2002 in UFC
Mixed martial arts events
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The year 2002 was the 10th year in the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States. In 2002 the UFC held 7 events beginning with, UFC 35: Throwdown.
First dateJanuary 11, 2002
Last dateNovember 22, 2002
Total events7
UFC7
| 2002 in UFC | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
| Information | ||||
| First date | January 11, 2002 | |||
| Last date | November 22, 2002 | |||
| Events | ||||
| Total events | 7 | |||
| UFC | 7 | |||
| Fights | ||||
| Total fights | 52 | |||
| Title fights | 9 | |||
| Chronology | ||||
| ||||
Title fights
| Title fights in 2002 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weight class | Method | Round | Time | Event | Notes | |||
| Middleweight | Murilo Bustamante | def. | Dave Menne (c) | TKO (punches) | 2 | 0:44 | UFC 35 | [a] |
| Lightweight | Jens Pulver (c) | def. | B.J. Penn | Decision (majority) | 5 | 5:00 | UFC 35 | [b] |
| Welterweight | Matt Hughes (c) | def. | Hayato Sakurai | TKO (punches) | 4 | 3:01 | UFC 36 | [c] |
| Heavyweight | Josh Barnett | def. | Randy Couture (c) | TKO (punches) | 2 | 4:35 | UFC 36 | [d] |
| Middleweight | Murilo Bustamante (c) | def. | Matt Lindland | Submission (guillotine choke) | 3 | 1:33 | UFC 37 | [e] |
| Welterweight | Matt Hughes (c) | def. | Carlos Newton | TKO (punches) | 4 | 3:27 | UFC 38 | [f] |
| Heavyweight | Ricco Rodriguez | def. | Randy Couture | TKO (submission to elbow) | 5 | 3:04 | UFC 39 | [g] |
| Welterweight | Matt Hughes (c) | def. | Gil Castillo | TKO (doctor stoppage) | 1 | 5:00 | UFC 40 | [h] |
| Light Heavyweight | Tito Ortiz (c) | def. | Ken Shamrock | TKO (corner stoppage) | 3 | 5:00 | UFC 40 | [i] |
- For the UFC Middleweight Championship.
- For the UFC Lightweight Championship.
- For the UFC Welterweight Championship.
- For the UFC Heavyweight Championship. Afterwards Barnett would be stripped of the title when he tested positive for steroids during a mandatory post-fight drug test.
- For the UFC Middleweight Championship. Bustamante had Lindland hooked cleanly in an armbar early in the fight, then released it after what seemed to be a tap, followed by a shout to stop the action by John McCarthy. Lindland claimed it wasn't a tap, which controversially led McCarthy to restart the fight. This has led to the contest being known as the infamous "double tap" fight. Bustamante was stripped of the title in October 2002 after signing with PRIDE, thereby vacating the UFC Middleweight Championship belt.
- For the UFC Welterweight Championship.
- For the vacant UFC Heavyweight Championship.
- For the UFC Welterweight Championship. Hughes wins via TKO (accidental headbutt) after round 1. Between rounds doctors ruled that the resulting cut was too severe to continue.
- For the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship.
Debut UFC fighters
The following fighters fought their first UFC fight in 2002:
| ISO | Fighter | Division |
|---|---|---|
 | Aaron Riley | Lightweight |
 | Amar Suloev | Middleweight |
| Andrei Semenov | Middleweight |
| Benji Radach | Middleweight |
 | Chris Haseman | Light Heavyweight |
 | Genki Sudo | Lightweight |
| Hayato Sakurai | Welterweight |
| Ivan Salaverry | Middleweight |
| ISO | Fighter | Division |
|---|---|---|
 | James Zikic | Light Heavyweight |
 | Joao Marcos Pierini | Welterweight |
| Keith Rockel | Middleweight |
| Kelly Dullanty | Lightweight |
| Leigh Remedios | Bantamweight |
| Mark Weir | Middleweight |
| Nick Serra | Welterweight |
| Paul Creighton | Lightweight |
| ISO | Fighter | Division |
|---|---|---|
| Pete Spratt | Welterweight |
| Robbie Lawler | Welterweight |
| Rodrigo Ruas | Middleweight |
| Tim Sylvia | Heavyweight |
| Travis Wiuff | Heavyweight |
| Wesley Correira | Heavyweight |
| Zach Light | Lightweight |
Events list
| # | Event | Date | Venue | Location | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 045 | UFC 40: Vendetta | Nov 22, 2002 | MGM Grand Garden Arena | Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. | 13,770 |
| 044 | UFC 39: The Warriors Return | Sep 27, 2002 | Mohegan Sun Arena | Uncasville, Connecticut, U.S. | 7,800[1] |
| 043 | UFC 38: Brawl at the Hall | Jul 13, 2002 | Royal Albert Hall | London, England, U.K. | 5,000[2] |
| 042 | UFC 37.5: As Real As It Gets | Jun 22, 2002 | Bellagio | Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. | 3,700[3] |
| 041 | UFC 37: High Impact | May 10, 2002 | CenturyTel Center | Bossier City, Louisiana, U.S. | 7,200[4] |
| 040 | UFC 36: Worlds Collide | Mar 22, 2002 | MGM Grand Garden Arena | Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. | 10,000 |
| 039 | UFC 35: Throwdown | Jan 11, 2002 | Mohegan Sun Arena | Uncasville, Connecticut, U.S. | 9,600[5] |