UFC 83
Encyclopedia
UFC 83: Serra vs St-Pierre 2 was a mixed martial arts
event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship
. The event was held on April 19, 2008, at the Bell Centre
in Montreal
, Quebec
, Canada
. UFC 83 was the UFC's first event in Canada. It was headlined by UFC Welterweight Champion Matt Serra
and UFC Interim Welterweight Champion Georges St-Pierre in a match to unify the championship.
Several prominent Canadian fighters were set to compete, including Kalib Starnes
, Mark Bocek
, Jason MacDonald
, Sam Stout
, Jason Day
and Jonathan Goulet
. Patrick Côté
was scheduled to fight as well, but was forced to pull out after sustaining an injury in a slip-and-fall accident.
The main event featured a rematch between Matt Serra
and Georges St-Pierre from their fight at UFC 69
, which Serra had won. The two fighters exchanged harsh words through the media following that fight, which led to the circumstances that surrounded the rematch. St-Pierre cited personal issues for the loss. He said that his father was seriously ill, and that his 17 year old cousin had died in a car accident around the time of the first fight. St-Pierre then claimed that he only accepted the fight with Serra because he thought he could "easily beat this guy." Serra took exception to these comments and responded in a subsequent radio interview by calling St-Pierre a "Frenchy", telling him to "go drink some red wine and go watch a hockey game."
This event marked the debut of future UFC Heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez
.
officially broke the former attendance record of 19,049 set at UFC 68
in Columbus, Ohio back in March 2007.
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...
. The event was held on April 19, 2008, at the Bell Centre
Bell Centre
The Bell Centre , formerly known as the Molson Centre , is a sports and entertainment complex in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It opened on March 16, 1996 after nearly three years under construction...
in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. UFC 83 was the UFC's first event in Canada. It was headlined by UFC Welterweight Champion Matt Serra
Matt Serra
Matthew John Serra is an American mixed martial artist and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt. He is a former UFC Welterweight Champion and an ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship silver medalist. He began practicing martial arts at an early age, first studying kung fu...
and UFC Interim Welterweight Champion Georges St-Pierre in a match to unify the championship.
Background
The event on this date was originally scheduled to be called UFC 84, but following the cancellation of a tentatively scheduled March 8, 2008 event in England, the event's title was changed to UFC 83 instead.Several prominent Canadian fighters were set to compete, including Kalib Starnes
Kalib Starnes
Kalib Axel Starnes is a retired Canadian mixed martial artist of Metis descent. He was featured in the third season of the reality TV series, The Ultimate Fighter...
, Mark Bocek
Mark Bocek
Mark Andrew Bocek is a Canadian mixed martial artist. He competes in the Lightweight division.-Background:Bocek is one of Canada's first Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belts and has been studying the art for more than a decade...
, Jason MacDonald
Jason MacDonald
Jason Anthony MacDonald is a Canadian mixed martial artist who is currently fighting with the Ultimate Fighting Championship as a middleweight. He is also a veteran of the Maximum Fighting Championship and TKO Major League MMA in his native country of Canada...
, Sam Stout
Sam Stout
Samuel James "Hands of Stone" Stout is a Canadian mixed martial artist from London, Ontario. Currently signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship, he is primarily known as a striker with an iron chin.- Mixed martial arts career :...
, Jason Day
Jason Day (fighter)
Jason Day is a Canadian mixed martial artist born in Lethbridge, Alberta. He has fought for a variety of Mixed martial arts promotions, including the Ultimate Fighting Championship, TKO Major League MMA, and King of the Cage....
and Jonathan Goulet
Jonathan Goulet
Jonathan Goulet is a retired French Canadian mixed martial artist. He has most recently fought as a welterweight for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, where he made his successful debut at Ultimate Fight Night 2, defeating Jay Hieron by technical knockout.-Mixed martial arts career:Goulet is...
. Patrick Côté
Patrick Côté (fighter)
Patrick Côté is a French-Canadian mixed martial artist. He currently fights as a middleweight, most recently in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, and was the TKO Major League MMA middleweight champion...
was scheduled to fight as well, but was forced to pull out after sustaining an injury in a slip-and-fall accident.
The main event featured a rematch between Matt Serra
Matt Serra
Matthew John Serra is an American mixed martial artist and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt. He is a former UFC Welterweight Champion and an ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship silver medalist. He began practicing martial arts at an early age, first studying kung fu...
and Georges St-Pierre from their fight 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...
, which Serra had won. The two fighters exchanged harsh words through the media following that fight, which led to the circumstances that surrounded the rematch. St-Pierre cited personal issues for the loss. He said that his father was seriously ill, and that his 17 year old cousin had died in a car accident around the time of the first fight. St-Pierre then claimed that he only accepted the fight with Serra because he thought he could "easily beat this guy." Serra took exception to these comments and responded in a subsequent radio interview by calling St-Pierre a "Frenchy", telling him to "go drink some red wine and go watch a hockey game."
This event marked the debut of future UFC Heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez
Cain Velasquez
Cain Ramirez Velasquez is an American mixed martial artist fighting in the Ultimate Fighting Championship where he is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion. He is a two-time All-American collegiate wrestler from Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona, and a Junior College National Champ at Iowa...
.
UFC records broken
At the time, UFC 83 officially broke two UFC records. The first record broken was the fastest sellout ever. The UFC sold most of the tickets to UFC Fight Club members in the first 24 hours of the fightclub presale. The rest of the tickets were sold within one minute of the public sale. The second record broken was the UFC attendance record. The 21,390 people that packed the Bell CentreBell Centre
The Bell Centre , formerly known as the Molson Centre , is a sports and entertainment complex in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It opened on March 16, 1996 after nearly three years under construction...
officially broke the former attendance record of 19,049 set at UFC 68
UFC 68
UFC 68: The Uprising was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on March 3, 2007 at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. UFC 68 was the first UFC event held in the state of Ohio, and coincided with the 2007 Arnold Sports Festival...
in Columbus, Ohio back in March 2007.
Commentary team
- Mike GoldbergMike GoldbergMike Goldberg is an American play-by-play commentator, mainly known for his work with the Ultimate Fighting Championship.-Broadcasting career:...
, play by play commentator - Kenny FlorianKenny FlorianKenneth Alan Florian is a Peruvian-American mixed martial artist who competes as a featherweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He has a background in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai, and is known for his cerebral approach to the sport based on his meticulous game plans and...
, color commentator
Preliminary card
- Welterweight bout:
Jonathan GouletJonathan GouletJonathan Goulet is a retired French Canadian mixed martial artist. He has most recently fought as a welterweight for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, where he made his successful debut at Ultimate Fight Night 2, defeating Jay Hieron by technical knockout.-Mixed martial arts career:Goulet is...
vs.
Kuniyoshi HironakaKuniyoshi Hironakais a Japanese mixed martial artist who competes in the welterweight division.After Mizuto Hirota vacated the Cage Force Lightweight Championship, Kuniyoshi Hironaka defeated Yoshihiro Koyama at Cage Force 12 to become the new belt holder....
- Goulet defeated Hironaka via TKO (punches) at 2:07 of round 2. This bout aired last on the PPV broadcast following the Serra vs. St-Pierre fight.
- Heavyweight bout:
Cain VelasquezCain VelasquezCain Ramirez Velasquez is an American mixed martial artist fighting in the Ultimate Fighting Championship where he is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion. He is a two-time All-American collegiate wrestler from Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona, and a Junior College National Champ at Iowa...
vs.
Brad MorrisBrad MorrisBrad Morris is an Australian mixed martial artist.-MMA career:He has a professional MMA record of 10 wins with 6 losses. He scored a win in BodogFight over UFC veteran Kristof Midoux. He trains with other antipodean fighters such as Mark Hunt and Elvis Sinosic.-Ultimate Fighting Championship:His...
- Velasquez defeated Morris via TKO (punches) at 2:10 of round 1.
- Lightweight bout: Sam StoutSam StoutSamuel James "Hands of Stone" Stout is a Canadian mixed martial artist from London, Ontario. Currently signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship, he is primarily known as a striker with an iron chin.- Mixed martial arts career :...
vs. 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:...
- Clementi defeated Stout via split decision (29–27, 28–29, 29–28.
- Middleweight bout: Jason MacDonaldJason MacDonaldJason Anthony MacDonald is a Canadian mixed martial artist who is currently fighting with the Ultimate Fighting Championship as a middleweight. He is also a veteran of the Maximum Fighting Championship and TKO Major League MMA in his native country of Canada...
vs. Joe DoerksenJoe DoerksenJoseph Daniel Doerksen is a Canadian mixed martial artist from New Bothwell, Manitoba. He is a former middleweight contender of the Ultimate Fighting Championship and a veteran of the International Fight League...
- MacDonald defeated Doerkson via TKO (elbows) at 0:56 of round 2.
- Middleweight bout:
Demian MaiaDemian MaiaDemian Maia Baptista is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner. He currently fights for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Maia is currently ranked the #6 middleweight in the world by Sherdog and Yahoo! Sports., and the #8 middleweight fighter in the world by...
vs. Ed Herman
- Maia defeated Herman via submission (triangle choke) at 2:27 of round 2.
- Middleweight bout: Jason DayJason Day (fighter)Jason Day is a Canadian mixed martial artist born in Lethbridge, Alberta. He has fought for a variety of Mixed martial arts promotions, including the Ultimate Fighting Championship, TKO Major League MMA, and King of the Cage....
vs. Alan BelcherAlan BelcherJohn Alan Belcher , is an American mixed martial artist who fights in the middleweight division of the UFC. He fights out of Remix MMA in Biloxi, Mississippi, where he is also the owner. Belcher holds notable wins over Jorge Santiago, Jason MacDonald, Ed Herman, Dennis Kang, and Patrick Côté...
- Day defeated Belcher via TKO (punches) at 3:58 of round 1.
Main card
- Lightweight bout: Mark BocekMark BocekMark Andrew Bocek is a Canadian mixed martial artist. He competes in the Lightweight division.-Background:Bocek is one of Canada's first Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belts and has been studying the art for more than a decade...
vs. Mac DanzigMac DanzigMac Danzig is an American mixed martial artist, who competes as a lightweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.-Background:...
- Danzig defeated Bocek via submission (rear naked choke) at 3:48 of round 3.
- Middleweight 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. Charles McCarthy
- Bisping defeated McCarthy via TKO (arm injury) at 5:00 of round 1.
- Middleweight bout: Kalib StarnesKalib StarnesKalib Axel Starnes is a retired Canadian mixed martial artist of Metis descent. He was featured in the third season of the reality TV series, The Ultimate Fighter...
vs. Nate QuarryNate QuarryNathan Parker Quarry is an American mixed martial arts fighter who is most notable for his appearance in The Ultimate Fighter, a reality show from the Ultimate Fighting Championship.-Early life:...
- Quarry defeated Starnes via unanimous decision (30–26, 30–27, 30–24). The third score marks the second-widest point margin in a three-round fight in UFC history, with the record belonging to a bout between Forrest PetzForrest PetzForrest Petz is an American professional mixed martial arts fighter. Petz is a Ultimate Fighting Championships veteran formerly competing in their welterweight division...
and Sammy MorganSammy Morgan (fighter)Sam "The Squeeze" Morgan is an American mixed martial artist who competes as a Welterweight. He was a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter 2 and also fought in the Strikeforce and EliteXC promotions.-Mixed martial arts record:...
, which was scored 30–23 Petz by one judge.
- Middleweight bout: Rich FranklinRich FranklinRich Jay Franklin II is an American mixed martial artist and former Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight champion.-Background:...
vs. Travis LutterTravis LutterTravis S. Lutter is an American mixed martial artist who won the The Ultimate Fighter 4 reality show. His UFC record, not including his exhibition wins on The Ultimate Fighter 4, is 2–4...
- Franklin defeated Lutter via TKO (punches) at 3:01 of round 2.
- UFC Welterweight Championship unification bout: Matt SerraMatt SerraMatthew John Serra is an American mixed martial artist and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt. He is a former UFC Welterweight Champion and an ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship silver medalist. He began practicing martial arts at an early age, first studying kung fu...
(c) vs. Georges St-PierreGeorges St. PierreGeorges St-Pierre , often referred to as GSP, is a Canadian mixed martial artist and the current Welterweight Champion of the UFC. St-Pierre is ranked as the No. 1 Welterweight in the world according to Sherdog, MMAWeekly and numerous other publications. St-Pierre is ranked the No. 2 pound for...
(ic)
- St-Pierre defeated Serra via TKO (knees) at 4:45 of round 2. to become the undisputed UFC Welterweight Champion.
Bonus awards
At the end of this event, $75,000 was awarded to each of the fighters who received one of these three awards.- Fight of the Night: Jonathan Goulet vs. Kuniyoshi Hironaka
- Knockout of the Night: Jason MacDonald
- Submission of the Night: Demian Maia