UFC 39
Encyclopedia
UFC 39: The Warriors Return was a mixed martial arts
event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship
on September 27, 2002, at the Mohegan Sun
Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut
. The event was broadcast live on pay per view in the United States
, and was the first UFC event to be released on DVD
.
and Ricco Rodriguez
for the vacant title, which was stripped from Josh Barnett
following a positive test for steroids.
The event marked the octagon debut of future UFC Heavyweight Champion Tim Sylvia
.
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...
on September 27, 2002, at the Mohegan Sun
Mohegan Sun
Mohegan Sun, located in Uncasville, Connecticut, is the second largest casino in the United States with of gaming space. It is located on along the banks of the Thames River. It is at the heart of the scenic foothills of southeastern Connecticut, where 60 percent of the state's tourism is...
Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
. The event was broadcast live 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 was the first UFC event to be released on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
.
History
Headlining the event was a Heavyweight Title bout between Randy CoutureRandy 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...
and Ricco Rodriguez
Ricco Rodriguez
Ricco Rodriguez is an American mixed martial artist and former Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight champion. He has also competed in Pride Fighting Championship, EliteXC, International Fight League, BAMMA, World Extreme Cagefighting and King of the Cage.-Early life:Rodriguez grew up in the...
for the vacant title, which was stripped from Josh Barnett
Josh Barnett
Joshua Lawrence Barnett is an American mixed martial artist and professional wrestler who currently fights in the heavyweight division of Strikeforce. Barnett has been an accomplished fighter in mixed martial arts, winning the UFC Heavyweight Championship and the King of Pancrase Openweight...
following a positive test for steroids.
The event marked the octagon debut of future UFC Heavyweight Champion Tim Sylvia
Tim Sylvia
Timothy Deane Sylvia is an American professional mixed martial arts fighter, professional wrestler, and former Ultimate Fighting Championship Heavyweight Champion. He trains as a member of the Miletich Fighting Systems camp and is part of their MFSE group...
.
Preliminary card
- Welterweight bout:
Sean SherkSean SherkSean Keith Sherk is an American mixed martial arts fighter currently fighting for the UFC. He currently holds a professional mixed martial arts record of thirty-six wins, four losses and one draw. Sherk has fought in both the UFC and Pride FC, and is a former UFC Lightweight Champion...
vs. Benji RadachBenji RadachBenji Russell Radach is an American mixed martial arts fighter. He is a former member of the Los Angeles Anacondas of the International Fight League.-Biography:...
- Sherk wins by TKO (Cut) at 4:16 of round 1.
- Middleweight bout: Matt LindlandMatt LindlandMatthew James Lindland is an American mixed martial artist, Olympic wrestler and politician. He won the Oregon Republican Party's nomination for the Oregon House of Representatives, District 52 seat on May 20, 2008....
vs.
Ivan SalaverryIvan SalaverryIvan E. Salaverry is a Canadian mixed martial arts fighter and instructor. He is a member of Tito Ortiz's Team Punishment, and is known for his well-rounded skills. Salaverry is a middleweight veteran of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, BAMMA and the now-defunct World Fighting Alliance...
- Lindland wins by Unanimous Decision (15.00)
Main card
- Middleweight bout: Phil BaroniPhil BaroniPhilip George Baroni is an American mixed martial artist. He has a professional MMA record of 14–14–0. Baroni has fought in the Ultimate Fighting Championship where he holds a record of 3–7–0. Also he has fought in the PRIDE FC where he holds a record of 4–2–0...
vs. Dave MenneDave MenneDavid Jeremy Menne is an American mixed martial artist who has fought in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and Rumble on the Rock. He was the first ever UFC Middleweight Champion and is known for his fight against Phil Baroni in which he got knocked out and tried to fall to the ground, only to...
- Baroni wins by KO (Punches) at 0:18 of round 1.
- Heavyweight bout: Gan McGeeGan McGeeGan McGee is an American mixed martial artist who is best remembered for his appearances in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He holds notable wins over Pedro Rizzo and Paul Buentello-Career:...
vs.
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...
- McGee wins by TKO (Corner Stoppage) after completion of round one (5:00). Rizzo took a straight right hand to the nose with twelve seconds left in the First Round. After examining Rizzo's nose between rounds, his corner decided to throw in the towel.
- Lightweight bout:
Caol UnoCaol Unois a Japanese mixed martial artist, and former Shooto Welterweight Champion. Specifically, Uno is known for his low single leg takedown and rear naked choke. He was born in Kanagawa, Japan...
vs. Din ThomasDin ThomasDin Yero Thomas is an American mixed martial arts fighter and part time break dancer, who was featured on The Ultimate Fighter 4. He currently runs two successful Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and MMA academies in Port St. Lucie, Florida and is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Ricardo Liborio...
- Uno wins by Unanimous Decision (15.00). This is the first bout of a two-round tournament to fill the vacant UFC lightweight championship, and Uno advanced to the finals at UFC 41UFC 41- External links:* * * *...
.
- Lightweight bout: B.J. Penn vs. 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...
- Penn wins by Unanimous Decision (15.00). This bout completes the first round of the lightweight tournament, and Penn advanced to the finals at UFC 41UFC 41- External links:* * * *...
.
- Heavyweight bout: Tim SylviaTim SylviaTimothy Deane Sylvia is an American professional mixed martial arts fighter, professional wrestler, and former Ultimate Fighting Championship Heavyweight Champion. He trains as a member of the Miletich Fighting Systems camp and is part of their MFSE group...
vs. Wesley CorreiraWesley CorreiraWesley "Cabbage" Correira is an American mixed martial artist. He trains with BJ Penn in Hilo, Hawaii at BJ Penn MMA.-Biography:...
- Sylvia wins by TKO (Corner Stoppage) 1:43 into Round 2. This bout was on the main card, but was not shown on the pay-per-view event.
- Heavyweight Championship bout: Ricco RodriguezRicco RodriguezRicco Rodriguez is an American mixed martial artist and former Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight champion. He has also competed in Pride Fighting Championship, EliteXC, International Fight League, BAMMA, World Extreme Cagefighting and King of the Cage.-Early life:Rodriguez grew up in the...
vs. 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...
- Rodriguez wins by Submission (Elbow Strikes) at 3:04 of round 5. This is one of only three fights in UFC history to end in the 5th round. The others were BJ Penn vs. Diego Sanchez at UFC 107UFC 107UFC 107: Penn vs. Sanchez was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on December 12, 2009 in Memphis, Tennessee at the FedExForum.-Background:...
and Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen at UFC 117UFC 117UFC 117: Silva vs. Sonnen was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on August 7, 2010 at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California, United States.-Background:...
.