UFC 20
Encyclopedia
UFC 20: Battle for the Gold was a mixed martial arts
event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship
on May 7, 1999 at the Boutwell Auditorium in Birmingham, Alabama
. The event was seen live on pay per view in the United States
, and later released on home video
.
vacated the title (due to contract disputes with the UFC). Referees for the event were Mario Yamasaki
(first time for UFC pay-per-view) and John McCarthy.
UFC 20 marks the first time Bruce Buffer started the tournament with the expression, "We Are Live!", a staple of his for years to come. It also did not feature Joe Rogan as interviewer.
Mixed martial arts
Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...
event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship
Ultimate Fighting Championship
The Ultimate Fighting Championship is the largest mixed martial arts promotion company in the world that hosts most of the top-ranked fighters in the sport...
on May 7, 1999 at the Boutwell Auditorium in Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
. The event was seen live on pay per view in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and later released on home video
Home video
Home video is a blanket term used for pre-recorded media that is either sold or rented/hired for home cinema entertainment. The term originates from the VHS/Betamax era but has carried over into current optical disc formats like DVD and Blu-ray Disc and, to a lesser extent, into methods of digital...
.
History
UFC 20 was the final event of what the UFC called "The Road to the Heavyweight Title", a tournament of sorts spanning four events, held to determine the Heavyweight Champion after Randy CoutureRandy Couture
Randy Duane Couture is a retired American mixed martial artist, Greco-Roman wrestler, actor, a three-time former heavyweight champion, two-time former light-heavyweight champion, former interim light heavyweight champion and UFC 13 tournament winner of the Ultimate Fighting Championship...
vacated the title (due to contract disputes with the UFC). Referees for the event were Mario Yamasaki
Mario Yamasaki
Mario Yamasaki is a mixed martial arts referee licensed in many states, most recognizable from his duties with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, as well as founder and chief instructor of the Yamasaki Academy in the USA...
(first time for UFC pay-per-view) and John McCarthy.
UFC 20 marks the first time Bruce Buffer started the tournament with the expression, "We Are Live!", a staple of his for years to come. It also did not feature Joe Rogan as interviewer.
Results
- Heavyweight Preliminary bout:
Ron WatermanRon WatermanRon Waterman , is an American mixed martial artist , professional wrestler and celebrity member of the Team Impact motivational group.He holds notable victories over Ricco Rodriguez and Kevin Randleman.-Career:...
vs. Chris Condo
- Waterman defeated Condo via TKO (punches) at 0:28.
- Lightweight bout: Laverne Clark vs.
Fabiano IhaFabiano IhaFabiano Iha is a Brazilian mixed martial artist. He competes in the Lightweight division. He won his last fight at LIP 1 - Lockdown in Paradise 1 against John Cox on March 19, 2005...
- Clark defeated Iha via TKO (doctor stoppage) at 1:31.
- Lightweight bout: Marcelo Mello vs. David Roberts
- Mello defeated Roberts via TKO (punches) at 1:23.
- Middleweight bout: Wanderlei SilvaWanderlei SilvaWanderlei César da Silva , nicknamed "The Axe Murderer", is a Brazilian mixed martial artist, who has competed in Japan's Pride Fighting Championships and the American based Ultimate Fighting Championship . Silva is known for his aggressive fighting style with the majority of his fights ending in...
vs. Tony Petarra
- Silva defeated Petarra via KO (knee) at 2:53.
- Heavyweight bout: Pete Williams vs. Travis FultonTravis FultonTravis Fulton is an American mixed martial artist and a professional boxer in the heavyweight division. He has notched up over 300 vale tudo and mixed martial arts fights since 1996 and over 30 boxing matches since 1999....
- Williams defeated Fulton via submission (armlock) at 6:28.
- Heavyweight bout: Pedro RizzoPedro RizzoPedro Augusto Rizzo is an Brazilian mixed martial artist and Muay Thai fighter. He has a professional MMA record of 19–9–0 as of July 17, 2010. He holds notable victories over former UFC Champions Mark Coleman, Dan Severn, Josh Barnett, Andrei Arlovski, Ricco Rodriguez and Ken Shamrock.-Mixed...
vs. Tra TelligmanTra TelligmanTracy Telligman is a retired American mixed martial artist and boxer who has fought in Japan, Russia and the USA...
- Rizzo defeated Telligman via KO (punch) at 4:30.
- Heavyweight Championship bout:
Bas RuttenBas RuttenSebastiaan "Bas" Rutten is a retired Dutch mixed martial artist, Karate and Taekwondo blackbelt, and kickboxer. He was a UFC Heavyweight Champion, a three time King of Pancrase world champion, and finished his career on a 22 fight unbeaten streak...
vs. Kevin RandlemanKevin RandlemanKevin Christopher Randleman is a retired American mixed martial arts fighter and a former UFC heavyweight champion. Randleman's background is in Collegiate wrestling. Wrestling at 177 pounds, Randleman was a two time Division I NCAA Champion for The Ohio State University...
- Rutten defeated Randleman via split decision at 21:00 to become the new UFC Heavyweight Champion.