- Friday 05.04.2001
- U.S. Broadcast: Pay Per View
- Promotion: Ultimate Fighting Championship
- Ownership: Zuffa, LLC
- Venue: Trump Taj Mahal
- Location: Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
- Enclosure: Octagon
- TV Announcers: Mike Goldberg, Jeff Blatnick, Frank Shamrock
- Ring Announcer: Bruce Buffer
- Post-Fight Interviews: James Werme
- MMA Bouts: 8
-
Promotion Links:
-
Event Links:
Fight Card
-
UFC Welterweight Championship
Submission, Bulldog Choke
2:50 Round 3 of 5, 12:50 Total7Co-Main Event
170
5 x 5 | Pro
Referees
-
John McCarthy
Couture vs. Rizzo I (8), Newton vs. Miletich (7), Liddell vs. Randleman (6), Schilt vs. Williams (4) -
Mario Yamasaki
Carter vs. Serra (5), Lindland vs. Almeida (3) -
Mason White
Penn vs. Gilbert (2)
Consensus Rankings Rankings FAQ
Wiki
UFC 31 Wiki
In the second UFC event to be promoted by new owners Zuffa, LLC, UFC 31 marked the first time that the promotion utilized the current standard of weight classes, renaming the Bantamweight division the Lightweight division and introducing a Welterweight division at 170lbs. The two featured fights of the evening saw Carlos Newton steal the Welterweight Championship from title holder Pat Miletich, and Randy Couture defend his Heavyweight Championship against Brazilian striking sensation Pedro Rizzo. The five-round war between Couture and Rizzo is remembered by Couture as one of the toughest fights of his career. UFC 31 also featured the promotional debuts of future Lightweight and Welterweight Champion BJ Penn, and future Welterweight Champion Matt Serra.
UFC 31 again saw reformed weight classes, adopting the current standard. Bantamweight was renamed Lightweight and raised from 150 to 155. Welterweights were now at 170, Middleweights at 185, and Light Heavyweights at 205.