Relive UFC 1-99

UFC 1: Brave new world
Royce Gracie won and the first UFC tournament changed the way the world viewed real-life combat.

• UFC 2 – Royce repeats: Royce Gracie repeated as champion at UFC 2.
• UFC 3 – The unlikely king: A smattering of injuries led to an unlikely UFC 3 champion.
• UFC 4 – Trouble on the horizon: Dan Severn made a splash, but Royce Gracie won again at UFC 4.
• UFC 5 – The first Superfight: Set a PPV record that stood for more than a decade.
• UFC 6 – Wild West: One of the company’s most eventful shows.

• UFC 7 – Luck of the draw: The UFC made its first and only trip to New York State.
• UFC 8 – No small Frye: Ken Shamrock’s Superfight title reign continued with no end in sight.
• UFC 9 – The show goes on: UFC 9 survived despite Sen. John McCain’s best efforts.
• UFC 10 – Birth of ground ‘n’ pound: Mark Coleman changed the sport of MMA in one night.
• UFC 11 – Coleman by default: Mark Coleman had the easiest UFC main event win ever.

Out-of-the-ring issues didn’t stop UFC 12 but ultimately sealed the original UFC’s fate.

• UFC 13 – Hall of Famers debut: UFC 13 featured the debuts of two future Hall of Famers.
• UFC 14 – Upset city: Maurice Smith delivered what was then the biggest upset in UFC history.
• UFC 15 – Change of plans: Randy Couture messed with UFC’s plans for the first time, but not the last.
• UFC 16 – Frank’s house: UFC 16 was the dawn of the Frank Shamrock era.
• UFC 17 – Chuck gets his start: UFC 17 featured Chuck Liddell’s debut.

• UFC 18 – Rutten rules: UFC 18 featured the much-ballyhooed debut of Bas Rutten.
• UFC 19 – Setting the stage: Tito Ortiz’s win over Guy Mezger set up something bigger down the road.
• UFC 20 – Decisions, decisions: Some think Kevin Randleman was robbed of the UFC heavyweight title.
• UFC 21 – Hawkeye homecoming: Pat Miletich returned home for UFC 21.
• UFC 22 – Instant classic: Frank Shamrock vs. Tito Ortiz was the greatest match of the UFC’s early era.
• UFC 23 – The final tournament: UFC 23 featured the final one-night tournament in company history.
• UFC 24 – No main event: A backstage accident put the kibosh on UFC 24’s main event.

Tito Ortiz began the longest title reign in UFC history at UFC 25.

• UFC 26 – Night to forget: Kevin Randleman vs. Pedro Rizzo ended up with the few fans in attendance throwing trash in the cage.
• UFC 27 – ‘The Beast’ meets Rizzo: Dan “The Beast” Severn returned, but Pedro Rizzo was waiting.
• UFC 28 – Randy repeats: The returning Randy Couture became a two-time champion.
• UFC 29 – Swan song: SEG put on its final card in Japan.
• UFC 30 – New era dawns: The modern-day UFC got its start at UFC 30.

• UFC 31 – Penn’s debut: B.J. Penn earned the nickname “The Prodigy” at UFC 31.
• UFC 32 – Eying the Big Apple: The UFC set up shop across the river from NYC.
• UFC 33 – Overtime: The return to pay-per-view was a step forward and two steps back.
• UFC 34 – Hughes is crowned: One of MMA’s most dominant reigns began.
• UFC 35 – L’il Evil runs wild: Jens Pulver ruined B.J. Penn’s planned coronation.
• UFC 36 – Steroid controversy: Josh Barnett won the heavyweight title and was promptly stripped.
• UFC 37 – (And 37.5, too): UFC put together an impromptu card at FOX’s request.
• UFC 38 – Brawls in and out of the hall: A legendary street fight happened after the card.
• UFC 39 – Ricco shocks the world: Few finishes were as surprising as Ricco Rodriguez’s win over Randy Couture.

Tito Ortiz vs. Ken Shamrock was the biggest match in years.

• UFC 41 – ‘Maine-iac’ reigns: Tim Sylvia won the first of his two heavyweight titles.
• UFC 42 – Wrestler vs. wrestler: Matt Hughes got the best of Sean Sherk.
• UFC 43 – Randy’s big night: Randy Couture stunned Chuck Liddell for the interim light heavyweight title.
• UFC 44 – Tito’s spanking: Randy Couture taught Tito Ortiz a lesson in humility.
• UFC 45 – Hall of Fame is born: Royce Gracie and Ken Shamrock were the first inductees.

• UFC 46 – Fluke injury: A sliced eyelid brought an early halt to a title fight.
• UFC 47 – Chuck vs. Tito: A long-awaited showdown took place.
• UFC 48 – Snapped in half: Frank Mir left Tim Sylvia with a gruesome souvenir.
• UFC 49 – Champ again: Randy Couture took the rubber match in his trilogy with Vitor Belfort.
• UFC 50 – Hughes bests GSP: Matt Hughes got a leg up on the man who would take his title.
• UFC 51 – Tito flies the coop: Tito Ortiz left the UFC after a lackluster win.

Chuck Liddell took the rematch with Randy Couture.

• UFC 53 – ‘Pit Bull’ attacks: Andrei Arlovski took apart Justin Eilers.
• UFC 54 – Chuck takes rematch: Jeremy Horn didn’t have a chance the second time.
• UFC 55 – Cop to it: Sean Gannon’s only UFC match was memorable for all the wrong reasons.
• UFC 56 – Wheels in motion: UFC 56 prompted events that impact the company to this day.
• UFC 57 – Chuck ices Randy: Chuck Liddell took his third and final match against Randy Couture.

• UFC 58 – GSP on the rise: Georges St. Pierre stated his case with a win over B.J. Penn.
• UFC 59 – California bound: Tito Ortiz and Forrest Griffin brought the UFC to Cali with a bang.
• UFC 60 – New schools old: Royce Gracie returned and was run over by Matt Hughes.
• UFC 61 – The rematch: Tito Ortiz and Ken Shamrock set records.
• UFC 62 – Deja vu: Chuck Liddell’s second match with Renato Sobral was familiar-looking.
• UFC 63 – Instant classic: Matt Hughes rallied past B.J. Penn in one for the ages.
• UFC 64 – Silva era dawns: Anderson Silva delivered a stunning beating to Rich Franklin.

Georges St. Pierre rocketed to the top by beating Matt Hughes.

• UFC 66 – Chuck-Tito 2: The UFC’s breakthrough year ended with its biggest match.
• UFC 67 – Mirko’s debut: A former PRIDE star made a long-awaited debut.
• UFC 68 – Pure magic: Randy Couture’s win over Tim Sylvia was a moment like few others.
• UFC 69 – Serra stunner: Matt Serra earned his spot in the UFC history books.
• UFC 70 – The Head Kick: Gabriel Gonzaga ruined the UFC’s plans with one big kick.

• UFC 71 – On the Rampage: Quinton “Rampage” Jackson put a halt to Chuck Liddell’s title reign.
• UFC 72 – Northern Ireland debut: Rich Franklin escaped Belfast a winner after a tense third round.
• UFC 73 – Silva is stacked: Anderson Silva let everyone know he was in for a long title reign.
• UFC 74 – Couture defies time: Randy Couture’s win over Gabriel Gonzaga may have been his greatest yet.
• UFC 75 – Was Hamill robbed?: The Michael Bisping-Matt Hamill decision ignited a controversy.
• UFC 76 – Jardine’s shining moment: Keith Jardine didn’t go to UFC 76 to lose to Chuck Liddell.
• UFC 77 – No fluke: Anderson Silva took it to Rich Franklin a second time.
• UFC 78 – Heading east: The UFC made a long-awaited return to the East Coast.
• UFC 79 – Finally: The fans got a match six years in the making.

B.J. Penn became the second fighter to hold championships in two weight classes, joining Randy Couture.

• UFC 81 – Memorable debut: Brock Lesnar lost but was the star of the show.
• UFC 82 – One champion: UFC middleweight champ Anderson Silva beat PRIDE counterpart Dan Henderson.
• UFC 83 – Montreal mayhem: The UFC’s Canada debut was an unforgettable event.
• UFC 84 – Tito’s exit: Tito Ortiz made more noise outside the cage than in it.
• UFC 85 – True bedlam: An unexpected chain of events led to Thiago Alves’ star turn.

• UFC 86 – Contested decision: The Quinton Jackson-Forrest Griffin decision will long be debated.
• UFC 87 – Brock ‘n’ roll: Brock Lesnar rebounded from his loss to Frank Mir.
• UFC 88 – Goodnight Chuck: Rashad Evans scored a stunning knockout.
• UFC 89 – Mike’s house: Michael Bisping returned home a headliner.
• UFC 90 – Strange night: Anderson Silva’s match with Patrick Cote went awry.
• UFC 91 – Lesnar crowned: Brock Lesnar won UFC gold four fights into his career.
• UFC 92 – Triple main event: The UFC closed 2008 with a bang.
• UFC 93 – Dublin over: Dan Henderson and Rich Franklin introduced Ireland to the UFC.
• UFC 94 – Super rematch: Few matches were as anticipated as Georges St. Pierre-B.J. Penn 2.
• UFC 95 – Next chapter: Diego Sanchez made a successful transition to lightweight.
• UFC 96 – Rampage reigns: Quinton Jackson edged Keith Jardine in a top-notch battle.
• UFC 97 – Silva wonderland: Anderson Silva put in a second-straight head-scratcher.
• UFC 98 – Full circle: Lyoto Machida put the “martial arts” back in MMA.
• UFC 99 – Stand and deliver: Rich Franklin and Wanderlei Silva produced fireworks in Germany.