| 1997 in UFC | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [REDACTED] | ||||
| Information | ||||
| First date | February 7, 1997 | |||
| Last date | December 21, 1997 | |||
| Events | ||||
| Total events | 5 | |||
| UFC | 4 | |||
| Fights | ||||
| Total fights | 41 | |||
| Title fights | 5 | |||
| Chronology | ||||
| ||||
The year 1997 was the fifth year in the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States. In 1997, the UFC held five events beginning with UFC 12: Judgement Day.
Title fights
| Title fights in 1997 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weight class | Method | Round | Time | Event | Notes | |||
| Heavyweight | Mark Coleman | def. | Dan Severn | Submission (neck crank) | 2:57 | UFC 12: Judgement Day | ||
| Heavyweight | Maurice Smith | def. | Mark Coleman (c) | Decision (unanimous) | 21:00 | UFC 14: Showdown | ||
| Heavyweight | Maurice Smith (c) | def. | Tank Abbott | Submission (exhaustion) | 8:08 | UFC 15: Collision Course | ||
| Light Heavyweight | Frank Shamrock | def. | Kevin Jackson | Submission (armbar) | 1 | 0:16 | UFC Ultimate Japan | |
| Heavyweight | Randy Couture | def. | Maurice Smith (c) | Decision (majority) | 1 | 21:00 | UFC Ultimate Japan | |
- Coleman defeated Severn to become the inaugural UFC Heavyweight Champion.
- Smith defeated Coleman to become the new UFC Heavyweight Champion.
- Smith defeated Abbott to remain the UFC Heavyweight Champion.
- Shamrock defeated Jackson to become the inaugural the Light Heavyweight Champion.
- Couture defeated Smith to become the new UFC Heavyweight Champion. However, he was stripped of the title in October 1998 due to a contract dispute.
Debut UFC fighters
The following fighters fought their first UFC fight in 1997:
|
Events list
Main article: List of UFC events| # | Event | Date | Venue | Location | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | UFC 12: Judgement Day | Feb 7, 1997 | Dothan Civic Center | Dothan, Alabama, U.S. | 3,100 |
| 15 | UFC 13: The Ultimate Force | May 30, 1997 | Augusta Civic Center | Augusta, Georgia, U.S. | 5,100 |
| 16 | UFC 14: Showdown | Jul 27, 1997 | Boutwell Auditorium | Birmingham, Alabama, U.S. | 5,000 |
| 17 | UFC 15: Collision Course | Oct 17, 1997 | Casino Magic Bay St. Louis | Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, U.S. | — |
| 18 | UFC Japan: Ultimate Japan | Dec 21, 1997 | Yokohama Arena | Yokohama, Japan | 5,000 |
See also
References
- "UFC 12: Judgement Day". tapology.com. Retrieved October 20, 2010.
- "UFC 13: Ultimate Force". tapology.com. Retrieved October 20, 2010.
- "UFC 14: Showdown". tapology.com. Retrieved October 20, 2010.
- "UFC 15.5: Ultimate Japan". tapology.com. Retrieved October 20, 2010.
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