UFC 101: Declaration | Event Profile, Full Results & Legacy
- Daniel Cornmeat
- 5 days ago
- 4 min read
Introduction
UFC 101: Declaration. August 8, 2009. Wachovia Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The first UFC event in Philadelphia. Anderson Silva, the UFC Middleweight Champion, moved up to Light Heavyweight for a non-title bout and knocked out
BJ Penn retained the Lightweight Championship against Kenny Florian with a rear-naked choke at 3:54 of round four in the main event.
Contents
1. Introduction
2. Quick Stats
3. The Build-Up
4. Main Event
5. Co-Main Event
6. Full Results
7. Bonuses & Awards
8. Records & Milestones
9. Legacy & Impact
10. FAQ
11. References
Quick Stats
Date: August 8, 2009
Venue: Wachovia Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA (first UFC in Philadelphia)
Attendance: 17,411; Gate: $3.55M; PPV: ~850,000 buys
Main Event: BJ Penn (c) vs. Kenny Florian — UFC Lightweight Championship
Result: BJ Penn def. Kenny Florian — Submission (RNC) — R4, 3:54 — Penn retains LW title
Co-Main: Anderson Silva def. Forrest Griffin — KO (Punch) — R1, 3:23 — non-title LHW; $120k bonuses; Beatdown of Year
Notable: First UFC in Philadelphia; Johny Hendricks debut TKO in 29 seconds; George Sotiropoulos UFC debut sub win
The Build-Up
Anderson Silva's UFC 97 performance against Thales Leites had been universally criticised for five rounds of inactivity and showboating. UFC 101 was his chance to answer. Fighting
BJ Penn had stopped Sean Sherk at UFC 84 in his first title defence. Kenny Florian had built his number-one contender status with a submission of Joe Stevenson at UFC 91. The LW championship main event was a genuine clash between the division’s best.
Main Event
BJ Penn (c) vs. Kenny Florian — UFC Lightweight Championship
BJ Penn controlled the fight with his jiu-jitsu and boxing across four rounds. Florian’s takedown attempts were neutralised. Penn’s submission instincts and ground work steadily wore Florian down. In round four, Penn got Florian’s back and sank the rear-naked choke. Florian tapped at 3:54.
BJ Penn had now made two successful LW title defences. His next defence came against Diego Sanchez at UFC 107 in December 2009.
Co-Main Event
Anderson Silva vs. Forrest Griffin — Light Heavyweight (Non-Title)
Anderson Silva moved up from middleweight to fight
Anderson Silva controlled distance, caught a kick, fired a right hook that stunned
The performance — a middleweight champion dismantling a former light heavyweight champion with clinical precision and visible contempt for the idea that size mattered — is one of MMA history’s defining moments. Joe Rogan’s commentary in the final sequence: ‘Anderson Silva is on another planet.’
Full Results
Preliminary Card
Jesse Lennox def. Danillo Villefort — TKO (Cut) — R3, 3:37 — WW
George Sotiropoulos def. George Roop — Submission (Kimura) — R2, 1:59 — LW; Sotiropoulos UFC debut
Matt Riddle def. Dan Cramer — Decision (Unanimous) — R3, 5:00 — WW
Alessio Sakara def. Thales Leites — Decision (Split) — R3, 5:00 (29-28, 27-30, 29-28) — MW
John Howard def. Tamdan McCrory — Decision (Split) — R3, 5:00 (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) — WW
Main Card
Kurt Pellegrino def. Josh Neer — Decision (Unanimous) — R3, 5:00 (30-27 x3) — LW
Ricardo Almeida def. Kendall Grove — Decision (Unanimous) — R3, 5:00 (30-27 x3) — MW
Johny Hendricks def. Amir Sadollah — TKO (Punches) — R1, 0:29 — WW; Hendricks UFC debut in 29 seconds
Aaron Riley def. Shane Nelson — Decision (Unanimous) — R3, 5:00 (30-27 x3) — LW
Anderson Silva def. Forrest Griffin — KO (Punch) — R1, 3:23 — LHW; FOTN + KO Night ($120k total to Silva); Beatdown of Year 2009
UFC Lightweight Championship — Main Event
BJ Penn def. Kenny Florian — Submission (RNC) — R4, 3:54 — Penn retains LW title
Bonuses & Awards
Fight of the Night: Anderson Silva vs. Forrest Griffin — $60,000 to each fighter.
KO of the Night: Anderson Silva (additional bonus) — $60,000. Silva earned $120,000 in total bonuses.
Sherdog Beatdown of the Year 2009 (shared with Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir II). 2009 Knockout of the Year.
Records & Milestones
Anderson Silva KOs Griffin at LHW — MW champion fighting at LHW in a non-title bout; the most dominant cross-division statement in the sport’s history at the time.
BJ Penn retains LW title — second consecutive successful defence; dominant four-round performance over Florian.
First UFC in Philadelphia — Wachovia Center; 17,411 fans; second-largest US city UFC debut of 2009.
Johny Hendricks UFC debut — TKO of Amir Sadollah in 29 seconds; the future WW champion started with an emphatic statement.
Legacy & Impact
Anderson Silva's KO of Griffin at UFC 101 answered every criticism from UFC 97 in a single round. Three weeks after UFC 100’s chaos and violence, here was Silva at his most precise: taunt, control, stun, plant, finish. The sequence of events — walk forward, lower guard, slip the jab, counter right hook, backing Griffin into the fence, final jab — is one of the five or six most replayed moments in MMA history.
BJ Penn's three-fight LW title reign was among the most complete the division had seen. His eventual loss to Frankie Edgar at UFC 112 in April 2010 ended a run that included the Sherk and Florian defences, each progressively more dominant.
FAQ
Was UFC 101 the first UFC event in Philadelphia?
Yes. UFC 101 at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was the first UFC event in the city.
Was Anderson Silva fighting for a title at UFC 101?
No. Silva competed in a non-title light heavyweight bout against former LHW Champion Forrest Griffin. Silva was the sitting Middleweight Champion, competing above his natural weight class.
How did Anderson Silva knock out Forrest Griffin?
Silva controlled distance, stunned Griffin with a right hook, and walked him down while taunting and lowering his guard. With Griffin backed into the fence, Silva landed a straight jab on Griffin's chin that sent him to the canvas at 3:23 of round one.
What bonuses did Anderson Silva earn at UFC 101?
Silva received both the Fight of the Night bonus ($60,000, shared with Griffin) and the Knockout of the Night bonus ($60,000), totalling $120,000. The performance was also named Beatdown of the Year and KO of the Year by Sherdog.
Who made their UFC debut at UFC 101?
Johny Hendricks made his UFC debut at UFC 101 and stopped Amir Sadollah by TKO in 29 seconds. Hendricks went on to become UFC Welterweight Champion. George Sotiropoulos also debuted with a submission win.
References
Comments