UFC 83: Serra vs. St-Pierre 2 | Event Profile, Full Results & Legacy
- Daniel Cornmeat
- 5 days ago
- 5 min read
Introduction
UFC 83: Serra vs. St-Pierre 2. April 19, 2008. Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The first UFC event in Canada. Georges St-Pierre stopped Matt Serra with knees to the body at 4:45 of round two, becoming the undisputed UFC Welterweight Champion. The 21,390 fans who packed the Bell Centre broke the UFC’s all-time attendance record, which had stood at 19,049 from UFC 68.
It was the fastest sellout in UFC history. Tickets to the public sold in under one minute. The gate was $5.1 million. 530,000 PPV buys. Georges St-Pierre fought in front of his home city crowd. Cain Velasquez made his UFC debut with a TKO win. $75,000 bonuses. Performance-wise and commercially, UFC 83 is one of the most significant events in the promotion’s history.
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: April 19, 2008
Venue: Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada (first UFC in Canada)
Attendance: 21,390 (new UFC all-time record, broke UFC 68’s 19,049)
Gate: $5.1M; PPV: ~530,000 buys; fastest sellout in UFC history
Main Event: Matt Serra (c) vs. Georges St-Pierre (ic) — UFC WW Championship Unification (5 rounds)
Result: Georges St-Pierre def. Matt Serra — TKO (Knees to Body) — R2, 4:45 — GSP undisputed WW champion
Notable: Cain Velasquez UFC debut; Demian Maia sub win; $75k bonuses
The Build-Up
The backstory was personal and public. Georges St-Pierre had lost his WW title to Serra at UFC 69 in April 2007 — one of the sport’s biggest upsets. GSP had cited personal tragedy (his father seriously ill; a 17-year-old cousin killed in a car accident) as context for the loss. He then claimed he’d only accepted the original fight because he thought he could ‘easily beat this guy.’
Serra responded in kind: called GSP a “Frenchy”, told him to “go drink some red wine and watch a hockey game.” Montreal took the trash talk personally. The Bell Centre’s atmosphere for this fight was unlike anything the UFC had staged in a non-US venue.
Main Event
Georges St-Pierre vs. Matt Serra — UFC Welterweight Championship Unification
Round one: Georges St-Pierre took Serra down immediately, worked half-guard, postured up with combinations. Serra landed elbows from the bottom. Round two: GSP snapped Serra’s head back with jabs, scored another takedown with ease. With Serra on his knees, GSP fired knees to the body. Serra rolled away; GSP followed with punches and more knees. Serra had no answer. Referee Yves Lavigne stopped it at 4:45.
Georges St-Pierre became the undisputed UFC Welterweight Champion, unifying his interim belt with Serra’s actual championship. He would hold the WW title until his retirement in 2013, making nine consecutive successful defences.
Co-Main Event
Nate Quarry vs. Kalib Starnes — Light Heavyweight
Nate Quarry defeated Kalib Starnes by unanimous decision. Starnes spent much of the fight backpedalling in a manner that became infamous — the crowd booed heavily. Quarry chased him around the octagon for three rounds. The performance became one of the most-discussed cases of unsportsmanlike avoidance in UFC history.
Full Results
Preliminary Card
Jonathan Goulet def. Kuniyoshi Hironaka — TKO (Punches) — R2, 2:07 — WW; Fight of the Night ($75k each)
Cain Velasquez def. Brad Morris — TKO — R? — HW; Velasquez UFC debut
Rich Clementi def. Sam Stout — Decision (Split) — R3, 5:00 — LW
Demian Maia def. Ed Herman — Submission (Triangle) — R? — MW; Sub of the Night ($75k)
Main Card
Jason Day def. Alan Belcher — TKO — R? — MW
Jason MacDonald def. Joe Doerksen — TKO — R? — MW
Mac Danzig def. Mark Bocek — Submission (RNC) — R? — LW
Michael Bisping def. Charles McCarthy — TKO — R? — LHW
Nate Quarry def. Kalib Starnes — Decision (Unanimous) — R3, 5:00 — LHW; Starnes’ evasive performance became infamous
Rich Franklin def. Travis Lutter — TKO — R? — MW
UFC WW Championship Unification (5 rounds) — Main Event
Georges St-Pierre def. Matt Serra — TKO (Knees to Body) — R2, 4:45 — GSP undisputed WW champion; KO of the Night ($75k)
Bonuses & Awards
Fight of the Night: Jonathan Goulet vs. Kuniyoshi Hironaka — $75,000 to each fighter.
KO of the Night: Georges St-Pierre vs. Matt Serra — $75,000 to St-Pierre.
Sub of the Night: Demian Maia vs. Ed Herman — $75,000 to Maia.
Bonus amounts were elevated to $75,000 to mark the UFC’s first Canadian event.
Records & Milestones
New UFC attendance record — 21,390 at the Bell Centre, Montreal. Broke UFC 68’s record of 19,049 (Columbus, March 2007).
Fastest sellout in UFC history — public tickets sold in under one minute; most tickets sold to Fight Club members in the first 24 hours of the presale.
First UFC event in Canada — Bell Centre, Montreal. Event was originally going to be numbered UFC 84, but a planned England event on March 8 was cancelled, creating the number gap.
Cain Velasquez UFC debut — the future two-time UFC Heavyweight Champion competed in his first professional MMA fight at UFC 83.
Georges St-Pierre becomes undisputed WW champion — unified the interim belt with Serra’s actual title; began a dominant reign of nine consecutive defences ending in November 2013.
Legacy & Impact
UFC 83 is the most commercially and emotionally successful event the UFC had staged outside the United States to that point. Georges St-Pierre fighting in Montreal, reclaiming a title he had lost to an underdog, in front of 21,390 of his own fans who had bought every ticket inside a minute — it was the kind of night that becomes a permanent part of a fighter’s mythology.
Canada became one of the UFC’s most bankable international markets. UFC 97 returned to Montreal in April 2009. GSP headlined both cards. The Bell Centre became the UFC’s most reliable high-attendance international venue.
FAQ
Was UFC 83 the first UFC event in Canada?
Yes. UFC 83 at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, was the first UFC event held in Canada.
How did GSP beat Matt Serra at UFC 83?
GSP dominated from the start. In round two, he took Serra down and delivered knees to the body while Serra was on his knees, then punches. Serra had no answer and referee Yves Lavigne stopped the fight at 4:45.
What attendance record did UFC 83 break?
UFC 83 drew 21,390 fans, breaking the previous UFC attendance record of 19,049 set at UFC 68 in Columbus, Ohio in March 2007.
Who made their UFC debut at UFC 83?
Cain Velasquez, the future two-time UFC Heavyweight Champion, made his UFC and professional MMA debut at UFC 83 with a TKO win over Brad Morris.
Why was Kalib Starnes' performance at UFC 83 notable?
Starnes was widely criticised for spending most of his fight against Nate Quarry backpedalling and avoiding engagement. The crowd booed heavily. It became one of the most discussed cases of evasive fighting tactics in UFC history.
References
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