5 loaded UFC pay-per-views that turned out to be busts
This weekend sees UFC 273 take place. With two title fights, as well as a huge welterweight bout, on tap, it’s one of the most loaded cards in recent memory. However, that doesn’t mean it’ll be a great show.
HOLY SHIT i can't wait for this fight!!!!!!!!!!! #UFC273 https://t.co/fDORi07AP0
Over the years, we’ve seen a number of loaded UFC pay-per-view events that, despite a ton of hype going in, simply didn’t deliver the goods when it came to show time.
Sometimes this was down to a bunch of underperforming fighters and bad fights. In other instances, it was down to late card changes. Often, a mix of both were able to ruin a great show on paper.
With this in mind, here are five loaded UFC pay-per-views that turned out to be busts.
#5. UFC 61: Bitter Rivals
In 2006, the UFC was riding the crest of the wave produced by the initial Ultimate Fighter boom, which pushed the promotion and the sport of MMA as a whole from an underground attraction right into the mainstream.
After a handful of blockbuster pay-per-views throughout 2005 and early 2006, the promotion decided to go all-out for the summer’s big show, stacking UFC 61 with most of the biggest names on their roster.
Not only did the show feature the long-awaited rematch between superstars Tito Ortiz and Ken Shamrock, fresh off their wild coaching stint on TUF 3, but it was also headlined by the trilogy bout between heavyweight champ Tim Sylvia and former titleholder Andrei Arlovski.
With superstars such as Frank Mir, Yves Edwards and Joe Stevenson also in action, this looked like an unmissable event.
Unfortunately, things didn’t play out that way at all. Edwards’ clash with Stevenson was a fantastic opener, but things quickly slowed down dramatically as a bloated Mir edged out the unheralded Dan Christison in one of the worst heavyweight fights ever seen in the octagon.
Worse was still to come. The highly anticipated Ortiz vs. Shamrock clash ended up being a damp squib, as an apparently early referee stoppage from Herb Dean handed ‘The Huntington Beach Bad Boy’ a hugely controversial win.
UFC 61 took place 14 years ago today.
Though it was not the main event, the highly anticipated rematch between Tito Ortiz and Ken Shamrock made this a blockbuster event.
The PPV did 775k buys which was a UFC record at the time. https://t.co/dMsHn3QA8x
The headline fight, meanwhile, saw Sylvia and Arlovski, who’d previously put on two insane battles, fight in a completely gun-shy fashion, with ‘The Maine-iac’ edging an uneventful decision.
Overall, the show was such a disappointment that the promotion was forced to book a third bout between Shamrock and Ortiz, and give it away on Spike TV to make amends with their fans.