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UFC 63: Hughes vs. Penn was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on September 23, 2006. The event took place at the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, California and was broadcast live on pay-per-view in the United States and Canada.
The event, originally subtitled "Hughes vs. St. Pierre," was scheduled to feature a UFC Welterweight Title match between champion Matt Hughes and Georges St. Pierre. Nevertheless, a groin injury—which was reported early in August—forced St. Pierre off the card. At first, St. Pierre sought a physiotherapist, hoping the injury would heal on its own during training;[1] however, it was later announced that St. Pierre would indeed withdraw from his long-awaited title shot. Taking his place was former UFC Welterweight Champion, B.J. Penn, who defeated Hughes in a championship fight in 2004, and was beaten by St. Pierre at UFC 58. The co-main event saw 'The Crow' David Loiseau taking on Mike Swick in the middleweight division.
[edit] Results
[edit] Preliminary card
- Tyson Griffin defeats David Lee by submission (rear naked choke) at 1:50 of round one. The fight, although preliminary, was aired on the broadcast.
- Gurgel defeats Abbadi (from the The Ultimate Fighter 3) by unanimous decision after three rounds. Judges scored the bout 29-28 for Gurgel. Initially, it appeared one judge scored 29-28 in favor of Abbadi, making the bout a split decision victory for Gurgel. It was later reported that one of the scorecards was incorrectly labeled, and that Gurgel had actually earned the unanimous decision, despite the initial announcement. This preliminary bout was not aired on the broadcast.
- Sanchez defeats Neto by knockout due to a punch at :17 of round two. Sanchez accepted the fight on short notice, replacing Gabriel Gonzaga. The fight, although preliminary, was aired on the broadcast.
- Huerta defeats Dent by unanimous decision after three rounds. All three judges scored the bout 30-27 for Huerta. Dent came as a late replacement for Jason Reinhardt, who had pulled out of the card due to lingering medical concerns with his neck. This preliminary bout was not aired on the broadcast. It received the "fight of the night" award.
[edit] Main card
- Lauzon upsets Pulver by knockout due to strikes at :47 of round one. Pulver was a 7 to 1 on favorite in this match.[2]
- Evans defeats Lambert by knockout due to punches from the mounted position at 2:38 of round two.
- Guillard defeats Ruediger by knockout due to a body punch at 1:01 of round two. Guillard achieved the knockout from a punch to Ruediger's solar plexus.
- Swick defeats Loiseau by unanimous decision. All three judges scored the bout 29-28 for Swick.
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Matt Hughes and BJ Penn with Dana White behind them at weigh-ins
In the main event of the evening, Matt Hughes defends his championship and defeats "The Prodigy" B.J. Penn by technical knockout (referee stoppage) due to strikes at 3:53 of round three. Hughes, who self-admittedly said he lost the first two rounds, and who nearly succumbed to a reverse triangle choke/armbar combination from Penn at the end of round two, was able in the third round to gain side control of Penn and trap his two arms beneath him (one under his legs, the other under his left arm) while delivering a series of blows to the head.[3]
- In an interview on his own website after the fight, Penn claimed that he separated his ribs at the end of the second round in an attempt to sweep to Hughes' back.[4] While the initial doctors report did not show any injuries,[5] a later examination found that Penn did fracture his ribs at a costochondral junction and strained the adjacent intercostal and oblique musculatures.[6]
[edit] Fighter Payouts
The disclosed fighter payroll for UFC 63 was $332,000. [4] Individual payouts are listed below. The numbers only include figures the UFC disclosed to the state athletic commission; pay-per-view buyrate bonuses, sponsorship fees, and other bonuses were not disclosed.
[edit] Main event
- Matt Hughes: $130,000 (defeated BJ Penn)
- BJ Penn: $50,000 (lost to Matt Hughes)
[edit] Main card
- Jens Pulver: $30,000 (lost to Joe Lauzon)
- Rashad Evans: $24,000 (defeated Jason Lambert)
- Mike Swick: $14,000 (defeated David Loiseau)
- Melvin Guillard: $10,000 (defeated Gabe Ruediger)
- Jason Lambert: $9,000 (lost to Rashad Evans)
- David Loiseau: $9,000 (lost to Mike Swick)
- Joe Lauzon: $6,000 (defeated Jens Pulver)
- Gabe Ruediger: $3,000 (lost to Melvin Guillard)
[edit] Preliminary card
- Tyson Griffin: $14,000 (defeated David Lee)
- Jorge Gurgel: $10,000 (defeated Danny Abaddi)
- Roger Huerta: $6,000 (defeated Jason Dent)
- Danny Abaddi: $5,000 (lost to Jorge Gurgel)
- Eddie Sanchez: $4,000 (defeated Mario Neto)
- Jason Dent: $3,000 (lost to Roger Huerta)
- Mario Neto: $3,000 (lost to Eddie Sanchez)
- David Lee: $2,000 (lost to Tyson Griffin)
[edit] Miscellanea
- The Quad-City Times reported that Pat Miletich expressed outrage that the UFC had apparently scheduled this event alongside a bout he had forthcoming in the IFL, which caused him to miss cornering Hughes and Pulver, fighters whom he coaches, in their UFC matches.[7]
[edit] References
- ^ Gross, Josh. ""Rush" to Recovery: St. Pierre to Test Injured Groin", Sherdog.com, 2006-08-19. Retrieved on 2006-09-25.
- ^ Gerbasi, Thomas. "Redemption Song - Hughes Stops Penn in Three at UFC 63", UFC.com, 2006-09-24. Retrieved on 2006-09-25.
- ^ Savage, Greg. "A Country Boy Can Survive: Hughes Out Duels Penn", Sherdog.com, 2006-09-24. Retrieved on 2006-09-25.
- ^ Back in Hawaii - BJ Talks About Yesterday's Title Fight.. BJPenn.com (2006-09-24). Retrieved on 2006-09-25.
- ^ Doyle, Dave (2006-10-05). Reader feedback. FoxSports.com MMA Blog. FoxSports.com. Retrieved on 2006-10-05.
- ^ Gerbasi, Thomas. "Penn Out for the Year, but Ready for a Big 2007", UFC.com, 2006-10-18. Retrieved on 2006-10-19.
- ^ Moeller, Sean. "Miletich upset over UFC president’s scheduling", Quad City Times, 2006-08-04. Retrieved on 2006-09-25.
[edit] External links
Tyson Griffin vs. 
David Lee
Jorge Gurgel vs. Danny Abbadi
David Loiseau
