UFC 40
Encyclopedia
UFC 40: Vendetta was a mixed martial arts
event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship
on November 22, 2002, at the MGM Grand 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
.
and Ken Shamrock
. Shamrock, a popular legendary fighter and former champion from the UFC's early years, was returning to the UFC for the first time since 1996. The fight was coined "the biggest fight in UFC history" by the UFC during the event.
UFC 40 also contained a Welterweight Title Bout between Matt Hughes
and Gil Castillo
. Tank Abbott
provided an interview in the octagon after UFC president Dana White
had announced Abbott would return to the octagon on a 3-fight deal.
Bruce Buffer
has said many times that the fight between Ken Shamrock
and Tito Ortiz
was one of the greatest fights he has ever seen, and that the energy from the 13,700 fans that night was one of the greatest feelings he has ever experienced.
UFC 40 was also the first live UFC Pay Per View event to be aired on Australian cable television.
vs. Tito Ortiz
resulted in a buyrate that was nearly 4 times larger than the buyrates of the previous Zuffa UFC shows. After initially losing a lot of money, UFC 40 showed Zuffa that it was possible to make money with the UFC. This was important for the sport of mixed martial arts because had UFC 40 been a failure, the possibility existed that Zuffa would have eventually sold the UFC and cut their losses; Zuffa was largely responsible for bringing mixed martial arts to the North American mainstream audience in the coming years, and without them, there was a good possibility the sport of mixed martial arts would have remained underground outside of Japan. UFC 40 was a near sellout of 13,022 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena for a gate of $1,540,000, a UFC record at that point.
UFC 40 also gained mainstream exposure for mixed martial arts. Ken Shamrock and Tito Ortiz both appeared on The Best Damn Sports Show Period
and engaged in trash talk on live television. Shamrock and Ortiz's fight also gained mainstream media attention from massive media outlets such as ESPN
and USA Today
, something that was unprecedented for mixed martial arts at that point in time.
Long time UFC referee "Big" John McCarthy said that he felt UFC 40 was the turning point in whether or not the sport of MMA would survive in America.
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 November 22, 2002, at the MGM Grand Arena
MGM Grand Arena
MGM Grand Garden Arena is located in the MGM Grand in Paradise, Nevada, USA, and is patterned after New York's Madison Square Garden. The arena has a seating capacity of 16,800 people and is located at 3799 Las Vegas Boulevard South.-Notable events hosted:...
on the Las Vegas Strip
Las Vegas Strip
The Las Vegas Strip is an approximately stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada; adjacent to, but outside the city limits of Las Vegas proper. The Strip lies within the unincorporated townships of Paradise and Winchester...
in Paradise
Paradise, Nevada
Paradise is an unincorporated town in the Las Vegas metropolitan area in Clark County, Nevada, United States. The population was 223,167 at the 2010 census...
, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
. The event was broadcast 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 DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
.
History
UFC 40 contained one of the biggest, most important and most anticipated fights in UFC history, a UFC Light Heavyweight Championship fight between rivals Tito OrtizTito Ortiz
Jacob Christopher "Tito" Ortiz is a Mexican-American mixed martial artist and former UFC 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...
and Ken Shamrock
Ken Shamrock
Kenneth Wayne Shamrock is an American mixed martial arts fighter, UFC Hall of Famer and professional wrestler...
. Shamrock, a popular legendary fighter and former champion from the UFC's early years, was returning to the UFC for the first time since 1996. The fight was coined "the biggest fight in UFC history" by the UFC during the event.
UFC 40 also contained a Welterweight Title Bout between Matt Hughes
Matt Hughes (fighter)
Matthew Allen Hughes is an American mixed martial artist, UFC Hall of Famer, and former two-time UFC Welterweight Champion. Hughes put together two separate six-fight winning streaks in the UFC, won the welterweight title on two occasions, defended the belt a record seven times, and holds the...
and Gil Castillo
Gil Castillo
Gil Philip Castillo is a retired American mixed martial artist who has studied under Cesar Gracie. He made his UFC debut at UFC 33 where he suffered a loss from Dave Menne via unanimous decision in a match to crown the first UFC Middleweight Champion...
. Tank Abbott
Tank Abbott
David Lee Abbott is an American mixed martial arts fighter and former professional wrestler. He has described his fighting style, which he developed brawling in the bars and streets of Huntington Beach, California, as "street fighting"...
provided an interview in the octagon after UFC president Dana White
Dana White
Dana White is the current President of the Ultimate Fighting Championship , a mixed martial arts organization based in the United States.- Biography :...
had announced Abbott would return to the octagon on a 3-fight deal.
Bruce Buffer
Bruce Buffer
Bruce Anthony Buffer is the main octagon announcer for Zuffa main events. On UFC broadcasts, he is introduced as the "Veteran Voice of the Octagon." He is the half brother of the well-known boxing and wrestling ring announcer Michael Buffer, and is President and CEO of their company "The Buffer...
has said many times that the fight between Ken Shamrock
Ken Shamrock
Kenneth Wayne Shamrock is an American mixed martial arts fighter, UFC Hall of Famer and professional wrestler...
and Tito Ortiz
Tito Ortiz
Jacob Christopher "Tito" Ortiz is a Mexican-American mixed martial artist and former UFC 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...
was one of the greatest fights he has ever seen, and that the energy from the 13,700 fans that night was one of the greatest feelings he has ever experienced.
UFC 40 was also the first live UFC Pay Per View event to be aired on Australian cable television.
Significance
UFC 40 was a pivotal event for Zuffa. The anticipation for Ken ShamrockKen Shamrock
Kenneth Wayne Shamrock is an American mixed martial arts fighter, UFC Hall of Famer and professional wrestler...
vs. Tito Ortiz
Tito Ortiz
Jacob Christopher "Tito" Ortiz is a Mexican-American mixed martial artist and former UFC 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...
resulted in a buyrate that was nearly 4 times larger than the buyrates of the previous Zuffa UFC shows. After initially losing a lot of money, UFC 40 showed Zuffa that it was possible to make money with the UFC. This was important for the sport of mixed martial arts because had UFC 40 been a failure, the possibility existed that Zuffa would have eventually sold the UFC and cut their losses; Zuffa was largely responsible for bringing mixed martial arts to the North American mainstream audience in the coming years, and without them, there was a good possibility the sport of mixed martial arts would have remained underground outside of Japan. UFC 40 was a near sellout of 13,022 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena for a gate of $1,540,000, a UFC record at that point.
UFC 40 also gained mainstream exposure for mixed martial arts. Ken Shamrock and Tito Ortiz both appeared on The Best Damn Sports Show Period
The Best Damn Sports Show Period
The Best Damn Sports Show Period is an American sports television show on Fox Sports Net and Comcast SportsNet. The show regularly featured irreverent and opinionated interviews with top athletes, coaches, celebrities, and entertainers. It also aired Top 50 countdown shows and other sports...
and engaged in trash talk on live television. Shamrock and Ortiz's fight also gained mainstream media attention from massive media outlets such as ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
and USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
, something that was unprecedented for mixed martial arts at that point in time.
Long time UFC referee "Big" John McCarthy said that he felt UFC 40 was the turning point in whether or not the sport of MMA would survive in America.
Preliminary card
- Middleweight bout:
Phillip MillerPhillip MillerPhillip Miller is an American former mixed martial artist who retired undefeated and competed in the Middleweight division. He won his last fight at HOOKnSHOOT – Absolute Fighting Championships 2 against Moacir Oliveira on March 28, 2003...
vs.
Mark WeirMark WeirMark Anthony Weir is an English mixed martial artist usually fighting in the middleweight division at 185 lbs. He has fought in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, and Pride Fighting Championships, and is the former Cage Rage British middleweight champion- Biography :Mark Weir lives in...
- Miller Wins via Submission Rear Naked ChokeRear naked chokeThe Rear naked choke is a chokehold in martial arts applied from an opponent's back. Depending on the context, the term may refer to one of two variations of the technique, either arm can be used to apply the choke in both cases...
at 4:50 of round 2.
- Heavyweight bout:
Vladimir MatyushenkoVladimir MatyushenkoVladimir Vladimirovich Matyushenko is a Belarusian mixed martial artist and the first and only International Fight League light heavyweight champion...
vs. Travis WiuffTravis WiuffTravis Wiuff is a mixed martial arts fighter born in Minnesota, United States. He competes in the Light Heavyweight and Heavyweight divisions...
- Matyushenko wins via Submission (strikes) at 4:10 of round 1.
- Heavyweight bout: Andrei ArlovskiAndrei ArlovskiAndrei Valeryevich Arlovski is a Belarusian kickboxer, mixed martial artist and a former Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight champion.-Biography:...
vs. Ian FreemanIan FreemanIan William Freeman, a.k.a. "The Machine," is a retired English mixed martial artist. He used to fight as a light heavyweight for Cage Rage. He was their final British Light Heavyweight champion....
- Arlovski wins via TKO (strikes) at 1:18 of round 1.
Main card
- Welterweight bout: Robbie LawlerRobbie LawlerRobert Glen "Robbie" Lawler is an American mixed martial artist Lawler was the EliteXC middleweight champion before EliteXC filed for bankruptcy. Lawler has recently signed with Strikeforce. He is a member of Team Hughes fighting out of H.I.T...
vs. Tiki GhosnTiki GhosnTiki Ghosn is an American mixed martial artist veteran, competing since 1998 in the Welterweight division .-History:Tiki started his MMA career in high school when he discovered Muay Thai Kickboxing as a form of cross training for football, while attending MaterDei High School in Santa Ana,...
- Lawler wins via TKO (strikes) at 1:25 of round 1.
- Welterweight bout:
Carlos NewtonCarlos NewtonCarlos Newton is a Canadian mixed martial artist and former UFC Welterweight Champion. He is considered one of the true pioneers in the sport of Mixed Martial Arts. Known as the "The Ronin", he competed worldwide in the biggest MMA organizations including UFC, Pride FC, IFL, K-1, Shooto and most...
vs. Pete SprattPete SprattAaron Pete Spratt is an American professional mixed martial arts fighter. He is a welterweight known for his appearances in the UFC and on The Ultimate Fighter 4 reality television show.-MMA Career:...
- Newton wins via Submission (Kimura) at 1:41 of round 1.
- Welterweight Championship bout: Matt HughesMatt Hughes (fighter)Matthew Allen Hughes is an American mixed martial artist, UFC Hall of Famer, and former two-time UFC Welterweight Champion. Hughes put together two separate six-fight winning streaks in the UFC, won the welterweight title on two occasions, defended the belt a record seven times, and holds the...
(c) vs. Gil CastilloGil CastilloGil Philip Castillo is a retired American mixed martial artist who has studied under Cesar Gracie. He made his UFC debut at UFC 33 where he suffered a loss from Dave Menne via unanimous decision in a match to crown the first UFC Middleweight Champion...
- Hughes wins via TKO (accidental headbutt) after round 1. Between rounds doctors ruled that the resulting cut was too severe to continue.
- Light heavyweight bout: Chuck LiddellChuck LiddellCharles David "Chuck" Liddell is a retired American mixed martial artist and former Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight champion. Liddell has an extensive striking background in Kempo, Koei-Kan karate and kickboxing, as well as a grappling background in collegiate wrestling.As of his...
vs.
Renato SobralRenato SobralRenato da Cunha Sobral , also known as "Babalu", is a Brazilian mixed martial artist, and former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion. He is regarded as one of the best light heavyweights of the night, and noted for his aggressive style, grappling prowess, and high-caliber submissions. Sobral...
- Liddell wins via KO (Head Kick) at 2:55 of round 1. It was widely publicized that Liddell stepped aside to allow Shamrock a shot at the light heavyweight title. His number-one contendership for the light heavyweight title was on the line during this bout.
- Light Heavyweight Championship bout: Tito OrtizTito OrtizJacob Christopher "Tito" Ortiz is a Mexican-American mixed martial artist and former UFC 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...
(c) vs. Ken ShamrockKen ShamrockKenneth Wayne Shamrock is an American mixed martial arts fighter, UFC Hall of Famer and professional wrestler...
- Ortiz wins via TKO (corner stoppage) at 5:00 of round 3.