Completed MMA Event

UFC 81: Breaking Point

UFC 81
  • Saturday 02.02.2008
  • U.S. Broadcast: Pay Per View
  • Promotion: Ultimate Fighting Championship
  • Ownership: Zuffa, LLC
  • Venue: Mandalay Bay Events Center
  • Location: Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
  • Enclosure: Octagon
  • TV Announcers: Mike Goldberg, Joe Rogan
  • Ring Announcer: Bruce Buffer
  • Post-Fight Interviews: Joe Rogan
  • Ticket Revenue (live gate): $2,437,890
  • Attendance: 10,583 (Paid: 7,167)
  • PPV Buys / Buyrate: 650,000 | TV Ratings:
  • MMA Bouts: 9
  • Promotion Links:
  • Event Links:

Fight Card

Cancelled & Fizzled Bouts

Honors & Awards

  • Fight of the Night
    Tim Sylvia vs. Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira   |   $60,000 bonus to each fighter
  • Submission of the Night
    Frank Mir vs. Brock Lesnar I   |   $60,000 bonus to Mir
  • Knockout of the Night
    Chris Lytle vs. Kyle Bradley   |   $60,000 bonus to Lytle

Referees

  • Herb Dean
    Sylvia vs. Nogueira (9)Yundt vs. Almeida (6)Heath vs. Boetsch (3)
  • Steve Mazzagatti
    Mir vs. Lesnar I (8)Tibau vs. Griffin (5)Nakamura vs. Emerson (1)
  • Yves Lavigne
    Horn vs. Marquardt (7)Lytle vs. Bradley (4)Eastman vs. Martin (2)

Consensus Rankings Rankings FAQ

Wiki

UFC 81 Wiki

After the dismal Pay Per View effort of UFC 80 to kick off 2008, the UFC bounced back big with UFC 81, which featured an Interim Heavyweight Championship fight between Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and the much-hyped UFC debut of WWE import Brock Lesnar, drawing 600,000 buys.


Nogueira, in typical Nogueira fashion, came back after losing the first two rounds to submit Tim Sylvia in the third with a Guillotine Choke, while Lesnar—although he started out strong—succumbed to a Heel Hook courtesy of Frank Mir in the first round. The title fight between Sylvia and Nogueira was put together because Randy Couture—the Heavyweight Champion—would not defend his title against Nogueira, as he was in the midst of a contract dispute with the UFC.

Last updated 09.26.2012, 10:57 PM ET
Wiki Contributors:

Videos & Highlights

    Promo Video  |  Brock Lesnar's UFC Debut Promo report dead link

    Watch the official Promo video for Brock Lesnar's UFC debut against Frank Mir at UFC 81.

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