UFC 22

UFC 22: Only One Can be Champion
Information
Promotion	Ultimate Fighting Championship
Date	September 24, 1999
Venue	Lake Charles Civic Center
City	Lake Charles, Louisiana, USA
Event chronology
UFC 21: Return of the Champions UFC 22: Only One Can be Champion UFC 23: Ultimate Japan 2

UFC 22: Only One Can be Champion was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on September 24, 1999 at the Lake Charles Civic Center in Lake Charles, Louisiana.

History

The event was headlined by a Middleweight Championship bout between Frank Shamrock and Tito Ortiz, and also featured two preliminary bouts, a middleweight bout, two heavyweight bouts, and two lightweight bouts. The Ortiz-Shamrock fight was notable for being widely considered one of the best MMA fights ever at the time it took place, due to the complete range of skills showed by both fighters. The bout featured back-and-forth action which saw multiple takedowns from Ortiz and crisp kickboxing displayed by Shamrock, who eventually forced Ortiz into submission with brutal punches, elbows, and hammerfists to the temple late in the 4th round. It was also clear that Ortiz was exhausted by the 4th round, part of the strategy implemented by Shamrock. This match helped changed Ortiz's training routine to include more cardio training, and ironically he became one of the best cardio-fighters following this match. Unlike Ken Shamrock, Tito really respected Frank, wearing his shirt at the end of the match, conceding who is the true champion.

UFC 22 marked the first UFC appearance of future UFC Welterweight Champion Matt Hughes, who would go on to dominate the UFC's Welterweight division (which at the time was called "lightweight", until the UFC was sanctioned in 2001, when official weight classes were introduced), as well as Jens Pulver, who fought in a preliminary bout that was not televised. It also was the last UFC event that Frank Shamrock ever fought in.

UFC 22 was the last UFC event by SEG to see a home video release, as SEG was nearing bankruptcy and struggling to keep the UFC alive through extremely limited pay per view in the US, as well as minor coverage in Brazil and Japan. UFC 23 through UFC 29 were not released in the US on home video or DVD by SEG, and many consider this period to be the "Dark Ages" of the UFC. It wasn't until UFC 30, with new owners Zuffa, that the UFC returned to home video. Due to re-release, all UFC events are available on DVD with the exception of UFC - Ultimate Ultimate 1 and II.

UFC 22 was the first card where you start seeing opponents 'propping' each other before and/or during the match, something that has become a staple in UFC fighting.

Results

The following are the bout results as reported by Sherdog.com.

• Lightweight Preliminary bout: Jens Pulver vs. Alfonso Alcarez

The bout was ruled a draw after two five minute rounds. This bout was not televised.

• Middleweight bout: John Lewis vs. Lowell Anderson

Lewis wins by TKO (corner stoppage) at 0:13 of the third round.

• Lightweight bout: Matt Hughes vs. Valeri Ignatov

Hughes wins by unanimous decision at 5:00 of the third round.

• Middleweight bout: Paul Jones vs. Chuck Liddell

Liddell wins by TKO (strikes) at 3:53 of the first round.

• Heavyweight Preliminary bout: Brad Kohler vs. Steve Judson

Kohler wins by KO (punch) at 0:30 of the first round. This bout was aired following the Liddell vs. Jones fight.

• Heavyweight bout: Jeremy Horn vs. Jason Godsey

Horn wins by submission (armlock) at 2:08 of the first round.

• Heavyweight bout: Tim Lajcik vs. Ron Waterman

The bout was ruled a draw after three five minute rounds.

• Middleweight Championship bout: Frank Shamrock (c) vs. Tito Ortiz

Shamrock wins by submission (strikes) at 4:42 of the fourth round.

External links

• UFC22 results at Sherdog.com
• UFC22 fights reviews