UFC 66: Liddell vs. Ortiz
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Background
UFC 66: Liddell vs. Ortiz was a 9-bout fight card that was held on December 30, 2006 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The card aired live on pay-per-view and was headlined by a light heavyweight championship bout between champion, Chuck Liddell and former champion, Tito Ortiz.
A light heavyweight bout between TUF 1 light heavyweight winner, Forrest Griffin and TUF 2 heavyweight competitor, Keith Jardine served as the co-main event.
Fight Card
Preliminary Card
- Heavyweight Bout: Christian Wellisch vs. Anthony Perosh
- Middleweight Bout: Rory Singer vs. Yushin Okami
- Heavyweight Bout: Carmelo Marrero vs. Gabriel Gonzaga
- Welterweight Bout: Thiago Alves vs. Tony DeSouza
Main Card
- Light Heavyweight Bout: Michael Bisping vs. Eric Schafer
- Heavyweight Bout: Andrei Arlovski vs. Marcio Cruz
- Middleweight Bout: Chris Leben vs. Jason MacDonald
- Light Heavyweight Bout: Forrest Griffin vs. Keith Jardine
- Light Heavyweight Championship Bout: Chuck Liddell vs. Tito Ortiz
Pre-Event Notes
The Chuck Liddell/Tito Ortiz championship bout was a rematch from their fight at UFC 47 that Liddell won via KO. The fight was a grudge match due a supposed friendship pact that was broken because Liddell wanted to face Ortiz. Ortiz also claimed he only lost the first bout because of an eye poke by Liddell.
Rory Singer was a late replacement for former UFC title challenger, David Terrell who had to withdraw from his bout with Yushin Okami due to an elbow injury.
Results
Preliminary Card
- Heavyweight Bout: Christian Wellisch defs. Anthony Perosh via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-27).
- Middleweight Bout: Yushin Okami defs. Rory Singer via submission (strikes) at 4:03 of round 3.
- Heavyweight Bout: Gabriel Gonzaga defs. Carmelo Marrero via submission (armbar) at 3:22 of round 1.
- Welterweight Bout: Thiago Alves defs. Tony DeSouza via KO at 1:10 of round 1.
Main Card
- Light Heavyweight Bout: Michael Bisping defs. Eric Schafer via TKO at 4:24 of round 1.
- Heavyweight Bout: Andrei Arlovski defs. Marcio Cruz via KO (strikes) at 3:15 of round 1.
- Middleweight Bout: Jason MacDonald defs. Chris Leben via technical submission (guillotine choke) at 4:03 of round 2.
- Light Heavyweight Bout: Keith Jardine defs. Forrest Griffin via TKO (strikes) at 4:41 of round 1.
- Light Heavyweight Championship Bout: Chuck Liddell defs. Tito Ortiz via TKO (strikes) at 3:59 of round 3 to defend his light heavyweight championship for fourth successive time.
Liddell floored Tito in the first round with punches but Ortiz managed to recover to see the end of the round. The second round was in favor of Tito as he pushed the pace and secured Liddell's back standing at one point. The third round saw the end of the fight however as Liddell knocked Ortiz to the mat and through down some shots that Ortiz only covered up to. It was enough however to get Mario Yamasaki to stop the fight and give Liddell a successful defense of his title.
UFC Event Chronology
Preceded by: UFC Fight Night 7
Followed by: UFC Fight Night 8
External Links
http://66.ufc.com - Official UFC 66 Website
--Wrldchmpnabrvtr 15:36, 16 April 2009 (UTC)
