UFC 91
Encyclopedia
UFC 91: Couture vs. Lesnar was a mixed martial arts
event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship
(UFC) on November 15, 2008 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas
, Nevada
. The main event featured the return of UFC Heavyweight Champion Randy Couture
versus Brock Lesnar
in a title bout.
Brock Lesnar: $450,000 (includes $200,000 win bonus)
def. Randy Couture: $250,000
Kenny Florian: $80,000 ($40,000 win bonus)
def. Joe Stevenson: $35,000
Dustin Hazelett: $28,000 ($14,000 win bonus)
def. Tamdan McCrory: $10,000
Gabriel Gonzaga: $110,000 ($55,000 win bonus)
def. Josh Hendricks: $8,000
Demian Maia: $40,000 ($20,000 win bonus)
def. Nate Quarry: $25,000
Aaron Riley: $8,000 ($4,000 win bonus)
def. Jorge Gurgel: $10,000
Jeremy Stephens: $16,000 ($8,000 win bonus)
def. Rafael dos Anjos: $4,000
Mark Bocek: $18,000 ($9,000 win bonus)
def. Alvin Robinson: $7,000
Matt Brown $16,000 ($8,000 win bonus)
def. Ryan Thomas: $3,000
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...
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) on November 15, 2008 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas
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...
, 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 main event featured the return of UFC Heavyweight Champion 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...
versus Brock Lesnar
Brock Lesnar
Brock Edward Lesnar is an American mixed martial artist, actor and a former professional and amateur wrestler. He is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion and is ranked the No.5 Heavyweight in the world by Sherdog...
in a title bout.
Preliminary card
- Welterweight bout:
Matt BrownMatt Brown (fighter)Matthew Burton Brown is an American professional mixed martial artist.Brown starred in the seventh season of The Ultimate Fighter television series and was eliminated from the show in the ninth episode due to a loss to Amir Sadollah by Triangle Choke...
vs. Ryan Thomas
- Brown defeated Thomas via submission (armbar) at :57 of round 2. This bout aired on the PPV broadcast following the Gonzaga vs. Hendricks fight.
- Lightweight bout: Alvin RobinsonAlvin RobinsonAlvin L Robinson is an American professional mixed martial artist currently fighting as a lightweight for the Bellator Fighting Championships. He is a former Ring of Fire lightweight champion...
vs.
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...
- Lightweight bout:
- Bocek defeated Robinson via submission (rear naked choke) at 3:16 of round 3. This bout aired last on the PPV broadcast following the Gurgel vs. Riley fight.
- 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.
Rafael dos AnjosRafael dos AnjosRafael dos Anjos is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist. Dos Anjos trains out of Evolve MMA in Brazil and Singapore and is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt under Aldo "Caveirinha" Januario de Olivera...
- Lightweight bout:
- Stephens defeated dos Anjos via KO (uppercut) at :39 of round 3. This bout aired on the PPV broadcast following the Hazelett vs. McCrory fight.
- Lightweight bout: Jorge GurgelJorge GurgelJorge Valente Gurgel is a Brazilian-American Mixed martial artist and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner who currently competes in Strikeforce's lightweight division.- Early life :...
vs. Aaron RileyAaron RileyAaron Matthew Riley is an American mixed martial arts fighter who currently teaches MMA at Warrior Gym in Alexandria, Virginia. He competes in the Lightweight Division.-Ultimate Fighting Championship:...
- Lightweight bout:
- Riley defeated Gurgel via unanimous decision (29–28, 29–28, 29–28). This bout aired on the PPV broadcast following the Couture vs. Lesnar fight.
Main card
- Middleweight bout: 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:...
vs. 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...
- Maia defeated Quarry via submission (rear naked choke) at 2:13 of round 1.
- Heavyweight bout: 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...
vs. Josh HendricksJosh HendricksJoshua Ellis Hendricks is an American mixed martial artist who competed only once in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He made his UFC debut at UFC 91, losing to top contender Gabriel Gonzaga...
- Heavyweight bout:
- Gonzaga defeated Hendricks via TKO (punches) at 1:01 of round 1.
- Welterweight bout: Dustin HazelettDustin HazelettDustin Tyler Hazelett is a American mixed martial artist. He is best known for his fights as a welterweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.-Martial arts background:Dustin Hazelett was born in Louisa, Kentucky, USA...
vs. Tamdan McCroryTamdan McCroryTamdan Wade McCrory is an American mixed martial artist who has fought as a welterweight and has recently moved up to the middleweight division...
- Welterweight bout:
- Hazelett defeated McCrory via submission (armbar) at 3:59 of round 1.
- Lightweight bout: 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...
vs. Joe StevensonJoe StevensonJoseph Christopher Stevenson is an American mixed martial artist fighting out of Las Vegas, Nevada. Competing as a welterweight, he won The Ultimate Fighter 2 welterweight tournament. Stevenson fought most of his UFC career as a lightweight, and made his featherweight debut at UFC Live: Kongo vs....
- Lightweight bout:
- Florian defeated Stevenson via submission (rear naked choke) at 4:03 of round 1.
- Heavyweight Championship bout: Randy CoutureRandy CoutureRandy 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...
(c) vs. Brock LesnarBrock LesnarBrock Edward Lesnar is an American mixed martial artist, actor and a former professional and amateur wrestler. He is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion and is ranked the No.5 Heavyweight in the world by Sherdog...
- Heavyweight Championship bout:
- Lesnar defeated Couture via TKO (punches) at 3:07 of round 2 to become the new UFC Heavyweight Champion.
Bonus awards
Fighters were awarded $60,000 bonuses.- Fight of the Night: Aaron Riley and Jorge Gurgel
- Knockout of the Night: Jeremy Stephens
- Submission of the Night: Dustin Hazelett
Purses
The total payroll for the event was $1,118,000.Brock Lesnar: $450,000 (includes $200,000 win bonus)
def. Randy Couture: $250,000
Kenny Florian: $80,000 ($40,000 win bonus)
def. Joe Stevenson: $35,000
Dustin Hazelett: $28,000 ($14,000 win bonus)
def. Tamdan McCrory: $10,000
Gabriel Gonzaga: $110,000 ($55,000 win bonus)
def. Josh Hendricks: $8,000
Demian Maia: $40,000 ($20,000 win bonus)
def. Nate Quarry: $25,000
Aaron Riley: $8,000 ($4,000 win bonus)
def. Jorge Gurgel: $10,000
Jeremy Stephens: $16,000 ($8,000 win bonus)
def. Rafael dos Anjos: $4,000
Mark Bocek: $18,000 ($9,000 win bonus)
def. Alvin Robinson: $7,000
Matt Brown $16,000 ($8,000 win bonus)
def. Ryan Thomas: $3,000