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RETRO: Torch on site - UFC's disastrous return to national PPV and debut in Vegas
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2006 Introduction: Five years ago this week, the entire Torch staff headed to Las Vegas to experience UFC's first Las Vegas live event which also marked their long-anticipated return to U.S. PPV on a wide scale. It turned out to be a disaster, as it was one of UFC's more boring events ever, and the main event went off the air before it concluded. Check a preview article in our "Torch Flashbacks" section for the Cover Story overview of the event and another article featuring Dana White's comments when I interviewed him a few days later. This features the actual match results and the Torch staff's reviews of the live experience. -- Wade Keller, Torch editor

What: UFC VICTORY IN VEGAS
When: September 29, 2001
Where: Las Vegas, Nev., Mandalay Bay

DARK MATCHES

(1) Light-Heavyweight Contenders: Din "The Dominator" Thomas (155 lbs., 0-1 UFC, 14-2 MMA) beat Fabiano Iha (153 lbs., 3-3 UFC, 11-4 MMA) via decision after three rounds. The crowd was hot for this dark opening match, and it was probably the best match of the night. Din was a clear winner, but it wasn't by any means a one-sided match.

(2) Middleweight Contenders: Ricardo "Big Dog" Almeida (184 lbs.) beat Eugene "The Wolf" Jackson (183 lbs.) via submission in the first round. Almeida managed to put away Jackson by locking him in a headlock and bending his head forward with so much torque that Jackson had to tap out.

(3) Welterweight Contenders: Jutaro Nakao (168 lbs., UFC debut, 10-7-2 MMA) beat Tony DeSouza (170 lbs., 2-0 UFC, 4-0 MMA) via knockout in round two.

PAY-PER-VIEW MATCHES

(1) Middleweight Championship: Dave Menne (182 lbs., 1-0 UFC, 34-3-1 MMA) beat Gil Castillo (182 lbs., UFC debut, 16-0 MMA) via unanimous decision after five rounds to capture the vacant Middleweight Title. The match was almost stopped due to blood.

(2) Welterweight Contenders: Matt "The Terror" Serra (164 lbs, 0-1 UFC, 8-1 MMA) beat Yves Edwards (164 lbs., UFC debut, 7-3-1 MMA) via decision after three rounds. This was the closest of the PPV fights, and was a split decision (2-1) by the judges. The decision could have easily gone either way, and both fighters seemed to react to the decision as if they realized that. During the match Serra applied what looked exactly like a Gagne Sleeper.

(3) Light-Heavyweight Contenders: Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell (203 lbs., 4-1 UFC, 7-1 MMA) beat Murilo Bustamante (199 lbs., 1-0 UFC, 9-0-1 MMA) via unanimous decision after three rounds. Bustamante wanted the fight on the ground, and kept dropping to the ground, but Liddell kept it a standing fight and was more aggressive.

(4) Lightweight Championship: Jens "Little Evil" Pulver (152 lbs., 4-0-1 UFC, 19-2-1 MMA) beat Dennis "Superman" Hallman (155 lbs., 1-0 UFC, 37-4 MMA) via decision after five rounds to retain the title. This was the biggest disappointment of the night since it looked, on paper, to have the potential to be the best of the night. Pulver and Hallman cut promos on each other on the previous PPV. The backstory is that both went to the same high school and didn't get along then, and they both happened to be among the best in their weight division in MMA. Pulver has ended up being the crowd favorite due to his eager, underdog personality. Hallman comes across more arrogant and dismissive. Hallman scored a few submission opportunities early, but otherwise dictated the pacing of the fight which was a boring ground struggle. The crowd grew restless the longer the fight lasted, including chanting "boring" like a pro wrestling crowd at the end of the fourth round. They booed very loudly at the end of the final round. Both fighters seemed to be disappointed with their match, especially Pulver who shrugged his shoulders at the end and mouthed to the crowd, "I'm sorry." He told the crowd in his post-match speech that he was sorry about how the match went, and he wanted to kick ass. He promised the fans that he would do better next time if they would have him back.

Tito's elaborate ring entrance at this event (photo by Wade Keller, MMATorch)

(5) Light Heavyweight Championship: Tito "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" Ortiz (205 lbs., 7-2 UFC, 9-2 MMA) beat Vladimir "The Janitor" Matyushenko (205 lbs, 1-0 UFC, 11-1 MMA) via unanimous decision to retain the title. The crowd began leaving in the final round. Ortiz dominated, but in a steady, lackluster fashion.

COLUMNIST REVIEWS

The entire Torch staff flew to Las Vegas to cover UFC in person, so the reviews of this show are from an in-person live event perspective rather than our usual reviews that include analysis of the TV presentation and announcing aspects of the show.

Pat McNeill, Torch columnist (7.5)

It had been five years since I had seen my last Ultimate Fighting or mixed martial arts event. Conveniently enough, it had been about five years since the UFC was last on cable. Much has changed in that time. The intros and entrances are more spectacular. The competitors are tougher and more evenly matched. But Ultimate Fighting is still ultimate fighting. The presentation of the UFC by Zuffa was geared toward its appeal as a sport. Yet the essential appeal of the UFC remains the same. Two men fight, using a style of their choosing, and one man wins. The crowd also remained the same. "Make him bleed, Tito!" yelled the attractive woman seated near Bruce Mitchell and me. To determine whether a UFC event is "successful," you have to have that right combination of top competitors, glitzy production values, and good old-fashioned violence.

Those of us who were in attendance at Mandalay Bay saw a top-notch UFC event. Those who got to see it at home did not. The first major difference between the two was that the fans at home who ordered on cable got to watch the last round of the Ortiz vs. Matyushenko match. While that round wasn't any more exciting than the previous four, it gave the event a sense of closure.

Of course, the other major difference was before the broadcast began - the three exciting dark matches which warmed up the live crowd. Thomas vs. Iha was a hotly contested match between two veterans. Almeida, who began honing his "Big Dog" persona back in May, was a smash hit with the crowd, straddling the Octagon after the match and pumping his fist for the crowd. Jutaro Nakao was also a hit. The submission specialist from Kanagawa shocked the undefeated DeSouza by dropping him with a straight left hand that Felix Trinidad could have used on Saturday night.

After these three matches, plus the downright terrific showing by Dave Menne, it was downhill from there. The Lightweight Title match proved that you can have two of the world's best in a UFC bout, and still have a dog's breakfast of a match. It took the starch right out of the Vegas crowd. They got back up for Tito Ortiz's entrance, but there was no chance of the crowd getting into the match as Ortiz ground it out against the gutty Matyushenko. Ortiz obviously planned to pound on Matyushenko until the Russian made a mistake, but no mistakes were forthcoming. You had to admire Matyushenko's toughness, but it was hell to watch.

This was one night when the Fertittas and Dana White were wishing they were on tape delay. With tape delay, they could have switched around the preliminary matchups to get one or both decisive victories on the show, and brought the show in at under three hours. With tape delay, they could have switched the order around and had Menne vs. Castillo as the semi-main event. If that happened, nobody would be talking about what a disappointment the show was. If you want to see how tape delay helps out the mixed martial arts genre, be sure to check out the Pride show next week.

On a final note, the UFC and Zuffa staff were helpful and media-friendly. It's a shame that their efforts were wasted on some of the "brand name" sports and boxing writers that covered the show. Those guys are the first to criticize what they don't understand. All sporting events, from Super Bowls to World Series play to professional boxing produce their share of unexciting matchups. If the UFC can hang in there, they're due for another barnburner of a show which can satisfy hardcore MMA fans and uninitiated or bloodthristy mainstream audiences.

Jason Powell, assistant editor (1.0)

The low rating for the show is based on the event running longer than In Demand had allotted. From a live perspective, the show was a disappointing 4.0 rating. The fact that none of the matches ended in a knockout didn't bother me as much as the slow pace of the final two matches. Jens "Little Evil" Pulver was obviously frustrated that his opponent Dennis Hallman was content to lie on the mat in a defensive stance throughout their snooze fest. Although Hallman was probably doing what he felt he needed to do to win the match, he also should have realized his responsibility as a member of the MMA world to make this an exciting show. The judges seemed to agree with that statement as they unanimously awarded the match to Pulver. As if that match wasn't boring enough, main event challenger Vladimir Matyushenko also seemed content taking his main event match with Tito Ortiz to the time limit. Matyushenko deserves credit for accepting the fight on late notice, but he had to know that the judges were not going to award him a win over the charismatic Ortiz based on a boring defensive strategy.

As a first time live spectator, I was impressed by the atmosphere in the building. Based only on my grandfather's stories, the mood seemed similar to that of an old school golden gloves boxing event (minus the pyros and fancy light shows). The funniest thing occurred the night before the event. After attending Bruce Mitchell's only Vegas "must see event" (Wayne Newton, no lie) at the Stardust Casino, I listened as Wade Keller asked a rude sports book worker if the hotel was taking bets on UFC. The buffoon behind the counter, who was too good to even look Keller in the eye, actually mocked the idea of accepting bets on UFC. "No one knows if those things are real or not," said the pompous ass. Meanwhile, the same sports book was gladly accepting bets on boxing events. Sadly, UFC's own advertising slogan, "As real as it gets," only adds to the confusion surrounding its legitimacy. It's as if the slogan is suggesting that its sport is ECW-like, or, "It's not totally real, but it's as close as anyone will come." Thanks to pro wrestling and the Jerry Springer-like spectacle that boxing has become, UFC promoters' top priority must be finding ways to lure mainstream sports writers to its events. Once word spreads that UFC events are legitimate contests, the sport has a fantastic chance of catching on.

Notes: It's a shame that the Fabiano Iha vs. Din Thomas match wasn't broadcast on the PPV, as it was the best of the night… Chuck Liddell vs. Murilo Bustamante was a good fight, but two rounds too short. The promoters need to schedule a rematch between these two fighters and give them five rounds instead of three. Liddell was awarded the match on a majority decision, but failed to show dominance in the process… Never mind the integrity of the sport, UFC promoters have to force the referees to stand the fighters up sooner than they do… Bruce Buffer has improved over the years, but he is still the worst ring announcer I have ever heard. I was downright embarrassed for the man while watching him bob his head to entrance music, in Shane McMahon fashion…

Bruce Mitchell, Torch senior columnist:

Writing a review of a UFC show is different from writing the "normal" reviews of sports entertainment we do so often here in the TORCH because, despite what Las Vegas odds-makers may suspect, this is a sport, not just a contrived spectacle. Because of that, the excitement level can reach the authentic heights that only the magic of true competition can provide.

If everything goes right.

In the last few weeks, though, nothing has gone right for UFC. Ever since it was announced, following a series of well-received cards, that UFC was going to return to the auspices of the Nevada State Athletic commission and cable pay-per-view television there have been a succession of disasters both small (the pulling out of Vitor Belfort) and enormous (the terrorist attacks, which put into jeopardy the success of the UFC's make-or-break return show).

Friday night added to the negative momentum, with a series of dull time limit decisions that left fans at the Mandalay Bay arena restless and a Tito Ortiz successful title defense that went past the allotted satellite time. In playing for the long term by working for the most competitive match ups, UFC did the right thing overall, but the wrong thing for this particular show.

UFC replaced Belfort with Vladimir Matyushenko, a highly skilled fighter but not well known with the fans. (He has the nickname "The Janitor" because he recently worked as one in California.) UFC could have instead booked some tomato can ripe for the squashing. By not doing so, UFC 33 cost itself the violent, explosive ending to the show many of those in attendance seemed thirsty for. Matyushenko was simply too skilled defensively and on the ground for the charismatic Ortiz to take any chances.

The other main event was just a dog. Sometimes everything comes together in a sport, and the game just stinks. After some sports entertainment style woofing about how high school classmates Jens Pulver and Dennis "Superman" Hallman "really didn't like each other" this match featured boring non-action from start to finish. Hallman was one of those fighters, at least on this night, who knew how to make the promise, but didn't know how to deliver it. It was weird seeing lightweights, who in boxing and wrestling can provide so much fast action, stall so much.

UFC's presentation, in terms of on-site production values, can stand with the industry leading quality of the WWF's. Still, though, watching the same type of lasers and pyro made me wonder when even this sort of thing is going to get as old as stunt spots in sports entertainment.

Hopefully the fans who gave UFC a strong buyrate on this show will understand this is a sport with its own subtleties and give the next show another look.

Wade Keller, Torch editor (3.5)

UFC, like any everyday pro tennis match, hockey game, or even Super Bowl, can be boring. This UFC illustrated why pro wrestling ended up becoming showbiz rather than legit competition 100 years ago. Two evenly matched competitors who fear each other can defensively hold position on a mat inevitably. Even with rounds, and stand-ups at the referee's discretion, there wasn't a satisfactory amount of action. Give UFC credit, they care about the integrity of what they do. This was not a crowd-pleasing event, yet the fighters defended what happened. UFC president Dana White flat out said he would not intentionally book one or two mismatches in the future just to give the mainstream, uninitiated fans the knockout they expect at a UFC event.

The fighters know wins and losses ultimately mean more than having exciting fights. They aren't going to take risky chances for the sake of making a match more exciting. If UFC were consistently as lackluster as this event, they would eventually have to consider manipulating the content of matches just to survive. Luckily, that isn't necessary, as this UFC was an aberration, an exception to the rule.

Most recent UFC events had been outstanding, with the majority of the matches featuring edge-of-your seat excitement and either decisive or controversial decisions. This event didn't have either during the PPV broadcast. That's too bad, and for those who saw their first UFC in five years, don't walk away yet. Try the next one, or get a tape of one of the last four. UFC is so damn exhilarating when it's good - especially as you become more educated to the strategies and the background of the fighters - that it's worth an occasional lackluster event (just as is the case for fans of other pro sports).

UFC, more than ever, is "real pro wrestling." It now has the star power and charisma of the cocky Tito Ortiz as its top babyface (Steve Austin would have been jealous of the reception Tito received, which was reminiscent of the Stone Cold crowd reaction of four years ago). It has WWF-like ring entrances. It has promos before and after matches.

For those wondering what the next wave for worked pro wrestling could be, especially as the WWF is more and more stale every week, it may be a hybrid of WWF and UFC. Worked matches presented as if they are real. They would have control over quality and limit the punishment.