Saturday, November 12, 2001, marked the 18th anniversary of the UFC's debut event and also the first time it had ever aired on primetime network television in the United States by Fox TV (Sportsnet carried the content for Canada). Since the sporting event was resurrected into a mixed-martial-arts phenomenon by president Dana White, UFC had carved out a spectacular following through pay-per-view events and cable broadcast on SpikeTV. But in an effort to broaden its market appeal, the league set up an incredible Heavyweight championship fight between two undefeated powerhouses for the inaugural broadcast.
The Irresistable Force Meets The Immovable Object: Cain Velasquez Vs. Junior Dos Santos
The main event featured two combatants who had yet to suffer defeat in the UFC octagon. On one side was the champion, Cain Velasquez (sporting a 9-0 record), who had acquired the championship from Brock Lesnar at UFC 121. On the other was Junior Dos Santos (13-1 record), a contender who earned his title shot by defeating Shane Carwin after he was originally set to fight Lesnar after their coaching stints on The Ultimate Fighter: Season 13. In front of a sold-out crowd at the Honda Centre in Anaheim, California, Dos Santos made quick work of the champion, delivering a powerful right hand to Velasquez's left temple at just over a minute in the first round to knock him down. After a flurry of unanswered ground punches and his equilibrium shot, Velasquez saw his title slip away as referee John McCarthy (who was present at UFC's inception) called the bout. An emotional and elated Dos Santos was awarded with the belt, and will face Brock Lesnar down the road at UFC 141 in his first title defense.
Battle Of The UFC Lightweights and Welterweights
The broadcast also featured a back-and-forth battle between two lightweights who were attempting to solidify themselves as the number one contender to their respective title. Scrappy Clay Guida and Ben Henderson went the distance for a full three rounds that unfolded with spinning-backfists, multiple guillotine attempts, and close knockouts. Although fan-favourite Guida delivered excitement as always, he came up short in the judges scoring of the bout, losing an unanimous decision to Henderson who was clearly more in control of the fight the entire way through it. Also airing after the main event was a welterweight bout between The Ultimate Fighter contestant Damarques Johnson and Clay Harvison, in which Johnson knocked out his opponent quickly with a left hook in round one, celebrating between punches before the fight was offically called over.
Getting Bigger and Bigger
With this new route on the primetime network television airways, expect the UFC to become a regular stable on Fox as they delivered an impressive broadcast card that delivered action and excitement to show newcomers what the sport is all about.
Ryan Young - Ryan Young is a Film and Sports article/review writer, based in the Greater Toronto Area of Ontario, Canada.
Join the Conversation