- Saturday 04.09.2005
- U.S. Broadcast: Spike TV
- Promotion: Ultimate Fighting Championship
- Ownership: Zuffa, LLC
- Venue: Cox Pavilion
- Location: Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
- Enclosure: Octagon
- TV Ratings: 1,900,000 viewers
- MMA Bouts: 9
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Promotion Links:
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Event Links:
Fight Card
Referees
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John McCarthy
Franklin vs. Shamrock (9), Hoger vs. Southworth (6), Quarry vs. Sincaid (3) -
Herb Dean
Griffin vs. Bonnar I (8), Leben vs. Thacker (5), Swick vs. Schoenauer (2) -
Steve Mazzagatti
Sanchez vs. Florian (7), Koscheck vs. Sanford (4), Karalexis vs. Rafferty (1)
Consensus Rankings Rankings FAQ
Wiki
The Ultimate Fighter 1 Finale Wiki
In one of the most significant events in MMA history, the contestants from the inaugural season of the hit Spike TV reality show The Ultimate Fighter faced off in the first-ever live event on U.S. cable television.
While a superfight between Ken Shamrock and Rich Franklin was the official main event of the evening, the Light Heavyweight Tournament Finals bout between Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar stole the show. In a back-and-forth war that is often called the single most important fight in MMA history, Bonnar and Griffin attracted droves of first-time viewers who instantly became hooked on MMA and the UFC brand, paving the way for the modern success of the UFC.