UFC 85: Bedlam | Event Profile, Full Results & Legacy
- Dana Black
- 5 days ago
- 5 min read
Introduction
UFC 85: Bedlam. June 7, 2008. The O2 Arena, London, England. The event earned its subtitle four times over. The original main event was Chuck Liddell vs. Mauricio Rua — replaced when Rua required knee surgery. Then Liddell vs. Rashad Evans — replaced when Liddell tore his hamstring. Then Evans vs. James Irvin — replaced when Irvin broke his foot. Matt Hughes stepped in on short notice to face Thiago Alves, who came in four pounds overweight.
Matt Hughes lost by TKO at 1:02 of round two when a flying knee — which on replay didn’t appear to land — preceded his collapse. Michael Bisping stopped Jason Day in round one in the co-main before his home crowd. Thales Leites upset Nate Marquardt by split decision. 15,327 attended.
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: June 7, 2008
Venue: The O2 Arena, London, England, UK (second UFC at The O2)
Attendance: 15,327
Main Event: Thiago Alves vs. Matt Hughes — Welterweight (Alves 4 lbs overweight)
Result: Thiago Alves def. Matt Hughes — TKO (Flying Knee and Punches) — R2, 1:02
Co-Main: Michael Bisping def. Jason Day — TKO (Punches) — R1, 3:42 — MW
Notable: 4 different main events planned; Alves overweight; Leites upsets Marquardt; Werdum TKOs Vera
The Build-Up
The chain of replacements: (1) Liddell vs. Rua — Rua needed knee surgery. (2) Liddell vs. Evans — Liddell tore his hamstring. (3) Evans vs. Irvin — Irvin broke his foot. (4) Evans removed. Final: Alves vs. Hughes on short notice.
Matt Hughes took the fight as a favour to the UFC. Alves came in four pounds overweight — over the 170 lb WW limit. With no title implications, the weight miss was less controversial but still notable. Chris Leben was originally scheduled to fight Bisping in the co-main; Legal problems led to Bisping vs. Day being made instead.
Main Event
Thiago Alves vs. Matt Hughes — Welterweight (Alves overweight)
Round one: Alves stuffed takedown attempts and landed punches on top. Matt Hughes eventually pulled guard from a kick but could do little from there. Round two: Hughes attempted a takedown; Alves timed a flying knee. On replay, the knee appeared not to land — Hughes buckled his own knee. The referee stopped it at 1:02.
The finish was bizarre — but official. Matt Hughes's inability to continue made Alves the winner by TKO.
Co-Main Event
Michael Bisping vs. Jason Day — Middleweight
Fighting in London, Michael Bisping delivered an efficient TKO of Jason Day at 3:42 of round one. The O2 crowd was vocal for their most popular British MMA fighter. This was Bisping’s first MW fight after competing at LHW earlier in his career.
Full Results
Preliminary Card
Paul Taylor def. Jess Liaudin — Decision — R3, 5:00 — WW
Antoni Hardonk def. Eddie Sanchez — KO — R1 — HW
Luiz Cané def. Jason Lambert — Decision — R3, 5:00 — LHW
Kevin Burns def. Roan Carneiro — Submission — R? — WW; Sub of the Night ($50k to Burns)
Main Card
Matt Wiman def. Thiago Tavares — Decision — R3, 5:00 — LW; Fight of the Night ($50k each)
Martin Kampmann def. Jorge Rivera — Decision — R3, 5:00 — MW
Fabricio Werdum def. Brandon Vera — TKO — R1, 4:40 — HW
Thales Leites def. Nate Marquardt — Decision (Split) — R3, 5:00 — MW; major upset
Mike Swick def. Marcus Davis — Decision (Unanimous) — R3, 5:00 — WW
Michael Bisping def. Jason Day — TKO (Punches) — R1, 3:42 — MW; Co-Main
Main Event — Welterweight (Alves 4 lbs overweight)
Thiago Alves def. Matt Hughes — TKO (Flying Knee and Punches) — R2, 1:02 — KO of the Night ($50k to Alves)
Bonuses & Awards
KO of the Night: Thiago Alves vs. Matt Hughes — $50,000 to Alves.
Fight of the Night: Matt Wiman vs. Thiago Tavares — $50,000 to each fighter.
Sub of the Night: Kevin Burns vs. Roan Carneiro — $50,000 to Burns.
Records & Milestones
Matt Hughes TKO loss — Hughes took the fight as a favour on short notice against an overweight opponent; the unusual finish (Hughes’ own knee buckling) was one of the strangest in UFC history.
Thales Leites def. Nate Marquardt by split decision — a major upset; Marquardt had been a feared finisher at MW; Leites’ grappling-focused approach frustrated him over three rounds.
Second UFC event at The O2, London — 15,327 fans; the venue was becoming a reliable fixture on the UK calendar.
Legacy & Impact
The event’s ‘Bedlam’ subtitle is the most accurately named card in UFC history. Matt Hughes took the main event on short notice and got a bizarre TKO loss that didn’t fully reflect either fighter’s abilities. Alves went on to challenge Georges St-Pierre for the WW title at UFC 100 in July 2009.
Leites’ split decision over Marquardt earned him a MW title shot against Anderson Silva at UFC 97 — a fight that became infamous for Leites chasing Silva unsuccessfully for five rounds.
FAQ
Why was UFC 85 called Bedlam?
The subtitle 'Bedlam' was earned: the event had four different main events planned. Liddell vs. Rua (Rua — knee surgery); Liddell vs. Evans (Liddell — hamstring); Evans vs. Irvin (Irvin — broken foot); then Evans removed entirely. Matt Hughes stepped in on short notice as a favour.
Did Thiago Alves' flying knee actually land on Matt Hughes at UFC 85?
On replay, the knee appeared not to land. Hughes appeared to buckle his own knee as he moved in. Alves followed with punches and the referee stopped the fight. The official result was TKO via flying knee and punches.
Why did Thiago Alves come in overweight at UFC 85?
Alves missed the 170 lb welterweight limit by four pounds. As there was no title on the line, both fighters agreed to proceed. Alves was fined 30% of his purse.
How did Thales Leites upset Nate Marquardt at UFC 85?
Leites used his jiu-jitsu and clinch work to frustrate Marquardt over three rounds, avoiding the exchanges where Marquardt was dangerous and controlling the pace. The judges scored it a split decision for Leites.
Who was supposed to fight Michael Bisping in the co-main at UFC 85?
Chris Leben was originally scheduled to fight Bisping in the co-main. Leben had to withdraw due to legal problems. Jason Day replaced him and was stopped by Bisping in the first round.
References
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