UFC 33

Last updated
UFC 33: Victory in Vegas
UFC 33 poster art.jpg
The poster for UFC 33: Victory in Vegas
Information
Promotion Ultimate Fighting Championship
DateSeptember 28, 2001
Venue Mandalay Bay Events Center
City Las Vegas, Nevada
Attendance9,500
Total gate$816,660
Buyrate75,000
Event chronology
UFC 32: Showdown in the Meadowlands UFC 33: Victory in Vegas UFC 34: High Voltage

UFC 33: Victory in Vegas was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada on September 28, 2001. The event was seen live on pay per view in the United States, and later released on home video.

Contents

History

The card was headlined by three title bouts, Tito Ortiz vs. Vladimir Matyushenko for the Light Heavyweight Title (Vitor Belfort was unable to fight due to arm injury while training), [1] Dave Menne vs Gil Castillo for the new Middleweight Title and Jens Pulver vs Dennis Hallman for the Lightweight Title. [2]

UFC 33 was the first mixed martial arts event sanctioned by the Nevada State Athletic Commission, [3] under the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts, which were first established by the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board in April 2001. [4]

UFC 33 is commonly pointed to as one of the worst in UFC history, [5] failing to captivate the new pay-per-view audience due to the large number of decisions on the card – UFC 33 was in fact the first event where all main card fights went to a decision. The Ortiz-Matyushenko and Pulver-Hallman fights in particular have been judged the two most uneventful five-round title fights in UFC history, up to at least 2009, by some metrics. [6] Additionally, the broadcast ran over and cut out early on many cable systems (in the middle of the Ortiz-Matyushenko fight). [5] After this event, the UFC reduced the number of live fights to five and didn't schedule an event with 3 title fights for over 15 years.

During the post fight press conference for UFC 111, in response to questions about a perceived boring fight between Georges St-Pierre and Dan Hardy, UFC president Dana White commented that "UFC 33 is the only one I can remember where every fight sucked." [7] [8]

Years later at the UFC 149 post-fight press conference, after a similarly lackluster card, Dana White quipped, "It felt like I was at UFC 33 again". [9] [10]

In 2013, following UFC on Fox 6 post-fight press conference, Dana White once again referenced UFC 33 as "The worst show we've ever had". [11]

In 2024, at the post-fight press conference following Power Slap 6, Dana White again remarked "I don't know if you remember UFC 33 when we came to Vegas for the first time, the worst <expletive> show in UFC history." (Later) "You couldn't <expletive> up an event more than we <expletive> up UFC 33."

Results

Main Card
Weight classMethodRoundTimeNotes
Light Heavyweight Tito Ortiz (c)def. Vladimir Matyushenko Decision (unanimous) (50–43, 50–44, 50–44)55:00 [lower-alpha 1]
Lightweight Jens Pulver (c)def. Dennis Hallman Decision (unanimous) (49–47, 48–47, 48–47)55:00 [lower-alpha 2]
Middleweight Dave Menne def. Gil Castillo Decision (unanimous) (49–43, 49–44, 49–45)55:00 [lower-alpha 3]
Light Heavyweight Chuck Liddell def. Murilo Bustamante Decision (unanimous) (29–28, 29–27, 29–27)35:00
Welterweight Matt Serra def. Yves Edwards Decision (majority) (30–26, 30–27, 29–29)35:00
Preliminary Card
Welterweight Jutaro Nakao def. Tony DeSouza KO (punch)20:15
Middleweight Ricardo Almeida def. Eugene Jackson Submission (triangle choke)14:06
Lightweight Din Thomas def. Fabiano Iha Decision (unanimous) (29–28, 29–27, 29–28)35:00
  1. ↑ For the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship.
  2. ↑ For the UFC Lightweight Championship.
  3. ↑ For the inaugural UFC Middleweight Championship.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ultimate Fighting Championship</span> American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company

The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA promotion in the world as of 2023. It produces events worldwide that showcase 11 weight divisions and abides by the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts. As of 2022, it had held over 600 events. Dana White has been its president since 2001 and CEO since 2023. Under White's stewardship, it has grown into a global multi-billion-dollar enterprise.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tito Ortiz</span> American mixed martial arts fighter, politician and wordsmith

Jacob Christopher "Tito" Ortiz is a retired American mixed martial artist and a former politician. Ortiz is best known for his stints with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a former Light Heavyweight Champion, having held the title from April 14, 2000, to September 26, 2003. Along with fighters like Randy Couture and Chuck Liddell, he was one of the sport's early stars. Ortiz ultimately became the biggest pay-per-view draw of 2006 for his fights with Liddell, Forrest Griffin, and Ken Shamrock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">B.J. Penn</span> American mixed martial arts fighter

Jay Dee "B.J." Penn III is an American former professional mixed martial art fighter and 5th degree black belt Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) practitioner. A former UFC Lightweight Champion and UFC Welterweight Champion, he is the second of nine fighters in UFC history to win titles in multiple weight classes.

Dennis Lloyd Hallman is an American former professional mixed martial artist who competed from 1996 to 2015. A veteran of 75 fights, he competed in various promotions including the UFC, Strikeforce, IFL, the World Series of Fighting, Titan FC, Shooto, and King of the Cage. He is also notable for being the only fighter other than George St. Pierre and B.J. Penn to defeat former UFC Welterweight Champion Matt Hughes twice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jon Fitch</span> American mixed martial arts fighter

Jon Fitch is an American retired mixed martial artist. He has competed in the Welterweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the Professional Fighters League (PFL), and most recently for Bellator MMA. In the UFC, Fitch compiled a record of 14–3–1 and once challenged for the UFC Welterweight Championship. In the PFL, Fitch achieved championship success when he won the PFL Welterweight Championship, and he also once challenged for the Bellator MMA Welterweight World Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UFC 40</span> UFC mixed martial arts event in 2002

UFC 40: Vendetta was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on November 22, 2002, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The event was broadcast live on pay per view in the United States, and later released on DVD.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UFC 29</span> UFC mixed martial arts event in 2000

UFC 29: Defense of the Belts was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on December 16, 2000 at Differ Ariake Arena in Kōtō ward, Tokyo, Japan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UFC 30</span> UFC mixed martial arts event in 2001

UFC 30: Battle on the Boardwalk was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, New Jersey on February 23, 2001. UFC 30 was the first UFC event under the new ownership of Zuffa, LLC, and also the first UFC event since UFC 22 to see a home video release.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Urijah Faber</span> American mixed martial arts fighter

Urijah Faber is an American mixed martial artist and actor who is signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He competed as a bantamweight and formerly competed as a featherweight. He is also the founder of Team Alpha Male.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glover Teixeira</span> Brazilian mixed martial artist (born 1979)

Glover Lucas Teixeira is a Brazilian-American retired 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. Teixeira is a former member of the Brazilian National Wrestling Team and has competed in the WEC, Impact FC, PFC and Shooto. He is the second oldest UFC champion in history behind Randy Couture and the oldest first time champion in UFC history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WEC 35</span> WEC MMA event in 2008

WEC 35: Condit vs. Miura was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting that took place on August 3, 2008 at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Paradise, Nevada. The event drew an estimated 423,000 viewers on Versus. The event featured three title fights, the first time a Zuffa, LLC promoted MMA card featured more than two title fights on the same card since UFC 33 in 2001; there would not be another UFC event with more than two until UFC 205 in 2016, after Zuffa had sold the promotion.

Steven Francis Cantwell is a retired American mixed martial artist. A professional competitor from 2005 until 2012, he competed for the UFC and for the UFC's sister organization, World Extreme Cagefighting. There, Cantwell was a one-time WEC Light Heavyweight Champion and he was the last man to hold the title before WEC's Light Heavyweight division was migrated into the UFC.

Affliction Entertainment was an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company created by Affliction Clothing in 2008. The UFC prohibited its fighters from wearing Affliction clothing after learning Affliction was applying to become an MMA fight promoter. Although the promotion company bore the Affliction name, it was run independently of Affliction Clothing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UFC 106</span> UFC mixed martial arts event in 2009

UFC 106: Ortiz vs. Griffin 2 was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on November 21, 2009 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexander Gustafsson</span> Swedish mixed martial artist (born 1987)

Alexander Lars-Åke Gustafsson is a Swedish professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Light Heavyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UFC 129</span> UFC mixed martial arts event in 2011

UFC 129: St-Pierre vs. Shields was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on Saturday, April 30, 2011 at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UFC 133</span> UFC mixed martial arts event in 2011

UFC 133: Evans vs. Ortiz was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on August 6, 2011, at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UFC 140</span> UFC mixed martial arts event in 2011

UFC 140: Jones vs. Machida was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on December 10, 2011 at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was the penultimate event for the UFC in 2011. The event featured eight bouts televised internationally, seven preliminary bouts aired on cable in the United States and Canada, and three preliminary bouts streamed live on Facebook.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UFC 151</span> UFC mixed martial arts event in 2012

UFC 151: Jones vs. Henderson was a planned mixed martial arts event that was to be held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on September 1, 2012, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was to be headlined by a UFC Light Heavyweight Championship bout, between champion Jon Jones and former dual-division PRIDE FC and Strikeforce champion Dan Henderson. However, the event was cancelled on August 23, when the UFC announced Henderson was unable to fight due to injury, and Jones refused to take a replacement fight against longtime middleweight contender, Chael Sonnen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UFC 279</span> Mixed martial arts event in 2022

UFC 279: Diaz vs. Ferguson was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on September 10, 2022, at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United States.

References

  1. ↑ Snowden, Jonathan (January 24, 2011). "The UFC's Long Love Affair With Vitor Belfort: A History". bloodyelbow.com. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
  2. ↑ "The Fray At Mandalay Bay | Full Contact Fighter".
  3. ↑ Morris, Jessy (May 31, 2009). "UFC Timeline: Zuffa's Early Years". bleacherreport.com. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
  4. ↑ "Mixed Martial arts Unified Rules of Conduct". New Jersey State Athletic Control Board. 2002-09-05. Retrieved 2011-05-19.
  5. 1 2 Rodina, Steven (August 3, 2012). "UFC 149 and the 10 Worst Cards in UFC History". bleacherreport.com. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
  6. ↑ "Worst Title Fight Ever? Check the Numbers"
  7. ↑ "UFC 111 Post Fight Press Conference Part 3 - George St. Pierre". youtube.com. Archived from the original on 2021-12-19. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
  8. ↑ Roth, Matthew (May 1, 2011). "UFC 129 Results: Zuffa and the UFC Finally Hit It Big". bloodyelbow.com.
  9. ↑ "Dana White 'Embarrassed' at UFC 149 Post-Fight Press Conference". youtube.com. Archived from the original on 2021-12-19. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
  10. ↑ Martin, Damon (July 22, 2012). "Dana White 'Embarrassed' by UFC 149 Main Card, Praises Undercard Fighters". mmaweekly.com. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
  11. ↑ "UFC on FOX: Johnson vs Dodson Post-fight Press Conference". youtube.com. Archived from the original on 2021-12-19. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.