UFC 57

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UFC 57: Liddell vs. Couture 3

Details
Promotion	Ultimate Fighting Championship
Date	February 4, 2006
Venue	Mandalay Bay Events Center
City	Las Vegas, Nevada
Attendance	10,301 paid [1]
Total Gate	$3,382,400
Buyrate	400,000-410,000 [2]
Event chronology
UFC 56: Full Force	UFC 57: Liddell vs. Couture 3	UFC 58: USA vs Canada

UFC 57: Liddell vs. Couture 3 was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on February 4, 2006. It was held at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, and broadcasted live on pay-per-view in the United States. It was the UFC's largest grossing gate to date, $3.3 million [3], in addition to an estimate of over 400,000 pay-per-view buys. Headlining the card was an anticipated rubber match between top UFC stars and former coaches of The Ultimate Fighter Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture, widely touted and marketed as MMA's first major trilogy. The disclosed fighter payroll for the event was $667,000. [4]

[edit] Results

[edit] Preliminary card

[edit] Light heavyweight bout: Keith Jardine vs. Mike Whitehead

Jardine defeats Whitehead by an unanimous decision. This match was a preliminary match and was not aired on the pay-per-view broadcast.

[edit] Heavyweight bout: Jeff Monson vs. Branden Lee Hinkle

Monson defeats Hinkle by TKO (referee stoppage) with a North/South choke in the first round at 4:35. This match was a preliminary match, but was aired on the pay-per-view broadcast.

[edit] Heavyweight bout: Paul Buentello vs. Gilbert Aldana

Buentello defeats Aldana with a technical knock-out in the second round at 2:27. This match was a preliminary match and was not scheduled to air on the pay-per-view broadcast, but was broadcasted on tape delay after time allowed for an additional fight to be aired.

[edit] Light heavyweight bout: Alessio Sakara vs Elvis Sinosic

Sakara defeats Sinosic by unanimous decision. This match was a preliminary match and was not aired on the pay-per-view broadcast.

[edit] Main card

[edit] Welterweight bout: Joe Riggs vs. Nick Diaz

Riggs defeats Diaz by an unanimous decision. After the match, Riggs and Diaz apparently had a physical confrontation in a hospital room while recovering from the fight. Although both have confirmed something happened in the hospital, it is unclear what happened as police declined to follow up on the incident. Riggs was also nearly 30 pounds heavier since the weigh-in the previous day.[5]

[edit] Light heavyweight bout: Renato "Babalu" Sobral vs Mike Van Arsdale

Babalu defeats Van Arsdale by submission with a rear naked choke in the first round at 2:21. With the victory, Babalu became the #1 contender for the light heavyweight title, and would challenge Chuck Liddell for the title at UFC 62

[edit] Heavyweight bout: Marcio Cruz vs Frank Mir

Cruz defeats Mir in a major upset by a technical knock-out in the first round at 4:10. Mir, the former heavyweight champion who relinquished his title after a motorcycle accident, was widely expected to be a future #1 contender for the title after an upcoming Tim Sylvia vs. Andrei Arlovski title match. With the defeat, the match-up is now in doubt.

[edit] Heavyweight bout: Brandon Vera vs. Justin Eilers

In the swing bout of the evening, Vera defeats Eilers by knockout with a kick and a knee in the first round at 1:25.

[edit] Light heavyweight championship bout: Champion Chuck Liddell vs. Randy Couture

In the main event of the evening, Chuck Liddell defeats Randy Couture by knockout in the second round at 1:28. Couture announces his retirement in the arena immediately afterwards. It is the third match between the two in the UFC, all three times for a Light Heavyweight title.