UFC 51
Encyclopedia
UFC 51: Super Saturday was a mixed martial arts
event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship
on February 5, 2005 (Super Bowl
weekend) at the Mandalay Bay Events Center
in Las Vegas
, Nevada
. The event was broadcast live on pay-per-view
in the United States
and Canada
, and later released on DVD
.
and the late Shelby Walker
a few years ago.” About this planned but never realized fight, "Big Dog" Benny Henderson Jr. asked Shelby Walker, “It has been rumored that you may fight Erika Montoya at UFC 51
, is there any truth to those rumors?” Walker replied, “Yeah there is truth to those rumors, it has been talked about a lot and when I asked Dana White if he was going to put us on the show he said possibly, so that is where
it stands right now. I haven’t heard anything more from this but my biggest dream would be to fight in the UFC.”
The event was also to be held in Japan
, but UFC President Dana White
moved it back to Las Vegas. Headlining the card were fan favorites Tito Ortiz
and Vitor Belfort
.
This was the last UFC event to feature a non-title matchup as the main event instead of an also-scheduled title fight on the same card. All future UFC events with title matches featured one as the main event.
The total fighter payroll for the event was $456,000.
Pete Sell def. Phil Baroni
Andrei Arlovski def. Tim Sylvia
Evan Tanner def. David Terrell
Paul Buentello def. Justin Eilers
Mike Kyle def. James Irvin
David Loiseau def. Gideon Ray
Karo Parisyan def. Chris Lytle
Nick Diaz def. Drew Fickett
Total Fighter Payroll: $456,000
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...
on February 5, 2005 (Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
weekend) at the Mandalay Bay Events Center
Mandalay Bay Events Center
Mandalay Bay Events Center is a 12,000 seat indoor arena, at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, on the Las Vegas Strip, in Paradise, Nevada. It is owned by MGM Resorts International.It has hosted many music, boxing and mixed martial arts events....
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 event was broadcast live on pay-per-view
Pay-per-view
Pay-per-view provides a service by which a television audience can purchase events to view via private telecast. The broadcaster shows the event at the same time to everyone ordering it...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, and later 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
Loretta Hunt, news editor for Sherdog.com, reports, “I know for a fact the UFC was considering a female bout between Erica MontoyaErica Montoya
Erica Montoya is a female mixed-martial artist. She is notable as the first and until the release of Supremacy MMA in September 2011 only female mixed-martial artist to appear in a video game...
and the late Shelby Walker
Shelby Walker
Shelby Rogers was a professional boxer and mixed martial arts fighter....
a few years ago.” About this planned but never realized fight, "Big Dog" Benny Henderson Jr. asked Shelby Walker, “It has been rumored that you may fight Erika Montoya at UFC 51
UFC 51
UFC 51: Super Saturday was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on February 5, 2005 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada...
, is there any truth to those rumors?” Walker replied, “Yeah there is truth to those rumors, it has been talked about a lot and when I asked Dana White if he was going to put us on the show he said possibly, so that is where
it stands right now. I haven’t heard anything more from this but my biggest dream would be to fight in the UFC.”
The event was also to be held in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, but UFC President Dana White
Dana White
Dana White is the current President of the Ultimate Fighting Championship , a mixed martial arts organization based in the United States.- Biography :...
moved it back to Las Vegas. Headlining the card were fan favorites Tito Ortiz
Tito Ortiz
Jacob Christopher "Tito" Ortiz is a Mexican-American mixed martial artist and former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, having held the title from April 14, 2000 to September 26, 2003. Along with fighters like Randy Couture and Chuck Liddell, he was one of the sport's early stars...
and Vitor Belfort
Vitor Belfort
Vítor 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...
.
This was the last UFC event to feature a non-title matchup as the main event instead of an also-scheduled title fight on the same card. All future UFC events with title matches featured one as the main event.
The total fighter payroll for the event was $456,000.
Preliminary card
- Welterweight bout:
Nick DiazNick DíazNicholas Robert Diaz is an American mixed martial artist. He is the former Strikeforce Welterweight Champion, WEC and IFC Welterweight Champion. He has competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Pride Fighting Championships and Elite Xtreme Combat. Diaz was promoted to black belt in Brazilian...
vs. Drew FickettDrew FickettDrew Fickett is an American mixed martial artist. He competes in the Lightweight division. He holds notable victories over Josh Koscheck, Dennis Hallman, Kenny Florian, Kurt Pellegrino, Josh Neer, Matt Veach, and Dennis Bermudez....
- Diaz wins by technical knockout (strikes) at 4:37 of round one.
- Welterweight bout:
Karo ParisyanKaro ParisyanKarapet Parisyan is an Armenian-American mixed martial artist. From his days as a UFC mainstay Karo holds notable wins over Ryo Chonan, Shonie Carter, Drew Fickett, Matt Serra, Nick Thompson, Chris Lytle, Nick Diaz and Antonio McKee.- Early life:...
vs. Chris LytleChris LytleChris Scott Lytle is a retired American mixed martial artist, boxer and a veteran of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Lytle was prominently featured as a welterweight on The Ultimate Fighter 4: The Comeback. In Chris's MMA and boxing career he was never knocked out or submitted, though he did...
- Parisyan wins by unanimous decision. All three judges scored the bout 30–27.
- Middleweight bout:
David LoiseauDavid LoiseauDavid Loiseau is a Canadian mixed martial artist from Montreal, Quebec. He has fought in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, EliteXC, and TKO Major League MMA and is the former TKO Middleweight Champion. He was the first French Canadian to fight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship...
vs. Gideon Ray
- Loiseau wins by technical knockout (doctor stoppage) at 5:00 of round one.
- Heavyweight bout: Mike KyleMike KyleMike Kyle is an American mixed martial artist who competes as a light heavyweight and heavyweight. He fights primarily for Strikeforce and King of the Cage. He is the King of the Cage Light Heavyweight champion...
vs. James IrvinJames Irvin (fighter)James Lee Irvin is an American mixed martial artist who has competed as a Middleweight, Light Heavyweight, and currently as a Heavyweight. He is a former World Extreme Cagefighting heavyweight champion...
- Kyle wins by knockout (punches) at 1:55 of round one. Although preliminary, this bout aired on the pay-per-view broadcast.
Main card
- Heavyweight bout: Paul BuentelloPaul Buentello|-| Loss|align=center| 29–14| Cole Konrad| Decision | Bellator 48| |align=center| 3|align=center| 5:00|Uncasville, Connecticut, United States| Non-title bout.|-| Win|align=center| 29–13| Kerry Schall| Decision...
vs. Justin EilersJustin EilersJustin Mark Eilers was an American professional mixed martial artist, formerly with the UFC and WEC. Eilers trained with Miletich Fighting Systems in Bettendorf, Iowa.-Biography:...
- Buentello wins by knockout (punches) at 3:31 of round one.
- Middleweight Championship bout: Evan TannerEvan TannerEvan Loyd Tanner was an American professional mixed martial arts fighter. He was a former UFC Middleweight and USWF Heavyweight champion with a professional record of 32 wins and 8 losses...
vs. David TerrellDavid Terrell (fighter)David Michael Terrell is a retired American mixed martial artist from Santa Rosa, California. A black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Cesar Gracie, no one has scored a point against Terrell in a grappling match...
- Tanner wins by technical knockout (strikes) at 4:35 of round one. Tanner becomes the UFC Middleweight champion filling the vacant title, and the first Middleweight champion since 2002.
- Interim Heavyweight Championship bout:
Andrei ArlovskiAndrei ArlovskiAndrei Valeryevich Arlovski is a Belarusian kickboxer, mixed martial artist and a former Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight champion.-Biography:...
vs. 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...
- Arlovski wins by submission (achilles lock) at :47 of round one. Arlovski becomes the Interim Heavyweight champion. The title is an interim championship due to the UFC Heavyweight Champion, Frank MirFrank MirFrancisco Santos Miranda is an American mixed martial artist, as well as a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Kenpō Karate, who competes in the heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion and a former UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion...
, being seriously injured in a motorcycle accident and not able to defend the title against No. 1 contender, Andrei Arlovski.
- Middleweight bout: Pete SellPete SellPeter K. Sell, is an American mixed martial artist specializing in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. He is a black belt under teacher and fellow mixed martial artist Matt Serra in East Meadow, New York, and has trained extensively under striking coach Ray Longo in Garden City, New York...
vs. 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...
- Sell wins by submission (guillotine chokeGuillotine chokeThe guillotine choke is a chokehold in martial arts and wrestling applied from in front of the opponent. The choke involves using the arms to encircle the opponent's neck in a fashion similar to a guillotine. The technique is either a type of tracheal compression restraint that prevents air flow...
) at 4:16 of round three.
- Light Heavyweight bout: Tito OrtizTito OrtizJacob Christopher "Tito" Ortiz is a Mexican-American mixed martial artist and former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, having held the title from April 14, 2000 to September 26, 2003. Along with fighters like Randy Couture and Chuck Liddell, he was one of the sport's early stars...
vs.
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...
- Ortiz wins by split decision. The judges scored the bout 29–28, 29–28, and 28–29.
Fighter Payouts
Tito Ortiz def. Vitor Belfort- Ortiz – $175,000 ($ 125,000 to fight; $50,000 to win)
- Belfort – $100,000
Pete Sell def. Phil Baroni
- Sell – $4,000 ($2,000 to fight; $2,000 to win)
- Baroni – $10,000
Andrei Arlovski def. Tim Sylvia
- Arlovski – $30,000 ($12,000 to fight; $18,000 to win)
- Sylvia – $40,000
Evan Tanner def. David Terrell
- Tanner – $38,000 ($18,000 to fight; $20,000 to win)
- Terrell – $6,000
Paul Buentello def. Justin Eilers
- Buentello – $8,000 ($4,000 to fight; $4,000 to win)
- Eilers – $5,000
Mike Kyle def. James Irvin
- Kyle – $6,000 ($3,000 to fight, $3,000 to win)
- Irvin – $3,000
David Loiseau def. Gideon Ray
- Loiseau – $4,000 ($2,000 to fight; $2,000 to win)
- Ray – $2,000
Karo Parisyan def. Chris Lytle
- Parisyan – $8,000 ($4,000 to fight; $4,000 to win)
- Lytle – $4,000
Nick Diaz def. Drew Fickett
- Diaz – $11,000 ($6,000 to fight; $5,000 to win)
- Fickett – $2,000
Total Fighter Payroll: $456,000
Sources
- UFC 51: Super Saturday Results on Sherdog.com
- "Ultimate Fighting Championship Cards" on Wrestling Information Archives
- Full Breakdown of UFC 51 Fighter Salaries