UFC 23
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| UFC 23: Ultimate Japan 2 | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Details | ||
| Promotion | Ultimate Fighting Championship | |
| Date | November 19, 1999 | |
| Venue | Tokyo Bay NK Hall | |
| City | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Event chronology | ||
| UFC 22: There Can Be Only One Champion | UFC 23: Ultimate Japan 2 | UFC 24: First Defense |
UFC 23: Ultimate Japan 2 was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on November 19, 1999 at Tokyo Bay NK Hall in Tokyo, Japan. UFC 23 was the second UFC event to take place in Japan, where the newly formed PRIDE Fighting Championships were enjoying massive success. UFC 23 was headlined by a Heavyweight Championship Title bout between Kevin Randleman and Pete Williams, held to determine the champion after Bas Rutten's retirement. The event also featured a four man "Japanese" tournament, held to crown the first ever UFC Japan Champion. The tournament was the first in the UFC since UFC 17, and the last ever tournament held by the UFC. SEG originally intended UFC Japan to be a separate company, run by local promoters, but due to mounting financial problems, and the rise of the popular PRIDE and K-1 organizations, the idea was scrapped following UFC 25: Ultimate Japan 3.
UFC 23 was the first UFC event to not see a home video release, as SEG was nearing bankruptcy and struggling to keep the UFC alive through extremely limited pay per view in the US, as well as minor coverage in Brazil and Japan. To date, UFC 23 through UFC 29 have never been released in the US on home video or DVD in any form, and many consider this period to be the "Dark Ages" of the UFC. It wasn't until UFC 30, with new owners Zuffa, that the UFC returned to home video.
[edit] Results
[edit] UFC Japan Tournament
[edit] Semifinal Bout: Shamoji Fujii vs. Masutatsu Yano
Fuji wins by TKO (referee stoppage due to strikes) at 3:12 of the second round.
[edit] Semifinal Bout: Kenichi Yamamoto vs. Daiju Takase
Yamamoto wins by unanimous decision at 15:00.
[edit] UFC Japan Tournament Final Bout: Kenichi Yamamoto vs. Shamoji Fujii
Yamamoto wins the UFC Japan Tournament by submission (kneebar) at 4:15 of the first round.
| Semifinals | Final | |||||||
| Shamoji Fujii | ||||||||
| Masutatsu Yano | ||||||||
| Shamoji Fujii | ||||||||
| Kenichi Yamamoto | ||||||||
| Kenichi Yamamoto | ||||||||
| Daiju Takase | ||||||||
[edit] Main Card
[edit] Middleweight Bout: Eugene Jackson vs. Keiichiro Yamamiya
Jackson wins by KO at 3:12 of the third round.
[edit] Middleweight Bout: Joe Slick vs. Jason Delucia
Slick wins by TKO (verbal submission due to knee injury) at 1:12 of the first round.
[edit] Heavyweight Bout: Pedro Rizzo vs. Tsuyoshi Kosaka
Rizzo wins by TKO (referee stoppage due to strikes) at 1:12 of the third round.
[edit] Heavyweight Championship Title Bout: Kevin Randleman vs. Pete Williams
Randleman wins by unanimous decision at 25:00 to claim the vacant UFC Heavyweight title.
