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 Introduction UFC 44: Undisputed. September 26, 2003. Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas, Nevada. Randy Couture, 40 years old, defeated Tito Ortiz by unanimous decision over five rounds to become the undisputed UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. Ortiz’s reign had lasted three and a half years — the longest in the division’s history at that point. Couture ended it with wrestling, ground-and-pound, and a confidence that bordered on theatrical. He spanked Ortiz on the behind mid-fight in a gesture

 Introduction UFC 43: Meltdown. June 6, 2003. Thomas and Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nevada. Tito Ortiz had been the UFC Light Heavyweight Champion for three years but was locked in a contractual dispute with Zuffa and refused to defend against Chuck Liddell. After months of failed negotiations, the UFC created an interim title — the first in the organisation’s history — and matched Liddell against Randy Couture to keep the division moving and pressure Ortiz to return. Most expected Liddell to win c

 Introduction UFC 42: Sudden Impact. April 25, 2003. American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida. The first UFC event held in Florida, and a card that was less remembered for what happened in the Octagon than for what it represented in the promotion’s ongoing geographical expansion. Matt Hughes defeated Sean Sherk by unanimous decision over five rounds to retain the Welterweight Championship. The co-main card introduced Rich Franklin to the UFC. The card also featured Joe Rogan joined by fighter Phi

 Introduction UFC 41: Onslaught. February 28, 2003. Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey. Tim Sylvia, in just his second UFC fight, knocked out Heavyweight Champion Ricco Rodriguez in the first round to win the title. B.J. Penn and Caol Uno fought five rounds to determine the Lightweight Champion and drew — leaving the 155-pound belt vacant for years. Frank Mir submitted Tank Abbott with a toe hold in just 46 seconds. And a judge accidentally transposed his scorecard in the Serra/Thomas fig

 Introduction UFC 40: Vendetta. November 22, 2002. MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada. Tito Ortiz vs. Ken Shamrock. The biggest fight in UFC history to that point — a legitimate rivalry, six years in the making, between the sport’s most dominant active champion and its most recognisable legend. Shamrock had been away from the UFC since December 1996. The two had nearly come to blows at UFC 19. Their beef was real, their names were known, and for the first time since the cable blackout of

 Introduction UFC 39: The Warriors Return. September 27, 2002. Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, Connecticut. Ricco Rodriguez won the vacant UFC Heavyweight Championship by stopping Randy Couture in the fifth round with a series of elbow strikes that broke Couture’s orbital bone, forcing a verbal submission. It was a rare fifth-round finish. The result ended Couture’s bid to reclaim the title and handed the belt to a 25-year-old “Suave” Rodriguez. The card also featured the UFC debut of Tim Sylvia,

 Introduction UFC 38: Brawl at the Hall. July 13, 2002. Royal Albert Hall, London, England. The first UFC event held in the United Kingdom — and the first outside North America since UFC 29 in Tokyo in December 2000. Zuffa had spent months building the audience for this event by securing a weekly Sky Sports deal that broadcast archived UFC fights across the UK. By fight night, the fans at the Royal Albert Hall knew the fighters. The atmosphere was unlike anything the UFC had produced since its e

 Introduction UFC 37.5: As Real As It Gets. June 22, 2002. Bellagio Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas. An oddly numbered event born from a logistical quirk: UFC 38 had already been announced and marketed for the Royal Albert Hall in London, so this Las Vegas card — held three weeks earlier — needed a different designation. It drew 3,700 fans, the smallest audience for any numbered UFC event, and featured only six fights. And yet it produced two milestones that changed the sport’s media footprint perma

 Introduction UFC 37: High Impact. May 10, 2002. CenturyTel Center, Bossier City, Louisiana. The headline event was the most controversial Middleweight Championship fight the UFC had produced. Murilo Bustamante had Matt Lindland in a deep armbar in the first round. Lindland tapped. John McCarthy stopped the fight. Lindland protested that the tap was involuntary. McCarthy restarted the bout. Bustamante eventually finished with a guillotine choke in the third round. The armbar controversy is still

 Introduction UFC 36: Worlds Collide. March 22, 2002. MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada. Josh Barnett, 24 years old, became the youngest UFC Heavyweight Champion in history by stopping Randy Couture in the second round. Four months later, Barnett tested positive for three anabolic steroids. The UFC stripped him of the title, suspended him for six months, and vacated the Heavyweight Championship. The fight stood; the title did not. The card was also notable for what did not happen: Anders

UFC 35: Throwdown. January 11, 2002. Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, Connecticut. One of the more unusual events in early UFC history — the entire show was conducted…

 Introduction UFC 34: High Voltage. November 2, 2001. MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada. One of the most memorable early UFC cards — memorable for the right reasons. Two championship fights, both producing moments that would be discussed for decades. Randy Couture stopped Pedro Rizzo in the third round to sweep their two-fight series. Matt Hughes slam-knocked Carlos Newton unconscious to win the Welterweight Championship, in a finish so ambiguous that both men were simultaneously going o