UFC 66: Liddell vs. Ortiz 2 | Event Profile, Full Results & Legacy

Tito Wordsmith
5 days ago
5 min read

Introduction

UFC 66: Liddell vs. Ortiz 2. December 30, 2006. MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas. New Year’s Eve weekend. Chuck Liddell retained the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship by TKO at 3:59 of round three against Tito Ortiz. Liddell finished the fight with a torn MCL. The event drew just over 1 million pay-per-view buys — the first time in UFC history that threshold had been crossed.

The live gate was the highest in North American MMA history. In the co-main, Keith Jardine stopped Forrest Griffin by TKO in round one in a major upset. Michael Bisping made his UFC debut with a first-round TKO of Eric Schafer. Andrei Arlovski returned with a KO of Marcio Cruz. Mirko Cro Cop’s signing with the UFC was announced during the broadcast.

Quick Stats

Date: December 30, 2006 (New Year’s Eve weekend)

Venue: MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Gate: Highest live gate in North American MMA history (extended UFC 57’s $3.3M record by over $2M)

PPV: Just over 1,000,000 buys — FIRST UFC event to break 1 million

Main Event: Chuck Liddell (c) vs. Tito Ortiz — UFC Light Heavyweight Championship

Result: Chuck Liddell def. Tito Ortiz — TKO (Strikes) — R3, 3:59 — Liddell retains; finished with torn MCL; Fight of the Night

Notable: Jardine upsets Griffin; Bisping UFC debut TKO; Arlovski KO return; Mirko Cro Cop signing announced

The Build-Up

The fight was announced by Tito Ortiz at the UFC 63 weigh-ins in September 2006. Chuck Liddell had been on a dominant title run through 2006. Ortiz had won five consecutive fights since his first Liddell loss. The commercial case was straightforward: two of the UFC’s biggest names, building on the first fight’s strong numbers, staged on New Year’s Eve weekend at the MGM Grand.

The co-main match of Forrest Griffin vs. Keith Jardine positioned TUF 1’s beloved fan favourite against an aggressive, unpredictable LHW contender. Griffin was the heavy favourite. The Mirko Cro Cop signing announcement during the broadcast signalled that 2007 would bring a major new heavyweight presence.

Main Event

Chuck Liddell (c) vs. Tito Ortiz — UFC Light Heavyweight Championship

Tito Ortiz fought the best version of himself against Liddell — aggressive, active in the clinch, arguably taking round two. But Chuck Liddell’s power was decisive. In round three, Liddell landed a combination that hurt Ortiz badly and followed with unanswered strikes until referee John McCarthy stopped the fight at 3:59.

Chuck Liddell completed the fight with a torn medial collateral ligament sustained during the bout. He retained the title. His LHW era continued.

Chuck Liddell's title reign ended at UFC 71 in May 2007, when Quinton Jackson stopped him with a left hook in round one. UFC 66 was his last successful title defence.

Co-Main Event

Keith Jardine vs. Forrest Griffin — Light Heavyweight

Keith Jardine stopped Forrest Griffin by TKO at 4:41 of round one in one of the year’s biggest upsets. Griffin was the heavily favoured TUF 1 winner. Jardine’s aggressive pressure and left hook combination put Griffin down and the stoppage came swiftly.

Forrest Griffin won the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship at UFC 86 in July 2008, defeating Quinton Jackson.

Full Results

Preliminary Card

Christian Wellisch def. Anthony Perosh — Decision (Unanimous) — R3, 5:00 (29-28, 29-28, 29-27) — HW

Yushin Okami def. Rory Singer — Submission (Strikes) — R3, 4:03 — MW

Main Card

Thiago Alves def. Tony DeSouza — TKO — R? — WW (Alves tested positive for spironolactone post-fight; 8-month suspension)

Gabriel Gonzaga def. Carmelo Marrero — Submission (Armbar) — R1, 3:22 — HW

Jason MacDonald def. Chris Leben — TKO (Guillotine Choke) — R2, 4:03 — MW

Michael Bisping def. Eric Schafer — TKO (Strikes) — R1, 4:24 — LHW (Bisping’s first UFC bout since winning TUF 3)

Andrei Arlovski def. Marcio Cruz — KO (Strikes) — R1, 3:15 — HW comeback

Co-Main — Light Heavyweight

Keith Jardine def. Forrest Griffin — TKO (Strikes) — R1, 4:41 — Major upset

UFC Light Heavyweight Championship

Chuck Liddell def. Tito Ortiz — TKO (Strikes) — R3, 3:59 — Liddell retains; torn MCL; Fight of the Night

Bonuses & Awards

Fight of the Night: Chuck Liddell vs. Tito Ortiz — three-round title fight.

Thiago Alves later tested positive for spironolactone — the first diuretic positive in Nevada; fined $5,500 and suspended eight months.

Records & Milestones

Chuck Liddell retains LHW with torn MCL — finished the fight with a torn MCL; his fourth successful title defence.

Just over 1,000,000 PPV buys — the first time in UFC history a single event broke 1 million.

Highest live gate in North American MMA history — extended UFC 57’s $3.3M record by over $2M.

Mirko Cro Cop signing announced — PRIDE’s heavyweight legend confirmed for UFC debut at UFC 67 in February 2007.

Thiago Alves first Nevada diuretic positive — spironolactone; fined and suspended eight months.

Legacy & Impact

UFC 66 is where the numbers became undeniable. Over a million pay-per-view households ordered this event on New Year’s Eve weekend 2006. From a sport that had been commercially struggling as recently as 2003, this figure was the punctuation mark on the most important three-year run in combat sports history. Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz’s rivalry had been the vehicle. TUF had been the engine. UFC 66 was the result.

2007 would bring further transformation: Quinton Jackson stopping Liddell for the LHW title, Randy Couture returning to beat Tim Sylvia for the HW title, and Matt Serra’s stunning TKO of GSP. But UFC 66 closed 2006 as the commercial high-water mark of MMA’s first mainstream era.

Michael Bisping’s UFC debut at UFC 66 began a career that culminated in becoming the first British UFC champion at UFC 199 in 2016. Keith Jardine’s upset of Griffin confirmed him as a legitimate LHW contender.

FAQ

How many PPV buys did UFC 66 generate?

Just over 1 million — the first time in UFC history a single event broke 1 million pay-per-view purchases.

How did Chuck Liddell defeat Tito Ortiz at UFC 66?

Liddell retained the LHW title by TKO at 3:59 of round three. Ortiz arguably took round two but Liddell’s striking power was decisive in the third. Liddell finished the fight with a torn MCL.

What was notable about Keith Jardine vs. Forrest Griffin at UFC 66?

Jardine stopped Griffin by TKO at 4:41 of round one in one of the year’s biggest upsets. Griffin was the heavily favoured TUF 1 winner and top-five LHW.

Who was announced as signing with the UFC at UFC 66?

Mirko ‘Cro Cop’ Filipovic, the PRIDE heavyweight champion and kickboxing legend, was announced as signing a deal with the UFC during the broadcast. His debut was confirmed for UFC 67 in February 2007.

What happened with Thiago Alves after UFC 66?

Alves won his fight but later tested positive for spironolactone, a diuretic. He was fined $5,500 and suspended for eight months — the first fighter in Nevada to test positive for a diuretic.

References

UFC 66 — Wikipedia

UFC 66 — Tapology