UFC 70
Encyclopedia
UFC 70: Nations Collide was the second UFC event held in the United Kingdom
, and the first in Manchester on Saturday, April 21, 2007. The first UFC event in the UK was UFC 38: Brawl at the Hall
on July 13, 2002. UFC 70 was also only the seventh UFC event held outside the United States
, and the first since UFC 38. The card was broadcast live on pay-per-view in the United Kingdom and Ireland on Setanta Sports
.
The televised card on Spike TV drew a 1.84 overall rating (2.8 million viewers), and at its highest point, UFC 70 drew 3.5 million viewers for the main event.
champion, Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipović
, fought heavyweight
contender Gabriel Gonzaga
in the main event to determine the top contender for the UFC Heavyweight Championship held by Randy Couture
.
The card also featured Michael Bisping
fighting in England for the UFC for the first time against UFC veteran Elvis Sinosic
and Andrei Arlovski
taking on prize fighter and training partner of Mirko Filipović, Fabricio Werdum
who was making his UFC debut.
Reports have indicated that the UFC was targeting this event for its debut on HBO, but negotiations with HBO were not completed in time for UFC 70. As a result, the card instead aired on Spike TV
in North America at 9 pm EDT on a 6-hour tape delay.
Lyoto Machida was originally scheduled to fight Forrest Griffin
at this event, but Griffin became ill with a staph infection and could not compete on the card.
The individual payouts are listed below. Purse amounts includes the payment amounts for show and win, but do not include sponsor payments, fees, taxes, or special award bonuses
The bonuses for this event were $30,000 each.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, and the first in Manchester on Saturday, April 21, 2007. The first UFC event in the UK was UFC 38: Brawl at the Hall
UFC 38
UFC 38: Brawl at the Hall was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship. It took place at the Royal Albert Hall in London, England, on July 13, 2002...
on July 13, 2002. UFC 70 was also only the seventh UFC event held outside the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and the first since UFC 38. The card was broadcast live on pay-per-view in the United Kingdom and Ireland on Setanta Sports
Setanta Sports
Setanta Sports is an international sports broadcaster based in Dublin, Ireland. Setanta Sports was formed in 1990 to facilitate the broadcasting of Irish sporting events...
.
The televised card on Spike TV drew a 1.84 overall rating (2.8 million viewers), and at its highest point, UFC 70 drew 3.5 million viewers for the main event.
Background
PRIDE FC Open-Weight Grand PrixPRIDE Final Conflict Absolute
Pride Final Conflict Absolute was a mixed martial arts event held by the Pride Fighting Championships. It took place at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan on September 10, 2006.-Background:...
champion, Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipović
Mirko Filipovic
Mirko Filipović is a former Croatian heavyweight kickboxer, mixed martial artist, politician, and law enforcement officer. Filipović was a member of the Croatian Parliament from 2003 through 2007...
, fought heavyweight
Heavyweight (MMA)
The heavyweight division in mixed martial arts generally groups fighters between .Although many ambiguities exist within the lower weight classes regarding division naming and weight limits, the Heavyweight division is, for the most part, uniform...
contender Gabriel Gonzaga
Gabriel Gonzaga
Gabriel Gonzaga , is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist who most recently competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He holds a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, is a former member of Chute Boxe Academy and now fights out of Ludlow, Massachusetts as a part of Team Link...
in the main event to determine the top contender for the UFC Heavyweight Championship held by Randy Couture
Randy 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...
.
The card also featured Michael Bisping
Michael Bisping
Michael Gavin Joseph Bisping is an English mixed martial artist born in Cyprus but living in Clitheroe, Lancashire. He currently fights as a middleweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and is the former Cage Warriors Fighting Championship light heavyweight champion, former Cage Rage light...
fighting in England for the UFC for the first time against UFC veteran Elvis Sinosic
Elvis Sinosic
Elvis Sinosic is a retired Australian professional mixed martial artist.-Biography:Born in Canberra, Elvis Sinosic now resides in Sydney, where he practises his martial arts training. Elvis was born to Croatian parents and is proud of his Croatian heritage...
and Andrei Arlovski
Andrei Arlovski
Andrei Valeryevich Arlovski is a Belarusian kickboxer, mixed martial artist and a former Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight champion.-Biography:...
taking on prize fighter and training partner of Mirko Filipović, Fabricio Werdum
Fabricio Werdum
Fabricio Werdum is a Brazilian mixed martial artist, a two-time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion, a two-time ADCC world heavyweight champion and European Jiu-Jitsu champion. He holds black belts in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Judo, and Muay Thai. Werdum has competed in Pride Fighting Championships, the...
who was making his UFC debut.
Reports have indicated that the UFC was targeting this event for its debut on HBO, but negotiations with HBO were not completed in time for UFC 70. As a result, the card instead aired on Spike TV
Spike TV
Spike is an American cable television channel. It launched on March 7, 1983 as The Nashville Network , a joint venture of WSM, Inc...
in North America at 9 pm EDT on a 6-hour tape delay.
Lyoto Machida was originally scheduled to fight Forrest Griffin
Forrest Griffin
Forrest Griffin is an American mixed martial artist. He is currently signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship where he is a former UFC light heavyweight champion....
at this event, but Griffin became ill with a staph infection and could not compete on the card.
Preliminary card
- Welterweight bout:
Paul TaylorPaul Taylor (fighter)Paul Simon Taylor is an English mixed martial artist from Walsall. He stands 6'0" and weighs . He has fought regularly for Ultimate Fighting Championship. He holds notable wins over Jess Liaudin and Gabe Ruediger....
vs.
Edilberto de OliveiraEdilberto de OliveiraEdilberto Souza "Crocota" de Oliveira is a Brazilian mixed martial artist. He competes in the Welterweight division.-Early career:Edilberto de Oliveira made his professional MMA debut in 2004...
- Taylor defeated de Oliveira via TKO (strikes) at :37 of round 3.
- Welterweight bout:
Jess LiaudinJess LiaudinJess Liaudin is a French mixed martial artist who currently fights out of London, England. Jess trained in martial arts from eight years old; in karate initially and then moving on to kickboxing....
vs.
Dennis SiverDennis SiverDennis D. Siver ; born January 13, 1979) is a Russian-German mixed martial artist who competes in the lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. As of July 2011, Siver is ranked as the #8 lightweight fighter in the world by MMAWeekly...
- Liaudin defeated Siver via submission (armbar) at 1:19 of round 1. This preliminary bout was aired on the pay-per-view, but not aired on the Spike TV broadcast.
- Light Heavyweight bout:
Alessio SakaraAlessio SakaraAlessio Sakara is an Italian mixed martial artist and boxer, who currently competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship's Middleweight Division. Sakara is also a Former World Junior Boxing Contender. He holds notable wins over Elvis Sinosic, Thales Leites, James Irvin.-Background:Sakara was born...
vs.
Victor ValimakiVictor ValimakiVictor "The Matrix" Valimaki is a Canadian mixed martial artist. He competes in the Light Heavyweight division. Valimaki holds notable victories over Dan Severn, Jason Day and Vernon White.-MMA Debut:...
- Sakara defeated Valimaki via TKO (strikes) at 1:44 of round 1.
- Lightweight bout: Junior AssuncaoJunior AssuncaoCleuder F. "Junior" Assunção is a Brazilian mixed martial artist. He competes in the lightweight and featherweight divisions.-Biography:Originally from Northeastern Brazil, Junior grew up in Miami, and now resides in Atlanta...
vs.
David LeeDavid Lee (fighter)David Lee is an English professional mixed martial artist who has competed for Ultimate Fighting Championship, Cage Rage, BAMMA, Bushido and Cage Rage UK...
- Assuncao defeated Lee via submission (rear naked choke) at 1:55 of round 2.
- Lightweight bout: Terry EtimTerry EtimTerence Lee "Terry" Etim is an English mixed martial artist and Thai boxer who trains with Team Kaobon and RFT. He is trained by Colin Heron and Marcelo Brigadeiro...
vs.
Matt GriceMatt GriceDonald Matthew Grice is an American mixed martial artist who has fought for X-1, Freestyle Cage Fighting, Ultimate Texas Showdown and the Ultimate Fighting Championship...
- Etim defeated Grice via submission (guillotine choke) at 4:45 of round 1. This preliminary bout was aired on the Spike TV broadcast after the Kongo-Silva fight, but was not shown on the pay-per-view broadcast.
Main card
- Heavyweight bout: Cheick KongoCheick KongoCheick Guillaume Ouedraogo , more commonly known as Cheick Kongo, is a professional French heavyweight mixed martial artist and kickboxer currently fighting in the Ultimate Fighting Championship...
vs. Assuerio SilvaAssuerio SilvaAssuerio Silva is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and professional boxer, having most recently competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and Pancrase. He became the Heavyweight King of Pancrase on May 30, 2007, defeating Tatsuya Mizuno.Silva holds a professional fight record of 13–6–01, the...
- Kongo defeated Silva via majority decision (29–28, 29–28, 28–28).
- Light Heavyweight bout: David HeathDavid Heath (fighter)David Alan Heath is an American mixed martial artist who formerly competed in the light heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, where he made his debut at UFC 62, defeating Cory Walmsley by first-round submission...
vs. Lyoto MachidaLyoto MachidaLyoto Carvalho Machida is a Japanese-Brazilian mixed martial artist from Belém, Brazil who fights as a light heavyweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship...
- Machida defeated Heath via unanimous decision (30–27, 30–26, 30–27). This match was shown on the pay-per-view but was not shown on the Spike TV broadcast.
- Light Heavyweight bout: Michael BispingMichael BispingMichael Gavin Joseph Bisping is an English mixed martial artist born in Cyprus but living in Clitheroe, Lancashire. He currently fights as a middleweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and is the former Cage Warriors Fighting Championship light heavyweight champion, former Cage Rage light...
vs.
Elvis SinosicElvis SinosicElvis Sinosic is a retired Australian professional mixed martial artist.-Biography:Born in Canberra, Elvis Sinosic now resides in Sydney, where he practises his martial arts training. Elvis was born to Croatian parents and is proud of his Croatian heritage...
- Bisping defeated Sinosic via TKO (strikes) at 1:40 of round 2.
- Heavyweight bout:
Andrei ArlovskiAndrei ArlovskiAndrei Valeryevich Arlovski is a Belarusian kickboxer, mixed martial artist and a former Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight champion.-Biography:...
vs. Fabricio WerdumFabricio WerdumFabricio Werdum is a Brazilian mixed martial artist, a two-time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion, a two-time ADCC world heavyweight champion and European Jiu-Jitsu champion. He holds black belts in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Judo, and Muay Thai. Werdum has competed in Pride Fighting Championships, the...
- Arlovski defeated Werdum via unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, 30–27).
- Heavyweight bout:
Mirko FilipovićMirko FilipovicMirko Filipović is a former Croatian heavyweight kickboxer, mixed martial artist, politician, and law enforcement officer. Filipović was a member of the Croatian Parliament from 2003 through 2007...
vs. Gabriel GonzagaGabriel GonzagaGabriel Gonzaga , is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist who most recently competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He holds a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, is a former member of Chute Boxe Academy and now fights out of Ludlow, Massachusetts as a part of Team Link...
- Gonzaga defeated Filipović via KO (head kick) at 4:51 of round 1.
Purses
The disclosed fighter payroll for UFC 70 was $843,000.The individual payouts are listed below. Purse amounts includes the payment amounts for show and win, but do not include sponsor payments, fees, taxes, or special award bonuses
- Gabriel Gonzaga ($60,000) def. Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic ($350,000)
- Andrei Arlovski ($160,000) def. Fabricio Werdum ($80,000)
- Michael Bisping ($24,000) def. Elvis Sinosic ($8,000)
- Lyoto Machida ($40,000) def. David Heath ($6,000)
- Cheick Kongo ($40,000) def. Assuerio Silva ($8,000)
- Terry Etim ($12,000) def. Matt Grice ($3,000)
- Junior Assuncao ($6,000) def. David Lee ($2,000)
- Alessio Sakara ($20,000) def. Victor Valimaki ($3,000)
- Jess Liaudin ($6,000) def. Dennis Siver ($3,000)
- Paul Taylor ($8,000) def. Edilberto Crocota ($4,000)
Bonus awards
After every UFC event, bonuses are given to fighters who perform well.The bonuses for this event were $30,000 each.
- Fight of the Night: Michael BispingMichael BispingMichael Gavin Joseph Bisping is an English mixed martial artist born in Cyprus but living in Clitheroe, Lancashire. He currently fights as a middleweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and is the former Cage Warriors Fighting Championship light heavyweight champion, former Cage Rage light...
vs. Elvis SinosicElvis SinosicElvis Sinosic is a retired Australian professional mixed martial artist.-Biography:Born in Canberra, Elvis Sinosic now resides in Sydney, where he practises his martial arts training. Elvis was born to Croatian parents and is proud of his Croatian heritage...
- Submission of the Night: Terry EtimTerry EtimTerence Lee "Terry" Etim is an English mixed martial artist and Thai boxer who trains with Team Kaobon and RFT. He is trained by Colin Heron and Marcelo Brigadeiro...
- Knockout of the Night: Gabriel GonzagaGabriel GonzagaGabriel Gonzaga , is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist who most recently competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He holds a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, is a former member of Chute Boxe Academy and now fights out of Ludlow, Massachusetts as a part of Team Link...