| 1997 in UFC | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Information | ||||
| First date | February 7, 1997 | |||
| Last date | December 21, 1997 | |||
| Events | ||||
| Total events | 5 | |||
| UFC | 4 | |||
| Fights | ||||
| Total fights | 41 | |||
| Title fights | 5 | |||
| Chronology | ||||
| ||||
The year 1997 was the fifth year in the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States. In 1997, the UFC held five events beginning with UFC 12: Judgement Day.
| Title fights in 1997 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weight class | Method | Round | Time | Event | Notes | |||
| Heavyweight | Mark Coleman | def. | Dan Severn | Submission (neck crank) | 2:57 | UFC 12: Judgement Day | [a] | |
| Heavyweight | Maurice Smith | def. | Mark Coleman (c) | Decision (unanimous) | 21:00 | UFC 14: Showdown | [b] | |
| Heavyweight | Maurice Smith (c) | def. | Tank Abbott | Submission (exhaustion) | 8:08 | UFC 15: Collision Course | [c] | |
| Light Heavyweight | Frank Shamrock | def. | Kevin Jackson | Submission (armbar) | 1 | 0:16 | UFC Ultimate Japan | [d] |
| Heavyweight | Randy Couture | def. | Maurice Smith (c) | Decision (majority) | 1 | 21:00 | UFC Ultimate Japan | [e] |
The following fighters fought their first UFC fight in 1997:
|
| # | Event | Date | Venue | Location | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | UFC 12: Judgement Day | Feb 7, 1997 | Dothan Civic Center | Dothan, Alabama, U.S. | 3,100 [1] |
| 15 | UFC 13: The Ultimate Force | May 30, 1997 | Augusta Civic Center | Augusta, Georgia, U.S. | 5,100 [2] |
| 16 | UFC 14: Showdown | Jul 27, 1997 | Boutwell Auditorium | Birmingham, Alabama, U.S. | 5,000 [3] |
| 17 | UFC 15: Collision Course | Oct 17, 1997 | Casino Magic Bay St. Louis | Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, U.S. | — |
| 18 | UFC Japan: Ultimate Japan | Dec 21, 1997 | Yokohama Arena | Yokohama, Japan | 5,000 [4] |
Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira, better known as Minotauro or Big Nog, is a Brazilian retired mixed martial artist. He competed in the heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a former Interim UFC Heavyweight Champion. He is the twin brother of UFC fighter Antônio Rogério Nogueira. Nogueira rose to prominence in Japanese promotions Fighting Network RINGS where he won the 2000 RINGS King of Kings tournament, and later with Pride Fighting Championships, where he was the first Pride Heavyweight Champion from November 2001 to March 2003, as well as a 2004 PRIDE FC Heavyweight Grand Prix Finalist. He is one of only three men to have held championship titles in both Pride Fighting Championships and the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Randall Duane Couture is an American mixed martial arts commentator, actor, former United States Army sergeant, former professional mixed martial artist, and former collegiate and Greco-Roman wrestler. During his tenures in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), he became a three-time UFC Heavyweight Champion, two-time UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, an interim UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, making him a six-time UFC Champion and the UFC 13 Heavyweight Tournament winner. He is the first of nine fighters to hold two UFC championship titles in two different divisions. He currently serves as a commentator and analyst for the Professional Fighters League.
Mark Coleman is an American retired mixed martial artist, professional wrestler and amateur wrestler. Coleman was the UFC 10 and UFC 11 tournament champion, the first UFC Heavyweight Champion, and the Pride Fighting Championships 2000 Open Weight Grand Prix champion. At UFC 82 Coleman was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame.
Mark Kerr is an American former wrestler and mixed martial artist. During his MMA career, he was a two-time UFC Heavyweight Tournament Champion, World Vale Tudo Championship tournament winner, and a PRIDE FC competitor. In collegiate wrestling, Kerr was an NCAA Division I champion. In freestyle wrestling, he won gold and silver medals at the World Cup and silver at the Pan American Games. In submission wrestling, Kerr is a four-time ADCC World Champion, winning his weightclass twice along with the absolute division and the Superfight Championship.
Forrest Griffin is an American retired mixed martial artist and former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. He was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2013 and is the Vice President of Athlete Development at the UFC Performance Institute. Griffin, a former Georgia police officer, first rose to prominence after winning the first season of The Ultimate Fighter. In the tournament finals, he defeated Stephan Bonnar, which is widely credited as sparking the success of the UFC.
Maurício Milani Rua, also known as Shogun, is a Brazilian former professional mixed martial artist. He competed in the Light Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. A professional competitor since 2002, Rua is also the 2005 PRIDE Middleweight Grand Prix Champion.
Maurice Lavonne Smith is a retired American kickboxer and mixed martial artist. In kickboxing, he held the WKC world light heavyweight championship, the WKA world heavyweight championship, and the ISKA world heavyweight championship. In mixed martial arts, he held the Heavyweight championship in Battlecade Extreme Fighting and the UFC, and became a member of the UFC Hall of Fame in 2017. A professional competitor since 1980, Smith has formerly competed in kickboxing for the companies All Japan Enterprise and K-1, Pancrase, RINGS, PRIDE, Strikeforce, International Fight League and RFA.
Timothy Deane Sylvia is an American retired mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter, professional wrestler, and a former two-time UFC Heavyweight Champion. He has competed as a Super Heavyweight and Heavyweight. While he is best known for competing in the UFC, Sylvia has also fought for Affliction, the International Fighting Championships (IFC), and ONE FC.
Ricco Rodriguez is an American former mixed martial artist who competed in the heavyweight division. A professional competitor from 1999 to 2019, he competed for the UFC, PRIDE Fighting Championships, EliteXC, International Fight League, BAMMA, World Extreme Cagefighting, and Bellator. Ricco is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion, Mundials World Champion and also an ADCC World Champion. He is also the former King of the Cage World Heavyweight Champion.
UFC 12: Judgement Day was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on February 7, 1997 at the Dothan Civic Center in Dothan, Alabama. The event was seen live on pay per view in the United States, and later released on home video. This event was also Vitor Belfort's debut in the UFC.
UFC 18: The Road to the Heavyweight Title was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on January 8, 1999 in Kenner, Louisiana. The event was seen live on pay per view in the United States, and later released on home video.
UFC 36: Worlds Collide was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on March 22, 2002. The event was seen live on pay per view in the United States, and later released on home video.
Daniel Ryan Cormier is an American former professional mixed martial artist, freestyle wrestler, and current commentator for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As a former UFC Light Heavyweight and Heavyweight Champion, Cormier is the second fighter in UFC history to hold titles in two weight classes simultaneously and is the first fighter to have title defenses in two divisions. He is regarded as one of the greatest mixed martial artists of his generation.
Stipe Miocic is an American former professional mixed martial artist and firefighter. He competed in the Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a former two-time UFC Heavyweight Champion.
The year 1995 was the 3rd year in the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States. In 1995 the UFC held 4 events beginning with, UFC 5.
The year 2001 was the 9th year in the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States. In 2001 the UFC held 5 events beginning with, UFC 30: Battle on the Boardwalk.
The year 2003 was the 11th year in the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States. In 2003, the UFC held five events beginning with UFC 41: Onslaught.
The year 2004 was the 12th year in the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States. In 2004 the UFC held 5 events beginning with, UFC 46: Supernatural.
The year 2005 was the 13th year in the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States. In 2005 the UFC held 10 events beginning with, UFC 51: Super Saturday. The reality TV series The Ultimate Fighter and the first UFC Ultimate Fight Night both premiered on Spike TV. The Ultimate Fighter 1 Finale was the first live UFC broadcast on non-pay-per-view television.
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