History of the UFC 01.14.08: UFC XXX - Battle on the Boardwalk
Posted by Matt McEwen on 01.14.2008
The Zuffa era begins wins with the bantamweight title being decided, Tito Ortiz defending the middleweight belt against an undefeated Evan Tanner, and the best fight you've probably never heard of.
So, after 7+ years of being headed by Bob Meryorwitz and SEG, UFC XXX marks the beginning of a new era in MMA as Zuffa purchased the company in mid January, and one month later this is their first event.
Frank & Lorenzo Ferttita are the moneymen behind the purchase. At UFC XXIX, Chuck Liddell thanked them as his new sponsors, so they were fans prior to the purchase as well. Liddell’s manager at that event – Dana White – is the new president of the UFC, and the public face of the new ownership group.
Changes are immediately noticeable, both in the show itself as well as business wise.
As for the show, the event has a slicker, more professional look, with better camera angles, lighting and graphics being utilized. Marketing wise, you can see a big switch away from the SEG mindset of “bloodsport” which, even in the later years of their ownership, was an underlying factor in the presentation. They may have evolved more of a sporting atmosphere over the years, but they never fully got away from the “two men enter, one man leaves” style they presented in the early to mid 90’s.
In contrast that, the Zuffa product seems eager to tell us about every year of schooling/number of degrees/outside of sport interests that each of the competitors has. It’s a pretty big change, and I’ve got to say that it works pretty well. With slicker, more personality based intro videos for just about every fighter, you can see they are attempting to get across that these guys aren’t just lumbering Neanderthals, but rather complete, engaging human beings who enjoy competing in a very physical, violent sport.
The less immediately noticeable changes are probably the more important ones. UFC XXX marks the end of the “Dark Ages” as this event would end up being commercially released on VHS (and possibly DVD….everyone was doing DVD by 2001 weren’t they?). Also, though exact details are a bit sketchy to track down 7 years later, they did start to inch back onto PPV on a wider basis than the UFC had had since the troubles of 1996-1997.
The final change was the continuing fight for regulation. SEG – along with some smaller MMA events – to gain regulation in New Jersey and thus put on shows in Atlantic City, which is also where UFC XXX took place. They had not succeeded in passing muster with the Nevada commission though, and that failure had been a big nail in their coffin.
Zuffa would have a bit more leverage than SEG had though. Lorenzo Fertitta was a former member of the commission and as such, still had a lot of ties to its members. It wouldn’t be long before the UFC was in Vegas.
Oh…and before we get to the show, just how much did Zuffa pay for the UFC, the event that outsold both professional boxing AND professional wrestling on PPV this year? The bargain basement price of $2 million. The things good marketing can do for you….
As I mentioned, we’re in Atlantic City once again, as it’s become the new home of the Octagon. I guess they got tired of Bay St. Louis.
For some reason, the copy of the event that I have has the intro cut off, and opens up with Bruce Buffer in the cage welcoming us to the event. I might not have seen the opening, but the main event tonight is for the Middleweight title as Tito Ortiz defends against the unbeaten Evan Tanner. On paper, that’s a pretty good fight by 2001 standards. I’ll also be interested to see how they present Ortiz, since his former manager is now the president of the company, and the new focus on promoting personalities, I see Ortiz getting a huge push.
Of note as well, we get a three-man booth for the entire night, as undefeated former middleweight champion Frank Shamrock joins Mike Goldberg and Jeff Blatnick for the call of the action.
Heavyweights (205lbs and up)
Mark Robertson
(0-0, 6’, 285lbs)
vs.
Bobby Hoffman
(0-1, 6’2, 253lbs)
Robinson is a tank. The man is huge, and they hype him up as being probably the strongest man ever to compete in MMA. He’s a former South African power lifting champion, so that’s not out of the question. He also has a background in judo and sumo, as well as some ju jitsu training, so he should know how to use his size and power.
Hoffman returns after his decision loss to Maurice Smith, but this time around he has no Pat Militech in his corner. He still trains at the school in Iowa, but they question how often he’s been training if Militech doesn’t want to corner him. Interesting.
Round 1
Robinson is looking to use his size and power and immediately tries to clinch with Hoffman. He pushes the smaller man against the cage, and we get a flurry of short rabbit punches from both guys before Hoffman scores with a couple of short knees. Once he is able to get some separation, Hoffman lands some decent shots, but Robinson clinches again. When they separate the next time, Hoffman lands with a nasty short elbow that finishes the fight.
Beautiful KO win by Hoffman as he lets it be known that he may be a factor in the heavyweight division. Good way to make a decent impression on your new bosses, that’s for sure.
Next up, we get a graphic for a lightweight fight between Fabiano Iha and Phil Johns, except those aren’t the guys who are about to fight. Instead, we get….
Middleweights (170lbs to 199lbs)
Jeremy Horn
(4-2, 6’1, 199lbs)
vs.
Elvis Sinosic
(0-0, 6’3, 196lbs)
This is Sinosic’s debut in the Octagon, and they mention that he’s actually a short notice replacement, though for whom, I’m not 100% sure. He sounds pretty confident in his intro video, and they make a point of mentioning that he has full time IT job back home in Australia.
Horn is on a four fight win streak, and the busiest man in the sport. One of the fun things of covering all these older events has been watching the development of Horn, going from a skinny guy with good ju jitsu to one of the top all around fighters in the sport.
Round 1
Sinosic comes out throwing kicks early, but Horn’s boxing looks like it’s taken another leap as his counter punching looks fantastic. Sinosic must agree, as he pulls guard as soon as Horn gets close enough to clinch with.
On the ground, both guys are good, but Sinosic is a Machado brother’s black belt, and it shows as his guard is great defensively, as he demonstrates textbook head and wrist control to avoid damage. In this case, the best offense is a good defense, as the head and wrist control allows Sinosic to lock in first a triangle choke and then an armbar for the submission.
Huge upset submission victory for Sinosic. If you’re a fan of ju jitsu, and like watching it’s application from the bottom, you’ll enjoy this.
After the fight, there’s lots of talk about “New Eras” and “New Beginnings”. They discuss MMA being the “sport of the future,” and Shamrock seems legitimately excited about what Zuffa is brining to the table. We’ll see how long that lasts.
Heavyweights (200lbs and up)
Josh Barnett
(1-0, 6’3, 256lbs)
vs.
Pedro Rizzo
(5-1, 6’1, 234lbs)
Oh my…..this could be pretty damned good depending on which Rizzo shows up – the aggressive, punishing Rizzo, or the passive, counter fighting Rizzo.
Round 1
Both guys come out looking like what I would call “patiently aggressive.” They’re not throwing much, but you neither guy is sitting back and being hesitant either, they’re just looking for the right spot to throw. They both throw some leg kicks, and Barnett starts to move forward after he lands his. Against a dangerous counter puncher like Rizzo, that may not be the smart move, but it should make it exciting.
Barnett takes a leg kick and we’re into the clinch. They go in and out of the clinch several times, and every time they break Barnett tries to land a big right hand. He misses those, but Rizzo is not missing his outside leg kicks. After one, a bruise immediately pops up on Barnett’s thigh. That has to hurt, but shockingly Goldberg doesn’t mention 70mph baseball bats.
Rizzo starts to telegraph the leg kick a bit, and Barnett is able to check the next one by lifting his leg. Rizzo’s toes make contact with his knee, and Shamrock thinks he probably broke his toes. Judging from the grimace on his face, I’d say Rizzo very well may have. He recovers quickly though, and follows a big left up with a few more leg kicks, so he might be ok as the round ends.
Absolutely awesome round. I’d say 10-9 Rizzo for the leg kicks and landing the cleaner big punches. I’ll gladly order seconds of that one please.
Round 2
They pick up right where they left off. In all honesty, do yourself a favor and find a copy of this just for this fight. I can’t do it justice writing it out, but I’ll try. It’s one of the best strategic stand up fights I’ve ever seen in MMA. It’s not boxing, this is pure MMA stand up and it’s great.
Barnett lands a nice combo that has Rizzo backpedaling, but not for long as he throws a head kick. Barnett is able to catch that, and tries to use that to pull Rizzo’s head down for big knee, but misses by millimeters (for you American fans, that’s CLOSE).
Barnett keeps moving forward, which as I mentioned is playing right into a counter puncher’s hands, and sure enough Rizzo is able to avoid a head kick and stun Barnett with a punch, and KO him with another.
Awesome, awesome, awesome fight. On the replay you can see that the first right hand caught Barnett right on the temple, and knocked him stupid. His hands dropped, but he stayed on his feet, and before the ref could stop the fight, Rizzo landed a jaw shuddering right that finished Barnett off beautifully.
If you’re a newer fan and have never seen a Rizzo fight, you need to find this.
Both guys give post fight interviews, and Rizzo wants a title shot. Rizzo vs. Couture…that will be fun.
For his part, Barnett is pretty composed considering he just got KO’d. He mentions that he didn’t even know that Rizzo hit him, which means he must have got him good. You got that right, Josh.
Goldberg mentions how this fight harkens back to the 30’s and 40’s, when boxing was a great sport. Two men going out and giving it their all…this is why MMA is the sport of the future and boxing is dead. Good marketing ploy by the new regime there, as well as being the truth.
We get a nice video profile of Evan Tanner, the challenger in the main event. He talks about how he felt the first time in the Octagon, and discusses how each of his fights went, as well as how much the title would mean to him.
After that, Goldberg, Blatnick and Shamrock all talk about Tanner being a quiet, loner type. Too bad about that….could be part of his issues.
We next get a nice graphic detailing the breakdown of the middleweight division. Ortiz and Tanner will meet for the championship tonight, while Horn, Shamrock, Renzo Gracie, Kazushi Sakuraba and Kevin Randleman. Horn is probably down a few notches after that fight, and this was actually his last UFC fight until UFC 54 when he would get a title shot against Chuck Liddell. Meanwhile, Gracie and Sakuraba would never step foot in the Octagon. Later in the night, Shamrock would say that he would be back in 6-9 months time after shoulder surgery, but that doesn’t happen either. Probably not the best group of contenders to highlight.
Lightweights (155lbs to 169lbs)
Fabiano Iha
(2-2, 5’8, 168lbs)
vs.
Phil Johns
(0-0, 5’2, 158lbs)
Oh, so NOW we get this fight.
Johns says that he is a solid, all around fighter who wants to make an impression in his debut. Well, since he’s the shortest pro fighter I think I’ve ever seen, mission accomplished. Joking aside, at 5’2 and 158lbs, Johns is just too small to be fighting in the 170lb division.
Iha has taken up training with Tito Ortiz and Team Punishment, and has looked good his last two times out.
Round 1
Iha is stalking Johns a bit on the start. He lands a nice counter kick, but Johns gets in close and grabs a body lock as he tries for a takedown, but Iha controls the situation and comes down in Johns’ guard. He quickly passes to ½ guard, then rolls for an armbar and gets the tap out in less than two minutes.
Nice submission win by Iha as he gets his third straight victory.
Next up, we get a look at the new bantamweight division and the challengers.
Jens Pulver and Caol Uno are about to decide the first champion. Waiting in the wings will be Din Thomas, Rumina Sato and Dennis Hallman. At least those guys fight in the UFC.
Bantamweight Championship (155lbs and under)
Jens Pulver
(3-0-1, 5’7, 153lbs)
vs.
Caol Uno
(0-0, 5’7, 153lbs)
First thing, we get entrance music for everyone in the title matches. THANK GOD. I was really starting to dislike hearing that obnoxious music twice before every fight.
So, of course Uno comes out some horrible techno tune, while Pulver comes out to some horrible hip-hop tune. Not off to a great start there.
This fight could be fun, as both guys can go. They make a bid deal about Pulver fighting for his girlfriend’s cousin, Dusty, who died of cancer a few days before the fight.
Round 1
Neither guy is quick to engage, and the crowd is pretty quick to get on their back about it. Uno decides he wants the fight on the ground, but Pulver sprawls and pounds away a little bit. Uno tries really hard for the takedown, but can’t get it and lets go. He tries a spinning back kick, which just misses Pulver’s solar plexus. He shoots again, using a trip this time, and actually takes Pulver’s back. Uno tries hard to lock in both hooks, but Pulver is able to fight him off, get to his feet and shrug Uno off. Nice job there. Uno tries an outside leg kick, but gets answered by a big combo from Pulver to close out the round.
Good opening round once they got going. 10-9 for Uno on the takedown and having his back at one point, but close either way.
Round 2
Uno tries that spinning back kick to start out the round again, and misses again. Pulver actually grabs front headlock and tries for a sprawling guillotine, but Uno is able to pull free and scramble away. After that, the action slows down a fair bit.
Uno picks it back up with a takedown and takes Pulver’s back for a second, but he shrugs him off again and lands a big right hand and a knee. He follows that up with a big left that immediately swells up Uno’s right eye. Uno desperately tries for another takedown, but looks frustrated and exhausted as Pulver easily avoids it.
10-9 round for Pulver to even it all up.
Round 3
Uno is desperate for the takedown still, but Pulver sprawls and controls the Japanese fighter yet again and lands a big knee off the break. From there, it’s pretty much a slow round, with Uno and frustrated, and Pulver being a bit over patient. Uno finally scores the takedown he’s been looking for and starts to work out of the guard, but Pulver stands up before any real damage can be done. Considering they’re the same height and weight, Pulver is MUCH stronger than Uno here. He lands a good shot as an exclamation to a fairly boring round.
10-9 round for Pulver in spite of the takedown.
Round 4
More of the same here…Pulver patiently punching away at an Uno desperate for the takedown, though by this point I’m wondering what he can do to Pulver on the ground. He throws out another spin kick in desperation, and that’s pretty much the highlight of an uneventful round.
10-9 for Pulver for a commanding lead.
Round 5
Just read the last round again. There’s a bit more action as Uno pushes the action a bit knowing that he’s losing, but neither guy does much damage.
10-9 for Pulver in my book.
Pulver wins the title with a unanimous decision. Considering the excitement present in some of the other fights, and that the bantamweights is where the “action fights” are supposed to be, not exactly an awe-inspiring debut for the championship.
Then there’s a weird spot, where Buffer announces all the big MMA names in attendance – Mark Coleman, Mark Kerr, Don Frye, Renzo Gracie and more – but they just show a long shot of the cage, and never any of the fighters, 90% of whom are not and will not be under contract. After that’s done, THEN we go to a hype video for Tito and the main event. I’ll go out on a limb and say that was a directing snafu.
After the Ortiz video – nothing earth shattering, but another good personality piece – we get an interview with Kevin Randleman, who announce the big news that he’s dropping to middleweight. Oh wait…they let that cat out of the bag a few hours ago didn’t they? Anyways, he wants a shot at Ortiz if he wins tonight, and cuts a decent promo to hype a match that will never happen.
Middleweight Title (170lbs to 199lbs)
Tito Ortiz
(5-2, 6’2, 199lbs)
vs.
Evan Tanner
(3-0,6’1, 197lbs)
Tanner’s entrance music is some techno tune you would recognize if you heard it, but wouldn’t be able to name. It’s not horrible at least. He also has normal hair still.
Ortiz’s entrance starts with a computerized voice repeating “Tito Is In The House” over and over while Ortiz stands on the stage in a bunch of smoke. Then the music gets worse, as it turns into a freaking Limp Bizkit song. Damned 2001! I must admit though, Ortiz really does strike me as a Limp Bizkit fan.
The key here is likely going to be the size difference, as Tito walks around at 210-220lbs, while Tanner probably didn’t cut at all to make 197lbs. That size difference is likely to negate Tanner’s grappling abilities, which have played a big factor in each of his wins.
Round 1
Ortiz opens the fight by throwing a leg kick, and Tanner takes the opportunity to jump into a clinch. Ortiz muscles him up in a body lock and slams him to the ground, KO’ing Tanner with the force of the impact.
20 second KO victory by Ortiz.
A bit of a letdown as I thought they could have a good fight, but that’s a hell of highlight reel finish.
The 411: Outside of the boring bantamweight title fight, this was a pretty damned good first card put on by Zuffa. The difference in presenting the fighters as real people instead of "gladiators" works immediately, and just about everyone delivered in the cage. That means Hoffman and Ortiz, who stepped up and delivered highlight KO's. That means Sinosic and Iha, who pulled out some good submissions. And that especially means Pedro Rizzo and Josh Barnett, who had the best fight that most people haven't seen. Funny that now these are the two guys most likely to be fighting Fedor this year. The Zuffa era gets off to a great start here, and I'm eager to see UFC XXXI, where Rizzo will be taking on Couture for the title.
