- Wednesday 06.28.2006
- U.S. Broadcast: Spike TV
- Name: UFC Fight Night 5: Leben vs. Silva
- Also Known As: UFC Ultimate Fight Night 5
- Promotion: Ultimate Fighting Championship
- Ownership: Zuffa, LLC
- Venue: Hard Rock Hotel and Casino
- 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): $134,368
- Attendance: 606
- TV Ratings: 1,400,000 viewers
- MMA Bouts: 9
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Promotion Links:
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Event Links:
Fight Card
Honors & Awards
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Fight of the NightJonathan Goulet vs. Luke Cummo
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Knockout of the NightAnderson Silva vs. Chris Leben
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Submission of the NightRob MacDonald vs. Kris Rotharmel
Referees
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Herb Dean
Goulet vs. Cummo (9), Lambert vs. Hinkle (4) -
John McCarthy
Silva vs. Leben (8), Koscheck vs. Menne (5) -
Mario Yamasaki
Evans vs. Bonnar (7), Fitch vs. Alves I (3), Santiago vs. Levens (1) -
Steve Mazzagatti
Hominick vs. Gurgel (6), MacDonald vs. Rotharmel (2)
Wiki
UFC Fight Night 5 Wiki
Ultimate Fight Night 5, which featured the promotional debut of future UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva, was the lowest-performing free fight card in the promotion’s history to that time, at least in terms of television ratings. It was also a harbinger of problems to come with the talented but often difficult-to-manage Silva, who has upset his fans in more than one performance.
In the main event, Silva earned himself a title shot against Rich Franklin after just one fight when he defeated Chris Leben by TKO in the first round, shocking fans in attendance and watching on TV by landing 17 of 20 total strikes thrown. While Silva would go on to become one of the most dominant champions the sport has ever seen, he has not yet emerged as a high-drawing fighter among casual fans.