UFC 5

For the video game, see EA Sports UFC 5.
UFC 5: Gracie vs. Shamrock 2
The poster for UFC 5: Gracie vs. Shamrock 2
PromotionUltimate Fighting Championship
DateApril 7, 1995
VenueIndependence Arena
CityCharlotte, North Carolina
Attendance6,000
Buyrate260,000[1]
Event chronology
UFC 4: Revenge of the Warriors UFC 5: Gracie vs. Shamrock 2 UFC 6: Clash of the Titans

UFC 5: The Return of the Beast was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on April 7, 1995, at the Independence Arena in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States.[2] The event was seen live on pay per view in the United States, and later released on home video.

History

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UFC 5 used an eight-man tournament format, with the winner receiving $50,000.[3] The event also featured the first ever UFC Superfight, as well as two alternate fights, which were not shown on the live pay-per-view broadcast.[4] The tournament had no weight classes or weight limits, and the fights had to end by submission, throwing in the towel, knockout, or referee stoppage, and thus, no judges were used. Fight judges and weight classes would finally become part of the UFC framework in UFC 8 and UFC 12 respectively.[5][6]

The Superfight match was the main attraction, and the winner of this fight would become the reigning UFC Champion. It consisted of rivals Royce Gracie and Ken Shamrock facing off in the most anticipated match in UFC history to that date, which lead to the highest pay-per-view buyrate the UFC had achieved.[7] Up to this point, Ken Shamrock's only defeat in the UFC was to Royce Gracie in UFC 1. Unfortunately for fans, the resulting bout has been ranked as one of the worst fights in MMA history, often described as "boring" and "35 minutes of Ken Shamrock laying on top of Royce Gracie."

UFC 5 was the first UFC event to feature any kind of time limits since UFC 1.[5] A 20-minute time limit was imposed for the quarterfinal and semi-final round matches in the tournament. The finals of the tournament and the Superfight had a 30-minute time limit. The Superfight overran to 31 minutes before incorporating an on-the-spot decision to extend the fight by a further five minutes.[8] As there was still no winner, the match was declared a draw.

In the tournament side of the event, Dan Severn won in the finals by defeating Dave Beneteau via a keylock submission. The referee for the night was 'Big' John McCarthy.

This UFC event was the last with the involvement of UFC co-creator Rorion Gracie, ostensibly because of the introduction of time-limits, which ran counter to his family's ethos of Brazilian jiu-jitsu in which fights should go to a finish.[4] Gracie and his partner Art Davie later sold WOW Promotions, co-promoters of the event, to WOW's partner, Semaphore Entertainment Group.[3] Royce Gracie also ended his involvement following Rorion's departure until he returned for UFC 60.

This event saw the implementation of a fight time limit in order to present the entire show in the allotted satellite time.[citation needed] The show ran 2 hours and 40 minutes, which was 40 minutes "over" the scheduled time, but UFC purchased 3 hours of satellite pay-per-view time in preparation.[citation needed] This was unlike UFC 4, where many PPV providers cut the show off after the first 2 hours.[citation needed]

With this event, many of the fighters received nicknames, including:

Results

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Superfight Championship
Weight class Method Round Time Notes
N/A Ken Shamrock vs. Royce Gracie Draw 36:06 [a]
Final
N/A Dan Severn def. Dave Beneteau Submission (americana) 3:01
Semifinals
N/A Dave Beneteau def. Todd Medina TKO (submission to strikes) 2:12 [b]
N/A Dan Severn def. Oleg Taktarov TKO (cut) 4:21
Quarterfinals
N/A Jon Hess def. Andy Anderson TKO (punches) 1:23
N/A Todd Medina def. Larry Cureton Submission (forearm choke) 2:55
N/A Oleg Taktarov def. Ernie Verdicia Submission (choke) 2:23
N/A Dan Severn def. Joe Charles Submission (rear-naked choke) 1:38
Alternate bouts
N/A Dave Beneteau def. Asbel Cancio TKO (punches) 0:21
N/A Guy Mezger def. John Dowdy TKO (punches) 2:02
  1. ^ Superfight Championship bout: After 30 minutes of grappling, the referee stood both fighters up and had them fight a 5 minute overtime round. Neither fighter was able to achieve decisive victory and the match was declared a draw.
  2. ^ Beneteau replaced Jon Hess, who had broken his hand during his first match.

UFC 5 bracket

[edit]
Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals
         
United States Jon Hess (Kung Fu) TKO
United States Andy Anderson (Taekwondo) 1:23
Canada Dave Beneteau 1 TKO
United States Todd Medina 2:12
United States Todd Medina (Jeet Kune Do) SUB
United States Larry Cureton (Kickboxing) 2:55
Canada Dave Beneteau 3:01
United States Dan Severn SUB
Russia Oleg Taktarov (Sambo) SUB
United States Ernie Verdicia (Kenpo) 2:23
Russia Oleg Taktarov 4:21
United States Dan Severn TKO
United States Dan Severn (Wrestling) SUB
United States Joe Charles (Judo) 1:38

1Jon Hess was fined $2,000 for fouls committed in his fight. He withdrew with a hand injury, and was replaced by Dave Beneteau.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "– UFC PAY-PER-VIEW BUYS EXPLODE IN 2006". Mmaweekly.com. 13 July 2006. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
  2. ^ Inc, Active Interest Media (3 August 1995). "Black Belt". Active Interest Media, Inc. Retrieved 3 March 2022 – via Google Books. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  3. ^ a b Abraham, Joel (December 6, 2010). "UFC 5 Review Ken Shamrock vs. Royce Gracie: 36 Minutes I'll Never Get Back". Bleacherreport.com. Retrieved 6 September 2018.
  4. ^ a b Doyle, Dave (April 6, 2009). "UFC 5: The first Superfight". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved 6 September 2018.
  5. ^ a b Morris, Jessy (April 21, 2009). "UFC Timeline: Before There Was ZUFFA". Bleacherreport.com. Retrieved 6 September 2018.
  6. ^ Payne, Marissa (November 10, 2016). "UFC's climb, 23 years to the day, from 'freak show' to one of sport's most sacred stages". The Washington Post. Retrieved 6 September 2018.
  7. ^ Staff (July 13, 2006). "UFC Pay-Per-View Buys Explode in 2006". Mmaweekly.com. Retrieved 6 September 2018.
  8. ^ Brookhouse, Brent (April 8, 2012). "Retro Recap - UFC 5: The Return Of The Beast". Bloodyelbow.com. Retrieved 6 September 2018.
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