UFC 52

UFC 52: Couture vs. Liddell 2
Information
Promotion	Ultimate Fighting Championship
Date	April 16, 2005
Venue	MGM Grand Arena
City	Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Attendance	14,562 (Paid 12,643)
Total gate	$2,575,450
Buyrate	280,000 [3]
Event chronology
The Ultimate Fighter 1 Finale UFC 52: Couture vs. Liddell 2 UFC 53: Heavy Hitters

UFC 52: Couture vs. Liddell 2 was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on April 16, 2005, at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event was broadcast live on pay-per-view in the United States and Canada, and later released on DVD.

History

Headlining the card were the coaches of The Ultimate Fighter, Randy Couture and Chuck Liddell. At the time, it was the highest-grossing UFC event ever at the live gate, with $2,575,450 in ticket sales. Dan "The Beast" Severn was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame at this event.

The total fighter payroll for UFC 52 was $519,500.

The rematch bout between Matt Hughes and Frank Trigg for the Welterweight Title is current President of the UFC, Dana White's favorite match of not just UFC fights, but all MMA and boxing fights in general.

Results

Preliminary card

• Heavyweight bout: Mike van Arsdale vs. John Marsh

Van Arsdale wins by unanimous decision. All three judges scored the bout 29–28 for Van Arsdale.

• Middleweight bout: Joe Doerksen vs. Patrick Côté

Doerksen wins by submission (rear naked choke) at 2:35 of round three. Doerksen entered the card as a late replacement for Lee Murray, who pulled out due to travel complications. [4]

• Middleweight bout: Ivan Salaverry vs. Joe Riggs

Salaverry wins by submission (triangle choke) at 2:42 of round one.

Main card

• Welterweight bout: Georges St-Pierre vs. Jason Miller

St-Pierre wins by unanimous decision. All three judges scored the bout 30–27 for St. Pierre. This fight was originally scheduled for UFC 48, but Miller was tending to legal problems at the time. [5]

• Middleweight bout: Matt Lindland vs. Travis Lutter

Lindland wins by submission (guillotine choke) at 3:13 of round two.

• Welterweight Championship bout: Matt Hughes (c) vs. Frank Trigg

Hughes wins by submission (rear naked choke) at 4:05 of round one.

• Light Heavyweight bout: Renato Sobral vs. Travis Wiuff

Sobral wins by submission (armbar) at 0:24 of round two.

• Light Heavyweight Championship bout: Randy Couture (c) vs. Chuck Liddell

Liddell wins by knockout (punches) at 2:06 of round one. Liddell becomes the new UFC Light Heavyweight champion.

Fighter Payouts

Randy Couture: $150,000 ($150,000 to fight; win bonus would have been $75,000)

Chuck Liddell: $140,000 ($70,000 to fight; $70,000 to win)

Matt Hughes: $110,000 ($55,000 to fight; $55,000 to win)

Matt Lindland: $20,000 ($10,000 to fight; $10,000 to win)

Renato "Babalu" Sobral: $20,000 ($10,000 to fight; $10,000 to win)

Georges St-Pierre: $18,000 ($9,000 to fight; $9,000 to win)

Frank Trigg: $14,000

Patrick Cote: $10,000

Mike Van Arsdale: $10,000 ($5,000 to fight; $5,000 to win)

Ivan Salaverry: $8,000 ($4,000 to fight; $4,000 to win)

Joe Riggs: $4,000

Travis Lutter: $4,000

Joe Doerksen: $4,000 ($2,000 to fight; $2,000 to win)

Travis Wiuff: $3,000

John Marsh: $2,500

Jason Miller: $2,000

Total Fighter Payouts: $519,500

External links

• UFC 52: Couture vs. Liddell 2 Results on Sherdog.com
• Fights review
• "Ultimate Fighting Championship Cards" on Wrestling Information Archives
• UFC PPV Buys Explode in 2006 (includes information on UFC 52's PPV buyrate)
• Fighter Salaries for UFC 52