UFC 81
Encyclopedia
UFC 81: Breaking Point was a mixed martial arts
(MMA) event held on February 2, 2008 by the Ultimate Fighting Championship
(UFC) at the Mandalay Bay Events Center
on the Las Vegas Strip
.
The event featured Tim Sylvia
and Antônio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira
for UFC's Interim World Heavyweight Championship. UFC Heavyweight champion Randy Couture
declined a championship fight with Nogueira, which caused the creation of the interim title.
This event also saw the UFC debut of former WWE
Champion
Brock Lesnar
in a bout against former UFC heavyweight
champion Frank Mir
.
Mixed martial arts
Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...
(MMA) event held on February 2, 2008 by the Ultimate Fighting Championship
Ultimate Fighting Championship
The Ultimate Fighting Championship is the largest mixed martial arts promotion company in the world that hosts most of the top-ranked fighters in the sport...
(UFC) at the Mandalay Bay Events Center
Mandalay Bay Events Center
Mandalay Bay Events Center is a 12,000 seat indoor arena, at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, on the Las Vegas Strip, in Paradise, Nevada. It is owned by MGM Resorts International.It has hosted many music, boxing and mixed martial arts events....
on the Las Vegas Strip
Las Vegas Strip
The Las Vegas Strip is an approximately stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada; adjacent to, but outside the city limits of Las Vegas proper. The Strip lies within the unincorporated townships of Paradise and Winchester...
.
The event featured Tim Sylvia
Tim Sylvia
Timothy Deane Sylvia is an American professional mixed martial arts fighter, professional wrestler, and former Ultimate Fighting Championship Heavyweight Champion. He trains as a member of the Miletich Fighting Systems camp and is part of their MFSE group...
and Antônio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira is a Brazilian mixed martial artist known for his technical mastery of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He competes in the heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, where he is a former UFCInterim Heavyweight Champion...
for UFC's Interim World Heavyweight Championship. UFC Heavyweight champion Randy Couture
Randy Couture
Randy Duane Couture is a retired American mixed martial artist, Greco-Roman wrestler, actor, a three-time former heavyweight champion, two-time former light-heavyweight champion, former interim light heavyweight champion and UFC 13 tournament winner of the Ultimate Fighting Championship...
declined a championship fight with Nogueira, which caused the creation of the interim title.
This event also saw the UFC debut of former WWE
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
Champion
WWE Championship
The WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963...
Brock Lesnar
Brock Lesnar
Brock Edward Lesnar is an American mixed martial artist, actor and a former professional and amateur wrestler. He is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion and is ranked the No.5 Heavyweight in the world by Sherdog...
in a bout against former UFC heavyweight
Heavyweight (MMA)
The heavyweight division in mixed martial arts generally groups fighters between .Although many ambiguities exist within the lower weight classes regarding division naming and weight limits, the Heavyweight division is, for the most part, uniform...
champion Frank Mir
Frank Mir
Francisco Santos Miranda is an American mixed martial artist, as well as a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Kenpō Karate, who competes in the heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion and a former UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion...
.
Preliminary card
- Lightweight bout:
Rob EmersonRob EmersonRobert Michael Emerson is an American mixed martial artist. Emerson is a former Pancrase and King of the Cage fighter. He was a cast member of The Ultimate Fighter 5.-The Ultimate Fighter:...
vs.
Keita NakamuraKeita Nakamurais a Japanese mixed martial artist. He is the winner of the World Victory Road Welterweight Grand Prix Tournament when he defeated Yasubey Enomoto at World Victory Road Presents: Soul of Fight therefore becoming the first Sengoku Welterweight Champion....
- Emerson defeated Nakamura via split decision (30–27, 28–29, 30–27). This bout aired last on the PPV broadcast following the Lytle vs. Bradley fight.
- Light heavyweight bout: David HeathDavid Heath (fighter)David Alan Heath is an American mixed martial artist who formerly competed in the light heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, where he made his debut at UFC 62, defeating Cory Walmsley by first-round submission...
vs. Tim BoetschTim BoetschTim Boetsch is an American mixed martial artist currently fighting in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship . He was released by the UFC in late June 2009, with a record of 2 wins and 2 losses...
- Light heavyweight bout:
- Boetsch defeated Heath via TKO (strikes) at 4:52 of Round 1. This bout aired on the PPV broadcast following the Marquardt vs. Horn fight.
- Middleweight bout: Marvin EastmanMarvin EastmanMarvin Lee Eastman is an American mixed martial artist with a background in collegiate wrestling and Muay Thai. He is currently the light heavyweight champion of the Elite Fighting Championship and the IFO champion...
vs. Terry MartinTerry Martin (fighter)Terry Martin is an American mixed martial artist from Chicago, Illinois.Martin made his professional boxing debut on April 12, 2008, and defeated Ricardo Upchurch by knockout in 40 seconds. Martin won his next three bouts via knockout or technical knockout.- Early life :Martin grew up on the west...
- Middleweight bout:
- Eastman defeated Martin via unanimous decision (29–28, 30–27, 30–27).
- Welterweight bout: Chris LytleChris LytleChris Scott Lytle is a retired American mixed martial artist, boxer and a veteran of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Lytle was prominently featured as a welterweight on The Ultimate Fighter 4: The Comeback. In Chris's MMA and boxing career he was never knocked out or submitted, though he did...
vs. Kyle BradleyKyle BradleyKyle James Bradley is an American mixed martial artist. He competes in the Lightweight division.- Career In The UFC :Bradley had a rough start in the UFC as he was knocked out quickly in the first by UFC vet Chris Lytle....
- Welterweight bout:
- Lytle defeated Bradley via KO (Punches) at 0:33 of Round 1. This bout aired on the PPV broadcast following the Sylvia vs. Nogueira fight.
Main card
- Lightweight bout: Tyson GriffinTyson GriffinTyson Lee Griffin is an American mixed martial artist from Albany, California. Griffin currently fights as a Featherweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship .-Early life:...
vs.
Gleison TibauGleison TibauJanigleison Herculano Alves, better known as Gleison Tibau is a Brazilian mixed martial artist. He currently fights for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is one of the largest lightweights in MMA, weighing up to 183 pounds by the time he enters the cage.-Mixed martial arts:He was brought up...
- Griffin defeated Tibau via unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, 30–27).
- Middleweight bout: Ricardo AlmeidaRicardo AlmeidaRicardo Almeida is a retired Brazilian-American mixed martial artist and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu grappler residing in Bordentown, New Jersey.-Background:...
vs. Rob Yundt
- Middleweight bout:
- Almeida defeated Yundt via submission (guillotine choke) at 1:08 of Round 1. Yundt was a late replacement for Alan BelcherAlan BelcherJohn Alan Belcher , is an American mixed martial artist who fights in the middleweight division of the UFC. He fights out of Remix MMA in Biloxi, Mississippi, where he is also the owner. Belcher holds notable wins over Jorge Santiago, Jason MacDonald, Ed Herman, Dennis Kang, and Patrick Côté...
, who had to withdraw from the bout due to a severe case of bronchitisBronchitisAcute bronchitis is an inflammation of the large bronchi in the lungs that is usually caused by viruses or bacteria and may last several days or weeks. Characteristic symptoms include cough, sputum production, and shortness of breath and wheezing related to the obstruction of the inflamed airways...
.- Middleweight bout: Nate Marquardt vs. Jeremy HornJeremy HornJeremy Graham Horn is an American mixed martial artist. He is one of the most experienced fighters in the sport with a professional record of 88–21–5...
- Middleweight bout:
- Marquardt defeated Horn via submission (guillotine choke) at 1:37 of Round 2.
- Heavyweight bout: Brock LesnarBrock LesnarBrock Edward Lesnar is an American mixed martial artist, actor and a former professional and amateur wrestler. He is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion and is ranked the No.5 Heavyweight in the world by Sherdog...
vs. Frank MirFrank MirFrancisco Santos Miranda is an American mixed martial artist, as well as a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Kenpō Karate, who competes in the heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion and a former UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion...
- Heavyweight bout:
- Mir defeated Lesnar via submission (kneebar) at 1:30 of round 1.
- Interim Heavyweight Championship bout: Tim SylviaTim SylviaTimothy Deane Sylvia is an American professional mixed martial arts fighter, professional wrestler, and former Ultimate Fighting Championship Heavyweight Champion. He trains as a member of the Miletich Fighting Systems camp and is part of their MFSE group...
vs. Antônio Rodrigo NogueiraAntonio Rodrigo NogueiraAntônio Rodrigo Nogueira is a Brazilian mixed martial artist known for his technical mastery of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He competes in the heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, where he is a former UFCInterim Heavyweight Champion...
- Interim Heavyweight Championship bout:
- Nogueira defeated Sylvia via submission (guillotine choke) at 1:28 of Round 3 to become UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion.
Bonus awards
At the end of this event, $60,000 was awarded to each of the fighters who received one of these three awards.- Fight of the Night: Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Tim Sylvia
- Knockout of the Night: Chris Lytle
- Submission of the Night: Frank Mir
Reported payout
The individual payouts are listed below. Payout amounts includes the payment amounts for show and win, but do not include sponsor payments, fees, taxes, or special award bonuses.- Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira: $200,000 (includes $100,000 win bonus) def. Tim Sylvia: $100,000
- Frank Mir: $80,000 (includes $40,000 win bonus) def. Brock Lesnar: $250,000
- Nate Marquardt: $52,000 (includes $26,000 win bonus) def. Jeremy Horn: $25,000
- Ricardo Almeida: $40,000 (includes $20,000 win bonus) def. Rob Yundt: $5,000
- Tyson Griffin: $36,000 (includes $18,000 win bonus) def. Gleison Tibau: $11,000
- Chris Lytle: $24,000 (includes $12,000 win bonus) def. Kyle Bradley: $4,000
- Tim Boetsch: $12,000 (includes $6,000 win bonus) def. David Heath: $6,000
- Marvin Eastman: $14,000 (includes $7,000 win bonus) def. Terry Martin: $12,000
- Rob Emerson: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus) def. Keita Nakamura: $5,000