier than the notorious knee ended their bout in controversy. To brilliantly execute a brand new technique whereas additionally coming back from a process on his neck provides Sterling this one in a yr that noticed a number of upsets.
Eddie Regulation: Leon Edwards over Kamaru Usman.
Alex Behunin: Larissa Pacheco vs. Kayla Harrison. I gave Larissa Pacheco actually 0% probability to beat Kayla Harrison and effectively, she shut me and everybody else up. She ended Harrison’s dominant run and took her 0. Nice stuff.
Jamie Theodosi: Larissa Pacheco vs. Kayla Harrison. For Alex Pereira to come back over to the best degree of MMA and win the title so quickly, over somebody who has been utterly dominant, is nothing wanting spectacular. Regardless of the historical past between them, this stands as an enormous upset this yr. However since we’re speaking MMA as a complete, I’ll go Pacheco over Harrison.
Val Dewar: Kayla Harrison had already crushed Larissa Pacheco twice, was on the highway to having large cash superfights with Amanda Nunes and/or Cris Cyborg, and was round an 8-to-1 favourite over her opponent coming into the 2022 PFL Championships. Nonetheless, it was Larissa Pacheco who shocked the world by pulling off the upset to win a million {dollars}, and never simply by a flash knockout or submission, however somewhat by choice. With this, Pacheco confirmed the world she will be able to compete with the perfect, even when the perfect is an Olympic Gold Medal judoka.
Michael Lynch: Sean O’Malley over Petr Yan. Self explanatory. Everybody thought O’Malley was getting rushed to a title then delivers in opposition to among the best in his division.
Finish End result: Regardless of a few fights within the operating, Larissa Pacheco was the clear favourite. There’s actually no shock right here, with Harrison having beforehand been essentially the most dominant expertise in her weight class.
