The UFC returns to Iowa for the primary time in practically 25 years this Saturday night time with UFC Battle Evening: Sandhagen vs. Figueiredo in Des Moines.
To seek out the final time Final Combating Championship held an occasion within the Hawkeye State, you’d need to go all the way in which again to June 9, 2000, when the promotion introduced UFC 26 to the 5 Seasons Heart (now The Alliant Vitality PowerHouse) in Cedar Rapids. And whereas the occasion featured some fairly notable names within the historical past of blended martial arts, the cardboard was a largely forgettable affair for quite a lot of causes.
Let’s check out a few of these causes, counting down 5 loopy details concerning the UFC’s final look within the state I name house.
5. The occasion had maybe the worst subtitle of all time
These days, most UFC occasions are both numbered or simply dubbed Battle Evening. However within the early days, UFC playing cards would commonly have a subtitle like, Revenge of the Warriors, Judgment Day, Showdown, Collision Course, and many others. However for UFC 26, the powers that be determined to go along with Final Discipline of Goals.
Clearly, this was a reference to the 1989 movie Discipline of Goals starring Kevin Costner and James Earl Jones, which was filmed and set in Dyersville, Iowa. As a lifelong Iowan, I can definitely recognize the UFC trying to throw our largest declare to fame into the promotional supplies, however contemplating the movie was about baseball and the UFC is about punching folks within the face, it simply didn’t work.
4. The primary-ever disqualification in UFC historical past occurred in Iowa
Those that look again on the early days of the UFC usually see it as a time when the promotion had zero guidelines. Nevertheless, that was not completely true.
Within the third combat of the principle card, Amaury Bitetti met Alex Andrade in a middleweight bout. For the combat, Andrade opted to put on wrestling footwear, which had been allowed on the time, however with one main caveat. A fighter carrying footwear was not permitted to kick at any level in the course of the combat.
It’s unclear if Andrade wasn’t conscious of the rule or just didn’t give a sh*t, however he ended up kicking his opponent a number of occasions all through the bout. The primary got here within the opening spherical when he clocked Bitetti after which proceeded to land a soccer kick to his opponent’s face. That prompted referee ‘Massive’ John McCarthy to pause the bout and deduct some extent from Andrade.
Andrade acquired one other warning after touchdown a low kick in direction of the top of the primary spherical. He was lastly disqualified within the second spherical after throwing a head kick.
3. UFC 26 featured the promotion’s first-ever bantamweight combat … Kind of
In the present day, the bantamweight division is among the premier weight lessons in all of MMA, nevertheless it wasn’t launched till the summer season of 2000. And even then, it was nothing just like the division everyone knows and love now.
Earlier than the Final Combating Championship adopted the Unified Guidelines of MMA in 2001, the promotion featured three weight lessons: heavyweight for fighters over 200 kilos, middleweight for these between 170 and 199 kilos, and light-weight for fighters weighing between 155 and 169 kilos.
The newly created bantamweight division for UFC 26 was designated for fighters under 155 kilos and formally debuted by way of a conflict between Jens Pulver and João Roque.
The combat itself was largely forgettable with Pulver scoring a call victory, however ‘Little Evil’ would go on to search out vital success contained in the Octagon, profitable the light-weight title in 2001 and being inducted into the UFC Corridor of Fame in 2023.
2. The co-main occasion featured Iowa MMA legend Pat Miletich
Everybody is aware of the title Pat Miletch. Particularly these in Iowa.
Because the first-ever UFC welterweight champion, the ‘Croatian Sensation’ defended his title 4 occasions, the third of which got here in his house state towards John Alessio. Miletich received the bout within the second spherical, submitting Alessio by way of an armbar. He would solely combat three extra occasions underneath the UFC banner earlier than largely strolling away from the game as a competitor.
Apart from his work contained in the Octagon, Miletch turned one of many largest names within the early days of MMA by way of his iconic Miletich Combating Techniques gymnasium in Bettendorf, Iowa.
The gymnasium produced champion and champions, together with Tim Sylvia, Matt Hughes, Wealthy Franklin, and Jens Pulver. MFS additionally churned out notable names like ‘Ruthless’ Robbie Lawler, Jeremy Horn, and Spencer Fisher.
1. A forgettable headliner
Even earlier than Kevin Randleman and Pedro Rizzo stepped contained in the Octagon, their combat was infamous. Principally as a result of it had already been booked to go down at UFC 24, however was cancelled after Randleman allegedly slipped on a pipe whereas warming up, hitting his head on the concrete.
Able to go at UFC 26, Randleman efficiently defended the UFC heavyweight championship towards Rizzo in a combat that noticed extra dancing across the Octagon than precise preventing. Randleman and Rizzo solely landed a mixed 29 vital strikes all through the five-round affair, making it one of many worst fights in UFC historical past.
Randleman dropped the heavyweight title to Randy Couture 4 months later and exited the promotion following a win over Renato Sobral at UFC 35.
Tragically, Randleman handed away on February 11, 2016, as a consequence of issues from pneumonia. He was 44.
