10. BJ Penn over Matt Hughes, UFC 46, Jan. 31, 2004 — Las Vegas
Hughes was the prototypical UFC powerhouse in the early 2000’s. Using brute strength and vicious ground and pound, no one could compete at welterweight against Hughes that was until a former 155er stepped up to face the growing legend. Penn proved superior technique and jiu-jitsu could counteract brute strength and takedowns. Hughes streak of five straight title defenses (Gil Castillo, Carlos Newton, Hayato Sakurai, Sean Sherk, and Frank Trigg) and 13 straight wins was snapped when Penn got his back and locked on a rear-naked choke.
9. Nick Diaz over. Takanori Gomi, PRIDE 33 Second Coming, Feb. 24, 2007
It was eventually ruled a no-contest because shockingly Diaz tested positive for marijuana. We’re not a commission so the win counts in our books…
