MMA's biggest surprises of 2025: 5 things that no one saw coming

Drake RiggsUncrowned Wed, December 31, 2025 at 12:05 AM UTC·7 min read Everybody loves a good surprise. The art of diverting expectations is one of the most alluring aspects of MMA — the unpredictable nature of what can happen in and out of the fights themselves. Big upsets are always easy highlights to point to when reflecting on the year's biggest surprises. 2025 was a bit different, though. While underdogs still overcame the odds, as they always do, many of the year's biggest shocks unfolded on the periphery. MMA is only getting bigger and bigger, and so is the UFC's notoriety and the deals it lands, which starts off Uncrowned's list of the five biggest surprises of...