UFC 76
Encyclopedia
UFC 76: Knockout was a mixed martial arts
(MMA) event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship
(UFC). The event took place on September 22, 2007 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California
. Though the event was subtitled Knockout, the entire card produced no knockouts.
was anticipated to be Chuck Liddell
versus Wanderlei Silva
, a long-awaited match between the two popular former champions of the UFC and PRIDE, respectively; however, the main event featured a fight between former UFC light heavyweight
champion Chuck Liddell
and The Ultimate Fighter 2
alum Keith Jardine
, with both fighters returning from knockout losses at UFC 71
.
Also appearing on the card was PRIDE 2005 Middleweight Grand Prix champion & future UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Mauricio "Shogun" Rua
, who made his Octagon debut against The Ultimate Fighter 1
winner Forrest Griffin
.
Welterweight
Diego Sanchez
returned after his decision loss at UFC 69
to Josh Koscheck
when he faced Jon Fitch
, a training partner of Koscheck and a former Purdue University
wrestler who was in the midst of a thirteen-fight win streak.
A scheduled bout between light heavyweights Jason Lambert
and Wilson Gouveia
was removed from the card after Gouveia suffered a severely broken nose during training. A replacement for Gouveia was not found.
The card left with eight bouts instead of nine, the UFC scheduled a fight between Rich Clementi
and Anthony Johnson
to fill out the remainder of the card.
None of the preliminary bouts made it to the PPV due to the length of all the main card bouts.
Chuck Liddell $500,000
Mauricio Rua $150,000
Lyoto Machida $50,000
Forrest Griffin $45,000
Jon Fitch $44,000
Tyson Griffin $24,000
Rich Clementi $24,000
Diego Sanchez $22,000
Kazuhiro Nakamura $20,000
Matt Wiman $16,000
Keith Jardine $14,000
Christian Wellisch $14,000
Thiago Tavares $9,000
Jeremy Stephens $6,000
Anthony Johnson $5,000
Michihiro Omigawa $5,000
Scott Junk $4,000
Diego Saravia $3,000
Total $954,000
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...
(MMA) 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...
(UFC). The event took place on September 22, 2007 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Though the event was subtitled Knockout, the entire card produced no knockouts.
Background
The main eventMain Event
Main Event is Australia's only pay-per-view channel. It transmits through Foxtel, Optus Television and Austar, which jointly own the channel...
was anticipated to be Chuck Liddell
Chuck Liddell
Charles 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...
versus Wanderlei Silva
Wanderlei Silva
Wanderlei 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...
, a long-awaited match between the two popular former champions of the UFC and PRIDE, respectively; however, the main event featured a fight between former UFC light heavyweight
Light Heavyweight (MMA)
The light heavyweight division in mixed martial arts generally refers to competitors weighing between 186 and 205 lb . It sits between the lighter middleweight division, and the heavyweight division....
champion Chuck Liddell
Chuck Liddell
Charles 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...
and The Ultimate Fighter 2
The Ultimate Fighter 2
The Ultimate Fighter 2 was the second season of the mixed martial arts reality television series The Ultimate Fighter. The season featured a heavyweight and a welterweight division, with 9 fighters initially in each division. The UFC coaches for this season were welterweight and middleweight...
alum Keith Jardine
Keith Jardine
Keith Hector Jardine is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the light heavyweight division and is best known for his time in the Ultimate Fighting Championship...
, with both fighters returning from knockout losses at UFC 71
UFC 71
UFC 71: Liddell vs. Jackson was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The event took place on Saturday, May 26, 2007 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.-Background:...
.
Also appearing on the card was PRIDE 2005 Middleweight Grand Prix champion & future UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Mauricio "Shogun" Rua
Mauricio Rua
Maurício Milani Rua is a Brazilian mixed martial artist fighting in the Ultimate Fighting Championship where he is a former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion...
, who made his Octagon debut against The Ultimate Fighter 1
The Ultimate Fighter 1
The debut season of The Ultimate Fighter premiered on January 17, 2005. Sixteen mixed martial arts fighters were invited to participate in the show where they would reside together and train in two separate teams...
winner 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....
.
Welterweight
Welterweight (MMA)
The welterweight division in mixed martial arts can refer to a number of different weight classes:*The UFC's & Strikeforce's welterweight division, which groups competitors within 156 to 170 lb...
Diego Sanchez
Diego Sánchez
Diego J. Sanchez is an American mixed martial artist of Mexican descent, with a background in wrestling and Gaidojutsu, system of submission wrestling developed by his longtime trainer Greg Jackson...
returned after his decision loss at UFC 69
UFC 69
UFC 69: Shootout was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on Saturday, April 7, 2007 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas...
to Josh Koscheck
Josh Koscheck
Josh D. Koscheck is an American mixed martial artist from Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, a former collegiate wrestling champion and is currently fighting at welterweight for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He made his debut with the organization on the first season of the reality television show,...
when he faced Jon Fitch
Jon Fitch
Jonathan Parker Fitch is an American mixed martial artist. He is currently ranked as the No. 2 welterweight in the world by Sherdog, as well as many other publications.-Background:...
, a training partner of Koscheck and a former Purdue University
Purdue University
Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...
wrestler who was in the midst of a thirteen-fight win streak.
A scheduled bout between light heavyweights Jason Lambert
Jason Lambert (fighter)
Jason L. Lambert is an American mixed martial artist from Victorville, California, who fought in the light heavyweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship prior to being released from the company. He fights out of North County Fight Club and is represented by NCFC Fight Management.-...
and Wilson Gouveia
Wilson Gouveia
Wilson Gouveia is a Brazilian mixed martial artist.At and , Gouveia fights as a light heavyweight in the Maximum Fighting Championships organization after a stint as a middleweight in the UFC. He holds a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and is a member of American Top Team...
was removed from the card after Gouveia suffered a severely broken nose during training. A replacement for Gouveia was not found.
The card left with eight bouts instead of nine, the UFC scheduled a fight between Rich Clementi
Rich Clementi
Richard Thomas Clementi is a journeyman American mixed martial artist. He holds notable wins over Terry Etim, Sam Stout, Fabio Holanda, Melvin Guillard and Anthony Johnson.-Mixed martial arts career:...
and Anthony Johnson
Anthony Johnson (fighter)
Anthony Kewoa Johnson is an American mixed martial artist, who competes as a welterweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.-Amateur wrestling:...
to fill out the remainder of the card.
None of the preliminary bouts made it to the PPV due to the length of all the main card bouts.
Preliminary card
- Lightweight bout:
Matt WimanMatt WimanMatthew Charles Wiman is an American mixed martial artist, who competes as a lightweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship...
vs.
Michihiro OmigawaMichihiro Omigawais a Japanese mixed martial artist and Judoka who trains out of Hidehiko Yoshida's dojo. He made it to the finals in the Sengoku Featherweight Grand Prix losing to Masanori Kanehara.-Mixed martial arts career:...
- Wiman defeated Omigawa via unanimous decision (30–27, 29–28, 29–28).
- Heavyweight bout:
Christian WellischChristian WellischChristian Wellisch is a Hungarian-American former mixed martial arts fighter. He most recently competed as a light heavyweight in the UFC.-Mixed martial arts career:...
vs. Scott JunkScott JunkScott Junk is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Heavyweight division and he was a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights....
- Wellisch defeated Junk via submission (heel hook) at 3:19 of round 1.
- Lightweight bout: Jeremy StephensJeremy StephensJeremy Dean Stephens is an American professional mixed martial arts fighter from Des Moines, Iowa. Stephens is currently signed under the Ultimate Fighting Championship promotion, fighting in their lightweight division....
vs.
Diego SaraivaDiego SaraivaDiego Saraiva is a Brazilian mixed martial artist. He competes in the Palace Fighting Championship as well as other promotions in the Lightweight division.-Mixed martial arts career:...
- Stephens defeated Saraiva via unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, 30–27).
- Catchweight (177 lb) bout: Rich ClementiRich ClementiRichard Thomas Clementi is a journeyman American mixed martial artist. He holds notable wins over Terry Etim, Sam Stout, Fabio Holanda, Melvin Guillard and Anthony Johnson.-Mixed martial arts career:...
vs. Anthony JohnsonAnthony Johnson (fighter)Anthony Kewoa Johnson is an American mixed martial artist, who competes as a welterweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.-Amateur wrestling:...
- Clementi defeated Johnson via submission (rear naked choke) at 3:05 of round 2.
Main card
- Lightweight bout: Tyson GriffinTyson GriffinTyson Lee Griffin is an American mixed martial artist from Albany, California. Griffin currently fights as a Featherweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship .-Early life:...
vs. Thiago TavaresThiago TavaresThiago de Mello Tavares is a Brazilian mixed martial artist. He currently fights in the lightweight division in the UFC.-Ultimate Fighting Championship:Thiago Tavares entered the UFC with an undefeated record and was highly regarded...
- Griffin defeated Tavares via unanimous decision (29–28, 30–27, 29–28).
- Light heavyweight bout: 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...
vs. Kazuhiro NakamuraKazuhiro NakamuraKazuhiro Nakamura is a Japanese mixed martial artist currently competing as a middleweight in DREAM. His primary style is judo, in which he holds a 3rd dan black belt under Hidehiko Yoshida...
- Machida defeated Nakamura via unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, 30–27). After the fight, Nakamura failed a drug test, testing positive for marijuana.
- Welterweight bout: Diego SanchezDiego SánchezDiego J. Sanchez is an American mixed martial artist of Mexican descent, with a background in wrestling and Gaidojutsu, system of submission wrestling developed by his longtime trainer Greg Jackson...
vs. Jon FitchJon FitchJonathan Parker Fitch is an American mixed martial artist. He is currently ranked as the No. 2 welterweight in the world by Sherdog, as well as many other publications.-Background:...
- Fitch defeated Sanchez via split decision (30–27, 28–29, 29–28).
- Light Heavyweight bout: Forrest GriffinForrest GriffinForrest 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....
vs. Mauricio RuaMauricio RuaMaurício Milani Rua is a Brazilian mixed martial artist fighting in the Ultimate Fighting Championship where he is a former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion...
- Griffin defeated Rua via submission (rear naked choke) at 4:45 of round 3.
- 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. Keith JardineKeith JardineKeith Hector Jardine is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the light heavyweight division and is best known for his time in the Ultimate Fighting Championship...
- Jardine defeated Liddell via split decision (29–28, 29–28, 28–29).
Purses
As reported by the California State Athletic Commission- Does not include any side bonuses or bonuses for submission and fight of the night honors. Only the show and win money that CSAC reports.
Chuck Liddell $500,000
Mauricio Rua $150,000
Lyoto Machida $50,000
Forrest Griffin $45,000
Jon Fitch $44,000
Tyson Griffin $24,000
Rich Clementi $24,000
Diego Sanchez $22,000
Kazuhiro Nakamura $20,000
Matt Wiman $16,000
Keith Jardine $14,000
Christian Wellisch $14,000
Thiago Tavares $9,000
Jeremy Stephens $6,000
Anthony Johnson $5,000
Michihiro Omigawa $5,000
Scott Junk $4,000
Diego Saravia $3,000
Total $954,000
Bonus awards
At each UFC event, $40,000 is awarded to each of the fighters who receive one of these three awards.- Fight of the Night: Tyson GriffinTyson GriffinTyson Lee Griffin is an American mixed martial artist from Albany, California. Griffin currently fights as a Featherweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship .-Early life:...
vs. Thiago TavaresThiago TavaresThiago de Mello Tavares is a Brazilian mixed martial artist. He currently fights in the lightweight division in the UFC.-Ultimate Fighting Championship:Thiago Tavares entered the UFC with an undefeated record and was highly regarded...
- Submission of the Night: Forrest GriffinForrest GriffinForrest 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....
- Knockout of the Night: None, no knockout victories on the card