UFC 110: Nogueira vs. Velasquez | Event Profile, Full Results & Legacy
- Roe Jogan
- 5 days ago
- 5 min read
Introduction
UFC 110: Nogueira vs. Velasquez. February 21, 2010. Acer Arena, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The first UFC event in Australia. 17,831 fans packed the arena and its overflow ballroom; it was the second fastest sellout in UFC history. Merchandise sales of $540,000 broke the UFC’s own record and surpassed the Acer Arena’s previous mark, which had been set by Iron Maiden.
Cain Velasquez stopped Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira by TKO at 2:20 of round one to earn a UFC Heavyweight Championship fight against Brock Lesnar. Wanderlei Silva defeated Michael Bisping by unanimous decision in the co-main, dropping Bisping late in round three. George Sotiropoulos shut out Joe Stevenson to win Fight of the Night in front of an Australian crowd. Chris Lytle submitted Brian Foster with a kneebar in round one.
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: February 21, 2010 (Saturday night USA time)
Venue: Acer Arena (now Qudos Bank Arena), Sydney, New South Wales, Australia (first UFC in Australia)
Attendance: 17,831 (17,431 paid + 400 closed circuit); Gate: A$2.5M; Merchandise: $540,000 (UFC record)
Main Event: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Cain Velasquez — Heavyweight (HW title shot on the line)
Result: Cain Velasquez def. Nogueira — TKO (Punches) — R1, 2:20 — Velasquez earns HW title shot; KO Night ($50k)
Co-Main: Wanderlei Silva def. Michael Bisping — UD (29-28 x3); Silva drops Bisping late R3
Notable: Second fastest sellout in UFC history; Sotiropoulos FOTN (Australian); Lytle kneebar SOTN; $50k bonuses
The Build-Up
UFC 110 was the promotion’s first Australian event. The build-up centred on Cain Velasquez — unbeaten at 7-0, with TKOs of Kongo and Rothwell — taking on Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, whose HW title pedigree (PRIDE champion, UFC Interim champion) made the fight a credible gatekeeper test. The winner was guaranteed a shot at Brock Lesnar.
George Sotiropoulos was the Australian fighter on the card. Fighting in his home country against veteran Joe Stevenson on short notice, the local storyline was the fight’s second narrative. Tickets sold out on the first day of public sale.
Main Event
Cain Velasquez vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira — Heavyweight
Velasquez pressured immediately with leg kicks and combination punching. He landed a thudding left-right-left that dropped Nogueira hard to the mat. A ferocious barrage of ground strikes followed; referee Herb Dean intervened at 2:20 of round one. Velasquez was 8-0 and had now destroyed one of the sport’s most durable heavyweights in under three minutes. His title shot against Brock Lesnar was confirmed for UFC 121 in October 2010.
Co-Main Event
Wanderlei Silva vs. Michael Bisping — Middleweight
Silva entered having lost three of his last four UFC fights. Bisping controlled the opening two rounds with movement and takedowns. Silva landed a big right hand in round three, dropped Bisping, and followed with a left. The bell intervened. All three judges scored 29-28 for Silva. The Sydney crowd, which had been chanting ‘Wanderlei’ throughout, erupted.
Full Results
Preliminary Card
CB Dollaway def. Goran Reljic — Decision (Unanimous) — R3, 5:00 — LHW
James Te Huna def. Igor Pokrajac — TKO — R3 — LHW; Te Huna UFC debut (New Zealand; fighting in Sydney)
Chris Lytle def. Brian Foster — Submission (Kneebar) — R1 — WW; Sub of the Night ($50k to Lytle)
Krzysztof Soszynski def. Stephan Bonnar — TKO (Cut; Doctor’s Stoppage) — R3 — LHW
Main Card
Ryan Bader def. Keith Jardine — TKO — R3 — LHW
Mirko Cro Cop def. Anthony Perosh — TKO (Cut; Doctor’s Stoppage) — R3 — HW; Perosh was Australian last-minute substitute
George Sotiropoulos def. Joe Stevenson — Decision (Unanimous) — R3, 5:00 — LW; Fight of the Night ($50k each; Sotiropoulos Australian/fighting at home)
Wanderlei Silva def. Michael Bisping — Decision (Unanimous) — R3, 5:00 (29-28 x3) — MW; Co-Main; Silva drops Bisping late R3
Main Event — Heavyweight
Cain Velasquez def. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira — TKO (Punches) — R1, 2:20 — HW; Velasquez earns HW title shot at UFC 121; KO Night ($50k)
Bonuses & Awards
KO of the Night: Cain Velasquez vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira — $50,000 to Velasquez.
Fight of the Night: George Sotiropoulos vs. Joe Stevenson — $50,000 to each fighter.
Sub of the Night: Chris Lytle vs. Brian Foster — $50,000 to Lytle.
Records & Milestones
First UFC in Australia — Acer Arena, Sydney; second fastest sellout in UFC history (behind UFC 83); broke Acer Arena merchandise record previously held by Iron Maiden.
Cain Velasquez TKOs Nogueira R1 — first stoppage of Nogueira’s career by punches alone; Velasquez’s dominant case for the HW title.
George Sotiropoulos FOTN — Australian fighter wins Fight of the Night in front of home crowd; biggest win of his UFC career.
Chris Lytle kneebar of Foster — one of the rarer submission finishes in the welterweight division.
Legacy & Impact
UFC 110 opened Australia as a permanent UFC market. Tickets sold out in a single day. The crowd, the atmosphere, and the national pride generated by Sotiropoulos’ win confirmed that Australia was as invested in MMA as the United Kingdom or Canada. The UFC returned to Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, and Melbourne across subsequent years.
Cain Velasquez’s performance at UFC 110 is the clearest preview of what he would do to Brock Lesnar at UFC 121 eight months later. The same left hand, the same combination, the same overwhelming ground-and-pound. Lesnar had size and power; Velasquez had precision and relentlessness. The HW championship era changed at UFC 121, but the blueprint was drawn at UFC 110.
FAQ
Was UFC 110 the first UFC event in Australia?
Yes. UFC 110 at Acer Arena in Sydney, New South Wales, was the first UFC event in Australia.
How dominant was Cain Velasquez at UFC 110?
Velasquez dropped Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira with a left-right-left combination and finished with ground and pound. The stoppage came at 2:20 of round one.
Who sold out the Acer Arena faster than UFC 110?
UFC 83 in Montreal (the first-ever UFC event in Canada) remains the only UFC event to sell out faster than UFC 110 in Australia.
Why was the UFC 110 merchandise record significant?
UFC 110 grossed $540,000 in merchandise sales, breaking the previous UFC merchandise record of $498,000 set at UFC 83. It also surpassed Acer Arena’s previous record, which had been set by Iron Maiden.
What happened after Cain Velasquez's win at UFC 110?
Velasquez was matched against UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar at UFC 121 in October 2010. He won by TKO in round one to become the new UFC HW Champion.
References
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