UFC 65: Bad Intentions | Event Profile, Full Results & Legacy

Conor McBragger
5 days ago
5 min read

Introduction

UFC 65: Bad Intentions. November 18, 2006. ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California. The UFC's first event at this venue. Georges St-Pierre defeated Matt Hughes by TKO at 1:25 of round two to win the UFC Welterweight Championship. The fight was the payoff of one of MMA's most famous pre-fight declarations: GSP's cage-side ‘I am not impressed by your performance’ at UFC 63 six weeks earlier.

In the co-main, Tim Sylvia retained the UFC Heavyweight Championship against Jeff Monson by unanimous decision over five rounds. Brandon Vera defeated Frank Mir by decision. Nick Diaz defeated Gleison Tibau by decision. The card drew approximately 525,000 PPV buys — the first UFC event in Sacramento.

Quick Stats

Date: November 18, 2006

Venue: ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California, USA (first UFC event at this venue)

PPV: ~525,000 buys

Main Event: Matt Hughes (c) vs. Georges St-Pierre — UFC Welterweight Championship (5 rounds)

Result: Georges St-Pierre def. Matt Hughes — TKO (Strikes) — R2, 1:25 — GSP wins WW title

Co-Main: Tim Sylvia (c) def. Jeff Monson — Decision (Unanimous) — R5, 25:00 — Sylvia retains HW

Context: Originally scheduled as Hughes vs. GSP at UFC 63 (GSP withdrew injured); the fight originally planned was Liddell vs. Wanderlei Silva

The Build-Up

The fight had been building since at least April 2006, when it was announced at a Toronto press conference. It was scheduled for UFC 63 in September 2006 but Georges St-Pierre withdrew with a groin injury. B.J. Penn replaced him. Hughes dismissed GSP after UFC 63 when GSP declared cage-side that he was coming for the title. Hughes said no he wasn’t. GSP said: “I am not impressed by your performance.”

UFC 65 was also not the original main event. The planned headline was Chuck Liddell vs. Wanderlei Silva for the LHW title — announced by Dana White at UFC 61 in July 2006. That fight was pushed to accommodate Tito Ortiz's guaranteed title shot at UFC 66 in December, which was too close to allow a Liddell-Wanderlei fight at UFC 65. The Hughes vs. Georges St-Pierre title fight moved into the main event slot.

Main Event

Matt Hughes (c) vs. Georges St-Pierre — UFC Welterweight Championship (5 rounds)

In round one, Georges St-Pierre landed two unintentional kicks near the groin of Matt Hughes. Near the end of round one, GSP landed a Superman punch that put Hughes down. The bell rang, saving Hughes. In round two, GSP landed a head kick that stunned Hughes and knocked him to the mat. He followed with punches and elbows until Big John McCarthy stopped the fight at 1:25, with 3:35 remaining in the round.

Georges St-Pierre became the UFC Welterweight Champion for the first time. He lost the title to Matt Serra at UFC 69 in April 2007 by TKO — one of the sport's biggest upsets — then regained it from Serra at UFC 83 in April 2008 and held it until his voluntary retirement in December 2013. His first reign is where the story begins.

Co-Main Event

Tim Sylvia (c) vs. Jeff Monson — UFC Heavyweight Championship (5 rounds)

Tim Sylvia retained the Heavyweight Championship over Jeff Monson by unanimous decision over five rounds. Monson was a Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist who had accumulated a strong record. Sylvia's size and reach advantage gave him the decision across all three scorecards.

Tim Sylvia's reign ended two events later at UFC 68 in March 2007, when Randy Couture returned from retirement to defeat him by unanimous decision in a landmark upset.

Full Results

Preliminary Card

Jake O'Brien def. Josh Shockman — Decision (Unanimous) — R3, 5:00 (30-27 x3) — HW

James Irvin def. Hector Ramirez — TKO (Strikes) — R2, 2:36 — LHW

Antoni Hardonk def. Sherman Pendergarst — KO (Leg Kick) — R1, 3:15 — HW

Main Card

Nick Diaz def. Gleison Tibau — Decision — R3, 5:00 — WW

Joe Stevenson def. Dokonjonosuke Mishima — Decision — R3, 5:00 — LW; Fight of the Night

Drew McFedries def. Alessio Sakara — TKO (Strikes) — R? — MW

Brandon Vera def. Frank Mir — Decision — R3, 5:00 — LHW

UFC Heavyweight Championship (5 rounds)

Tim Sylvia def. Jeff Monson — Decision (Unanimous) — R5, 25:00 — Sylvia retains HW

UFC Welterweight Championship (5 rounds) — Main Event

Georges St-Pierre def. Matt Hughes — TKO (Strikes) — R2, 1:25 — GSP wins WW title for the first time

Bonuses & Awards

Fight of the Night: Joe Stevenson vs. Dokonjonosuke Mishima — lightweight bout.

The GSP vs. Hughes main event was the most commercially significant performance of the night. Formal KO/Sub of the Night bonuses were not publicly announced for all bouts.

Records & Milestones

Georges St-Pierre wins WW title for the first time — the 'I am not impressed by your performance' post-fight declaration from UFC 63 delivered in six weeks.

Matt Hughes loses WW title — his second title loss to GSP (first was UFC 50, won by Hughes; this is the second and final fight between them at the championship level before UFC 79).

First UFC at ARCO Arena, Sacramento — the third California venue used by the UFC in 2006 (Anaheim twice, now Sacramento).

Originally planned as Liddell vs. Wanderlei Silva — the most anticipated fight in LHW history at the time; announced at UFC 61 in July 2006; postponed to accommodate Tito Ortiz's guaranteed UFC 66 title shot.

Legacy & Impact

Georges St-Pierre's first title win at UFC 65 was the beginning of one of the sport's longest and most dominant championship reigns. He lost the title to Matt Serra at UFC 69 in an upset, regained it, and held it until December 2013 — a total of five years across his first and second reigns. His technical level, training evolution, and consistency set the benchmark for the modern welterweight era.

The 'I am not impressed by your performance' line — the post-fight declaration from UFC 63 that had set up this fight — was delivered in retrospect. Georges St-Pierre said it. Then six weeks later he went out and won the championship. The line became more significant after UFC 65, not less.

FAQ

How did Georges St-Pierre win the UFC Welterweight Championship at UFC 65?

GSP landed a Superman punch near the end of round one that put Hughes down (bell saved him). In round two, GSP landed a head kick that stunned Hughes, then followed with punches and elbows until Big John McCarthy stopped the fight at 1:25 of round two.

What was the connection between UFC 63 and UFC 65?

At UFC 63, GSP told Hughes cage-side he was coming for the title. Hughes dismissed him. GSP said 'I am not impressed by your performance.' The Hughes vs. GSP title fight had originally been scheduled for UFC 63 but GSP withdrew with a groin injury. It was rescheduled for UFC 65, where GSP won the title.

What was the original plan for UFC 65's main event?

The original main event was Chuck Liddell vs. Wanderlei Silva for the LHW Championship, announced by Dana White at UFC 61 in July 2006. It was postponed because Tito Ortiz had been guaranteed a title shot at UFC 66 in December 2006, which was too close.

Did GSP hold the WW title after UFC 65?

Not continuously. He lost it to Matt Serra at UFC 69 in April 2007 by TKO in a major upset. He regained it from Serra at UFC 83 in April 2008 and then held it until his voluntary retirement in December 2013.

What was the result of Tim Sylvia vs. Jeff Monson at UFC 65?

Tim Sylvia retained the Heavyweight Championship by unanimous decision over five rounds. Sylvia's reign ended at UFC 68 in March 2007 when Randy Couture returned from retirement to beat him.

References

UFC 65 — Wikipedia

UFC 65 — Tapology