Never Underestimate Your Opponent
As is customary before most fights. A fighter will talk up their game and try to reaffirm to themselves and the fans, that this is their fight to lose. This is what happens when you underestimate your opponent. Several examples of fighters getting overconfident and overlooking their opponent. And oftentimes talking lots of that trash and perhaps not preparing as they should. As they are oh so confident that they feel it will be an easy win, boy were they wrong.
Here are just some examples of them being very wrong. Including back in the day when “The Crippler” Chris Leben welcomed a pretty much unknown fighter to many US fans in Anderson Silva. Leben was super confident that he would be the one imposing his will on the Spider. And summarily sending him back to those easy fights in Pride Fighting Championships in Japan. Let’s just say, it didn’t quite turn out as Chris had expected.
UFC light heavyweight Jimi “Poster Boy” Manuwa is a top 5 ranked fighter in the division. Teetering on the edge of a potential title shot. Jimi has been making noises about a potential crossover fight against former World Champion boxer David Haye. All Jimi had to do was get past another unknown fighter in Volkan Oezdemir. No big thing for the Brit, who was already working out when the Haye fight would no doubt eventually pan out.
Ed Herman with his Ju-Jitsu doesn’t work. Where is he now?
Alistair Overeem against Big Foot Silva. Overeem had been very uncomplimentary of his opponent in the lead up to the fight. Something which the massive Big Foot to heart and looked to take out on The Reem inside the cage. As the Brazilian scored a stunning knockout victory, making Alistair just another number on his record.
The UFC welterweight Champion Georges St Pierre vs Matt Serra in one of the biggest upsets in MMA history. Serra was a huge underdog in their fight. With almost no one giving him a chance. But he made the most of his opportunity and stopped the welterweight king via TKO stoppage.