UFC Brazil
Encyclopedia
UFC Brazil: Ultimate Brazil (also known as UFC 17.5) was a mixed martial arts
event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship
in São Paulo, Brazil on October 16th, 1998. The event was seen on pay per view in the United States
and Brazil
, and was later released on home video
.
) to not utilize the tournament format, which aside from UFC 23
, was abandoned completely in following events. The event featured the first ever UFC Lightweight Championship fight, as well as a Middleweight Championship fight.
Ultimate Brazil was part one of what the UFC called "The Road To The Heavyweight Title" (not to be confused with the event of the same name
), a tournament of sorts, spanning four events, to crown the new UFC Heavyweight Champion following Randy Couture
's relinquishing of the belt.
UFC Brazil marked the first appearance of Pedro Rizzo
, who would go on to become a top UFC heavyweight contender. The event also featured the first appearance of former PRIDE Middleweight Champion Wanderlei Silva
.
UFC Brazil caused controversy due to the fact that the Brazilian flag was wrongly represented on the promotional material. The flag is composed of 26 stars in the lower part of the blue circle and one lone star in the top half that symbolizes the state of Pará
. On the contrary, the promotional material showed only 25 stars on the bottom half and no star in the top half.
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...
in São Paulo, Brazil on October 16th, 1998. The event was seen 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 Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, and was later released on home video
Home video
Home video is a blanket term used for pre-recorded media that is either sold or rented/hired for home cinema entertainment. The term originates from the VHS/Betamax era but has carried over into current optical disc formats like DVD and Blu-ray Disc and, to a lesser extent, into methods of digital...
.
History
Ultimate Brazil was the first appearance of the UFC in Brazil, and the third UFC event to take place outside of the US. Ultimate Brazil marked the first UFC event (other than UFC 9UFC 9
UFC 9: Motor City Madness was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on May 17, 1996, at the Cobo Arena in Detroit, Michigan...
) to not utilize the tournament format, which aside from UFC 23
UFC 23
UFC 23: Ultimate Japan 2 was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on November 19, 1999 at Tokyo Bay NK Hall in Tokyo, Japan.-History:...
, was abandoned completely in following events. The event featured the first ever UFC Lightweight Championship fight, as well as a Middleweight Championship fight.
Ultimate Brazil was part one of what the UFC called "The Road To The Heavyweight Title" (not to be confused with the event of the same name
UFC 18
UFC 18: The Road to the Heavyweight Title was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on January 8, 1999 in New Orleans, Louisiana...
), a tournament of sorts, spanning four events, to crown the new UFC Heavyweight Champion following 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...
's relinquishing of the belt.
UFC Brazil marked the first appearance of Pedro Rizzo
Pedro Rizzo
Pedro Augusto Rizzo is an Brazilian mixed martial artist and Muay Thai fighter. He has a professional MMA record of 19–9–0 as of July 17, 2010. He holds notable victories over former UFC Champions Mark Coleman, Dan Severn, Josh Barnett, Andrei Arlovski, Ricco Rodriguez and Ken Shamrock.-Mixed...
, who would go on to become a top UFC heavyweight contender. The event also featured the first appearance of former PRIDE Middleweight Champion 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...
.
UFC Brazil caused controversy due to the fact that the Brazilian flag was wrongly represented on the promotional material. The flag is composed of 26 stars in the lower part of the blue circle and one lone star in the top half that symbolizes the state of Pará
Pará
Pará is a state in the north of Brazil. It borders the Brazilian states of Amapá, Maranhão, Tocantins, Mato Grosso, Amazonas and Roraima. To the northwest it also borders Guyana and Suriname, and to the northeast it borders the Atlantic Ocean. The capital is Belém.Pará is the most populous state...
. On the contrary, the promotional material showed only 25 stars on the bottom half and no star in the top half.
Alternate Bouts
- Lightweight Alternate bout:
Cesar Marscucci vs. Paulo Santos
- Marscucci defeated Santos via TKO at 10:27.
- Middleweight Alternate bout: Tulio Palhares vs. Adriano Santos
- Palhares defeated Santos via TKO at 9:00.
Main Card
- Middleweight bout: Ebenezer Fontes BragaEbenezer Fontes BragaEbenezer "Pitbull" Fontes Braga is a Brazilian retired mixed martial artist. He competed in the Light Heavyweight division...
vs.
Jeremy HornJeremy HornJeremy Graham Horn is an American mixed martial artist. He is one of the most experienced fighters in the sport with a professional record of 88–21–5...
- Braga defeated Horn via submission (guillotine choke) at 3:28.
- Heavyweight bout:
Tsuyoshi KosakaTsuyoshi Kosakais a Japanese retired mixed martial artist. He has competed in notable mixed martial arts promotions like the Ultimate Fighting Championship, RINGS, and Pancrase. He holds notable wins over Kimo Leopoldo, Mario Sperry, Volk Han, Gilbert Yvel and Egan Inoue. He is one of only four fighters to defeat...
vs. Pete Williams
- Kosaka defeated Williams via decision at 15:00.
- Lightweight Championship bout: Pat MiletichPat MiletichPatrick Jay Miletich is a retired American mixed martial artist and a current sports commentator. He is known for his fights in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, where he became the first UFC Welterweight Champion and UFC 16 tournament champion....
vs. Mikey BurnettMikey BurnettMichael Wayne Burnett is a former American mixed martial artist who was a member of the legendary fight team the Lion's Den...
- Miletich defeated Burnett via decision at 21:00 to become the inaugural UFC Lightweight Champion, now known as the UFC Welterweight Championship.
- Heavyweight bout: Pedro RizzoPedro RizzoPedro Augusto Rizzo is an Brazilian mixed martial artist and Muay Thai fighter. He has a professional MMA record of 19–9–0 as of July 17, 2010. He holds notable victories over former UFC Champions Mark Coleman, Dan Severn, Josh Barnett, Andrei Arlovski, Ricco Rodriguez and Ken Shamrock.-Mixed...
vs. Tank AbbottTank AbbottDavid 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"...
- Rizzo defeated Abbott via KO (punch) at 8:07.
- Middleweight bout: Vitor BelfortVitor BelfortVítor Vieira Belfort is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. Belfort was born in Rio de Janeiro and studied jiu-jitsu with the Gracie family, namely Carlson Gracie. He received a black belt under Carlson and currently trains with Xtreme Couture, fighting in...
vs. Wanderlei SilvaWanderlei SilvaWanderlei 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...
- Belfort defeated Silva via TKO (punches) at 0:44.
- Middleweight Championship bout: Frank ShamrockFrank ShamrockFrank Shamrock is a retired mixed martial arts fighter. Shamrock was the first to hold the UFC Middleweight Championship and retired as the four-time defending undefeated champion...
(c) vs. John LoberJohn LoberJohn "The Machine" Lober is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Light Heavyweight division. He lost his last fight at Cage Wars Championship: Nightmare against Lee McKibbin on November 29th, 2009...
- Shamrock defeated Lober via submission (punches) at 7:41 to retain the UFC Middleweight Championship.