UFC 97
Encyclopedia
UFC 97: Redemption was a mixed martial arts
event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship
(UFC) on April 18, 2009 in Montreal
, Quebec
, Canada
. It broke the UFC attendance record that was set 364 days earlier in Montreal at UFC 83
, by 61 people.
", or RACJ) requested a set of rule changes that differ from the Unified Rules of MMA put the event at risk from taking place. The proposed rule changes banned elbow and knee strikes, mandated a smaller cage, and would stop a fight when a fighter gets knocked down. Before, the RACJ has followed the Unified Rules, but as laws differ by city, state, or province, a commission can insist on the usage of its own rules.
On February 18, 2009, it was announced that UFC officials were able to convince the RACJ to reverse its stand and use the Unified Rules. As a concession, the UFC agreed to the banning of foot stomps for this event.
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...
(UFC) on April 18, 2009 in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, 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...
. It broke the UFC attendance record that was set 364 days earlier in Montreal at UFC 83
UFC 83
UFC 83: Serra vs St-Pierre 2 was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The event was held on April 19, 2008, at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. UFC 83 was the UFC's first event in Canada...
, by 61 people.
Preliminary card
- Light Heavyweight bout:
Vinicius MagalhãesVinny MagalhãesVinicius Magalhães , is a Brazilian mixed martial artist. He was a participant in The Ultimate Fighter: Team Nogueira vs. Team Mir. He is the current M-1 Global Light Heavyweight Champion.-Grappling career:...
vs.
Eliot MarshallEliot MarshallEliot Andrew Marshall is an American mixed martial artist. He was a cast member on SpikeTV's The Ultimate Fighter: Team Nogueira vs. Team Mir.-The Ultimate Fighter:...
- Marshall defeated Magalhães via unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, 29–28).
- Welterweight bout:
Ryo ChonanRyo Chonanis a Japanese mixed martial artist, currently fighting in DEEP where he was the 3rd DEEP middleweight champion. He has previously competed in PRIDE Fighting Championships and the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is noted for being one of two fighters to finish Anderson Silva in an MMA fight at...
vs.
TJ GrantTJ GrantTimothy Jerome Grant is a Canadian mixed martial artist. He is currently signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is from Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia...
- Welterweight bout:
- Grant defeated Chonan via split decision (30–27, 29–28, 28–29).
- Lightweight bout: Mark BocekMark BocekMark Andrew Bocek is a Canadian mixed martial artist. He competes in the Lightweight division.-Background:Bocek is one of Canada's first Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belts and has been studying the art for more than a decade...
vs.
David BielkhedenDavid BielkhedenDavid Bielkheden is a Swedish mixed martial artist and has a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.- Mixed martial arts career :...
- Lightweight bout:
- Bocek defeated Bielkheden via submission (rear naked choke) at 4:57 of round 1.
- 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. Ed Herman
- Middleweight bout:
- Herman defeated Loiseau via unanimous decision (30–26, 30–27, 30–27).
- Middleweight bout: Jason MacDonaldJason MacDonaldJason Anthony MacDonald is a Canadian mixed martial artist who is currently fighting with the Ultimate Fighting Championship as a middleweight. He is also a veteran of the Maximum Fighting Championship and TKO Major League MMA in his native country of Canada...
vs. Nate QuarryNate QuarryNathan Parker Quarry is an American mixed martial arts fighter who is most notable for his appearance in The Ultimate Fighter, a reality show from the Ultimate Fighting Championship.-Early life:...
- Middleweight bout:
- Quarry defeated MacDonald via TKO (elbows) at 2:27 of round 1.
- Middleweight bout: Denis KangDenis KangDenis Kang is a Canadian mixed martial artist of Korean French descent. He was the PRIDE FC welterweight grand prix finalist in which he lost to Kazuo Misaki...
vs.
Xavier Foupa-PokamXavier Foupa-PokamXavier Foupa-Pokam is a French mixed martial artist from Paris. Foupa-Pokam is best known for his brief career in the Ultimate Fighting Championships in their middleweight division, and his long career in British MMA with promotions such as BAMMA and Cage Rage...
- Middleweight bout:
- Kang defeated Foupa-Pokam via unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, 30–27).
Main card
- Light Heavyweight bout: Steve Cantwell vs. Luiz Arthur CaneLuiz CaneLuiz Arthuro Cané Jr. is a Brazilian mixed martial artist. Born and raised in the Jardim Bonfiglioli neighborhood, located in the district of Butantan, west side of the city of São Paulo, Luiz Cane alternated working hours in the , with their parents, with hours of training in Jiu-Jitsu Academy...
- Cane defeated Cantwell via unanimous decision (29–28, 30–27, 30–27).
- Heavyweight bout: Cheick KongoCheick KongoCheick Guillaume Ouedraogo , more commonly known as Cheick Kongo, is a professional French heavyweight mixed martial artist and kickboxer currently fighting in the Ultimate Fighting Championship...
vs.
Antoni HardonkAntoni HardonkAntoni Barend Hardonk is a Dutch retired mixed martial artist and kickboxer who competed in K-1 and the Ultimate Fighting Championship.-Kickboxing career:...
- Heavyweight bout:
- Kongo defeated Hardonk via TKO (strikes) at 2:29 of round 2.
- Light Heavyweight bout:
Krzysztof SoszynskiKrzysztof SoszynskiKrzysztof Soszyński is a Polish-Canadian mixed martial artist. He fought for the Los Angeles Anacondas of the International Fight League . After the demise of that organization, he moved to the UFC, appearing on season 8 of The Ultimate Fighter...
vs. Brian StannBrian StannBrian Michael Stann is an American mixed martial artist and former US Marine who competes as a middleweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is a former WEC Light Heavyweight champion...
- Light Heavyweight bout:
- Soszynski defeated Stann via submission (kimura) at 3:53 of round 1.
- Lightweight bout: Sam StoutSam StoutSamuel James "Hands of Stone" Stout is a Canadian mixed martial artist from London, Ontario. Currently signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship, he is primarily known as a striker with an iron chin.- Mixed martial arts career :...
vs. Matt WimanMatt WimanMatthew Charles Wiman is an American mixed martial artist, who competes as a lightweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship...
- Lightweight bout:
- Stout defeated Wiman via unanimous decision (29–28, 29–28, 29–28). This bout was originally scheduled for the preliminary card but was moved to the main card due to time constraints.
- Light Heavyweight bout: Chuck LiddellChuck LiddellCharles David "Chuck" Liddell is a retired American mixed martial artist and former Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight champion. Liddell has an extensive striking background in Kempo, Koei-Kan karate and kickboxing, as well as a grappling background in collegiate wrestling.As of his...
vs. Mauricio RuaMauricio RuaMaurício Milani Rua is a Brazilian mixed martial artist fighting in the Ultimate Fighting Championship where he is a former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion...
- Light Heavyweight bout:
- Rua defeated Liddell via TKO (strikes) at 4:28 of round 1.
- Middleweight Championship bout: Anderson SilvaAnderson SilvaAnderson da Silva is a Brazilian mixed martial artist. He is the current UFC Middleweight Champion and the promotion's longest reigning champion. With 14 consecutive wins, Silva holds the longest winning streak and title defense streak in UFC history...
(c) vs. Thales LeitesThales LeitesThales Leites Lourenço is a Brazilian mixed martial artist. He is the current Superior Challenge middleweight champion.-Mixed martial arts:A relative newcomer to the sport, Leites made his mixed martial arts debut at Shooto Brazil in 2003, defeating Felipe Arinelli by arm-triangle choke submission...
- Middleweight Championship bout:
- Silva defeated Leites via unanimous decision (49–46, 48–47, 50–46) to retain the Middleweight Championship.
Sanctioning and rules controversy
On February 12, 2009, reports surfaced that province regulators ("Régie des alcools, des courses et des jeuxRégie des alcools, des courses et des jeux
The Régie des alcools, des courses et des jeux is the board established by the government of Quebec to regulate the alcohol, lottery, publicity contests, gambling, racing, and combat sports industries...
", or RACJ) requested a set of rule changes that differ from the Unified Rules of MMA put the event at risk from taking place. The proposed rule changes banned elbow and knee strikes, mandated a smaller cage, and would stop a fight when a fighter gets knocked down. Before, the RACJ has followed the Unified Rules, but as laws differ by city, state, or province, a commission can insist on the usage of its own rules.
On February 18, 2009, it was announced that UFC officials were able to convince the RACJ to reverse its stand and use the Unified Rules. As a concession, the UFC agreed to the banning of foot stomps for this event.
Bonus awards
Fighters were awarded $70,000 bonuses.- Fight of the Night: Sam Stout vs. Matt Wiman
- Knockout of the Night: Mauricio Rua
- Submission of the Night: Krzysztof Soszynski