It’s Memorial Day weekend in the U.S., and except a couple of years up to now that repeatedly supposed a reasonably mountainous pay-per-gape event for the UFC.
From 2006 except 2015, followers may maybe well count on the Saturday forward of the vacation for a card on the full worth traveling for. The 2006 event used to be at Staples Center in Los Angeles, however the following 9 went down at MGM Monumental Backyard Arena in Las Vegas – and followers came out to clutch succor of that extra holiday off day on the tail quit in “Sin Metropolis.”
The mountainous pay-per-views centered all the blueprint by blueprint of the vacation stopped in 2016, but we aloof obtained 10 years’ worth of highlights, and many of them.
This weekend, we’ll clutch successful upon aid on the 10 Memorial Day weekend UFC pay-per-views with one of one of the best submissions (Friday), knockouts (Saturday) and fights (Sunday). Monday, we’ll snide the 10 playing cards and rep your votes on which of them used to be one of one of the best overall.
So let’s pick it rolling with the UFC’s simplest Memorial Day weekend fights, supplied chronologically.
Additionally gaze:
- The 10 simplest submissions in UFC Memorial Day weekend history
- The 10 simplest knockouts in UFC Memorial Day weekend history
Matt Hughes vs. Royce Gracie
Event: UFC 60
Date: May maybe per chance moreover 27, 2006
Result: Matt Hughes def. Royce Gracie by blueprint of TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4: 39
Notes: Hughes’ TKO of Gracie used to be significant extra for the historical nature of the fight than its competitiveness. Hughes used to be in his top because the UFC’s welterweight champion. Gracie used to be 39 and returning to the UFC for the first time in greater than a decade. The entice used to be to gaze if the game’s godfather may maybe well dangle with a new-breed wrestler, and it wasn’t very shut. The setback used to be one of most effective two in Gracie’s profession. He made a groovy $400,000. On the time, the event used to be the UFC’s high pay-per-gape in history.
Kalib Starnes vs. Chris Leben
Event: UFC 71
Date: May maybe per chance moreover 26, 2007
Result: Kalib Starnes def. Chris Leben by blueprint of unanimous resolution (29–28, 30–27, 29–28)
Notes: Starnes and Leben each obtained $40,000 “Wrestle of the Night” bonuses. It used to be Starnes’ most effective fight-evening bonus in five UFC fights. It used to be Leben’s 2nd bonus in the UFC on his methodology to a total of six all the blueprint by blueprint of his MMA profession, which came to a shut in 2013 on a four-fight skid. The Starnes-Leben fight used to be one of correct two choices on the 9-fight card, which featured six first-round stoppages.
Goran Reljic vs. Wilson Gouveia
Event: UFC 84
Date: May maybe per chance moreover 24, 2008
Result: Goran Reljic def. Wilson Gouveia by blueprint of TKO (punches) – Round 2, 3: 15
Notes: Reljic and Gouveia each obtained $75,000 “Wrestle of the Night” bonuses. Reljic obtained a bonus in his UFC debut and stayed unbeaten at 8-0. The bonus take a look at used to be the same of greater than 12 fight paychecks for Reljic, whose disclosed pay for the ranking used to be correct $6,000. The ranking also used to be his most effective one in the UFC. He used to be launched after three straight losses in 2010. It used to be a mountainous extra take a look at for Gouveia, too, who earned a disclosed $18,000 in the loss. The bonus used to be his third in four fights. He finished his 10-fight UFC tenure with five post-fight extra exams.
Matt Hughes and Matt Serra
Event: UFC 98
Date: May maybe per chance moreover 23, 2009
Result: Matt Hughes def. Matt Serra by blueprint of unanimous resolution (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Notes: Hughes and Serra each obtained $60,000 “Wrestle of the Night” bonuses. Their fight used to be a grudge match after coaching reverse each diversified on Season 6 of “The Closing Fighter.” Both were outmoded UFC welterweight champions on the time of their meeting. The extra $60,000 used to be nicer for Serra than Hughes. Serra made a disclosed $75,000, but Hughes took dwelling $200,000, which tied for an event simplest with Rashad Evans, who misplaced his gentle heavyweight title in the predominant event. Hughes and Serra each obtained three post-fight bonuses of their careers – though the first rate bonuses weren’t an announced ingredient for some distance of their early tenures in the UFC.
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
Event: UFC 114
Date: May maybe per chance moreover 29, 2010
Result: Antonio Rogerio Nogueira def. Jason Brilz by blueprint of ruin up resolution (28–29, 29–28, 29–28)
Notes: Nogueira and Brilz each obtained $65,000 “Wrestle of the Night” bonuses. Brilz’s bonus take a look at used to be about six cases bigger than his disclosed $11,000 salary for the fight. From a judging standpoint, the Nogueira-Brilz fight used to be the most competitive on a card that featured seven choices in 11 fights. It used to be one of one of the best ruin up name, and the diversified six choices all integrated 30-27 ratings or 29-27s. The bonus used to be one of one of the best one Brilz obtained in his seven UFC fights. Nogueira picked up an additional take a look at for the 2nd straight fight and finished with four in the UFC forward of he announced his retirement in 2020.
Brian Stann
Event: UFC 130
Date: May maybe per chance moreover 28, 2011
Result: Brian Stann def. Jorge Santiago by blueprint of TKO (punches) – Round 2, 4: 29
Notes: Stann and Santiago each obtained $70,000 “Wrestle of the Night” bonuses. Stann obtained three bonuses in his UFC profession – excited by “Wrestle of the Night,” and none of which resulted in a resolution. The bonus for Santiago came in his return to the UFC after greater than four years away – and an 11-1 lumber. It used to be his most effective UFC bonus in three separate brief UFC stints that noticed him jog a combined 1-5.
Cain Velasquez
Event: UFC 146
Date: May maybe per chance moreover 26, 2012
Result: Cain Velasquez def. Antonio Silva by blueprint of TKO (punches) – Round 1, 3: 36
Notes: Velasquez and Silva each obtained $70,000 “Wrestle of the Night” bonuses. A year to the weekend forward of he beat Silva a 2nd time with a principal-round TKO, Velasquez finished the Brazilian in the first round on the identical venue. Velasquez’s 2nd ranking over Silva in 2013 came in defense of the heavyweight title. This ranking over “Bigfoot” used to be his first fight aid after losing the title to Junior Dos Santos.
Junior Dos Santos vs. Stamp Hunt
Event: UFC 160
Date: May maybe per chance moreover 25, 2013
Result: Junior Dos Santos def. Stamp Hunt by blueprint of knockout (spinning hook kick) – Round 3, 4: 18
Notes: Dos Santos and Hunt each obtained $50,000 “Wrestle of the Night” bonuses. Those bonuses were correct icing on the cake for the heavyweights. Dos Santos made a disclosed $240,000 for the ranking; Hunt took dwelling $160,000. “JDS” wound up with six post-fight bonuses in his UFC profession, which integrated a heavyweight title reign and five total title fights. Hunt’s UFC lumber may maybe well fair maintain ended unceremoniously and in upright battles with the promotion, but he obtained seven bonuses in his greater than eight years in the UFC.
T.J. Dillashaw vs. Renan Barao
Event: UFC 173
Date: May maybe per chance moreover 24, 2014
Result: T.J. Dillashaw def. Renan Barao by blueprint of TKO (head kick, punches) – Round 5, 2: 26
Notes: Dillashaw obtained a $50,000 “Wrestle of the Night” bonus and one other $50,000 for “Performance of the Night.” Those post-fight exams were his 2nd and third in the UFC; he for the time being has eight bonus awards. He also obtained the bantamweight title with a dominant efficiency in opposition to champion Barao – who had obtained an fabulous 32 straight fights and hadn’t misplaced since his pro debut in 2005. The loss to Dillashaw began a disastrous 2-8 post-title lumber for the Brazilian, who also misplaced to Dillashaw in a rematch the following year.
Andrei Arlovski vs. Travis Browne
Event: UFC 187
Date: May maybe per chance moreover 23, 2015
Result: Andrei Arlovski def. Travis Browne by blueprint of TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4: 41
Notes: Arlovski and Browne each obtained $50,000 “Wrestle of the Night” bonuses. After returning to the UFC the year prior, outmoded heavyweight champion Arlovski obtained his 2nd straight bonus. Browne obtained five bonuses for knockouts or submissions in his first 9 UFC fights. His loss to Arlovski used to be correct the 2nd time he used to be stopped in his profession, but additionally used to be his first “Wrestle of the Night” take a look at.
