UFC returns to Abu Dhabi for Fight Night on Saturday - 15 years ago after the Mixed Martial Arts promotion came to the Middle East for the first time.
UFC 112 was held as an outdoor event at Ferrari World on Yas Island, with middleweight champion Anderson Silva headlining as he defended his title against Demian Maia after the original opponent, Vitor Belfort, withdrew because of an injury. Yet it was the other fights that got much more traction.
BJ Penn, the celebrated lightweight champion, took on No 1-ranked challenger Frankie Edgar. It was quite the coup for Abu Dhabi as Silva and Penn were two of the strongest pound-for-pound MMA fighters at the time.
The event was staged at the 12,000-seat outdoor concert arena at Ferrari World. In a rarity for the sport back then, UFC 112 would feature not one, but two title fights.
“Abu Dhabi is our first outdoor event and we are very happy we could deliver what fans around the world will recognise as a stacked card featuring the sport's biggest stars,” UFC chief executive Dana White said at the time.
Down the card, Renzo Gracie, a renowned Brazilian jiu-jitsu pioneer, made his UFC debut, going up against Matt Hughes, a former two-time welterweight champion.
Excitement built throughout the week in the lead-up to fight night. Several activities along the Corniche climaxed with the official weigh-in at Marina Mall the day before the fighters took to the octagon. It drew a large turnout.
As for the action itself, Mark Munoz’s second-round victory against Kendall Grove – by technical knockout – won “fight of the night” on the 10-bout card. DaMarques Johnson claimed “knockout of the night” by dispatching Brad Blackburn brutally in the third.
In the evening’s fourth and final fight, Rafael dos Anjos earned “submission of the night” as his armbar in the second round caused Terry Etim to submit. Each fighter took home $75,000 (Dh275,000) in bonuses.
In the major bouts, Gracie succumbed to Hughes in the third, while Penn suffered a surprise loss to Edgar, relinquishing his lightweight belt on a unanimous decision. A tightly contested bout, it was Penn’s first defeat in that division in eight years.
Much to everyone’s frustration, the headline act failed to live up to its billing. Undefeated in his previous 10 UFC outings, Silva ran out a unanimous winner on points, only the second time in 11 fights that he needed the judges’ scorecards.
However, Silva’s performance left those in attendance frustrated. Seeking a UFC record of six title defences, he rarely engaged with Maia, taunting his opponent through the opening rounds. Soon, the Abu Dhabi crowd switched their support to the underdog.
As Maia looked to take the fight to the ground, Silva’s defence staved off his challenge, but did little to capture the fans’ attention. At one point in the fifth, the referee ordered Silva to take the fight to Maia.
Speaking afterwards in his native Portuguese, the victorious champion attempted to apologise above a crescendo of boos. “I'm sorry,” Silva said. “I wasn't as humble as I should have been. I will be better next time.”
By that stage, White had already left. Disappointed with what he was witnessing, he departed the arena during the fourth round, foregoing his usual post-fight routine of presenting the champion their belt.
In the press conference afterwards, White fumed: “It was a disgrace. To end this night the way we did was embarrassing. I apologise to everyone who came to the fight.”
