The year 1997 was the fifth year in the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States. In 1997, the UFC held five events beginning with UFC 12: Judgement Day.

1997 in UFC
A poster or logo for 1997 in UFC.
Information
First dateFebruary 7, 1997
Last dateDecember 21, 1997
Events
Total events5
UFC4
Fights
Total fights41
Title fights5
Chronology
1996 in UFC 1997 in UFC 1998 in UFC

Title fights

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Title fights in 1997
Weight class Method Round Time Event Notes
Heavyweight Mark Coleman def. Dan Severn submission (neck crank) 2:57 UFC 12: Judgement Day [a]
Heavyweight Maurice Smith def. Mark Coleman (c) unanimous decision 21:00 UFC 14: Showdown [b]
Heavyweight Maurice Smith (c) def. Tank Abbott submission (exhaustion) 8:08 UFC 15: Collision Course [c]
Light Heavyweight Frank Shamrock def. Kevin Jackson submission (armbar) 1 0:16 UFC Ultimate Japan [d]
Heavyweight Randy Couture def. Maurice Smith (c) majority decision 1 21:00 UFC Ultimate Japan [e]
  1. ^ Coleman defeated Severn to become the inaugural UFC Heavyweight Champion.
  2. ^ Smith defeated Coleman to become the new UFC Heavyweight Champion.
  3. ^ Smith defeated Abbott to remain the UFC Heavyweight Champion.
  4. ^ Shamrock defeated Jackson to become the inaugural the Light Heavyweight Champion.
  5. ^ Couture defeated Smith to become the new UFC Heavyweight Champion. However, he was stripped of the title in October 1998 due to a contract dispute.

Debut UFC fighters

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The following fighters fought their first UFC fight in 1997:

Events list

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# Event Date Venue Location Attendance
14 UFC 12: Judgement Day Feb 7, 1997 Dothan Civic Center Dothan, Alabama, U.S. 3,100[1]
15 UFC 13: The Ultimate Force May 30, 1997 Augusta Civic Center Augusta, Georgia, U.S. 5,100[2]
16 UFC 14: Showdown Jul 27, 1997 Boutwell Auditorium Birmingham, Alabama, U.S. 5,000[3]
17 UFC 15: Collision Course Oct 17, 1997 Casino Magic Bay St. Louis Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, U.S.
18 UFC Japan: Ultimate Japan Dec 21, 1997 Yokohama Arena Yokohama, Japan 5,000[4]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "UFC 12: Judgement Day". tapology.com. Retrieved October 20, 2010.
  2. ^ "UFC 13: Ultimate Force". tapology.com. Retrieved October 20, 2010.
  3. ^ "UFC 14: Showdown". tapology.com. Retrieved October 20, 2010.
  4. ^ "UFC 15.5: Ultimate Japan". tapology.com. Retrieved October 20, 2010.