UFC 39 (original) (raw)

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UFC mixed martial arts event in 2002

UFC 39: The Warriors Return
The poster for UFC 39: The Warriors Return
Promotion Ultimate Fighting Championship
Date September 27, 2002
Venue Mohegan Sun Arena
City Uncasville, Connecticut
Attendance 7,800
Buyrate 45,000
Event chronology
UFC 38: Brawl at the Hall UFC 39: The Warriors Return UFC 40: Vendetta

UFC 39: The Warriors Return was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on September 27, 2002, at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. The event was broadcast live on pay per view in the United States, and was the first UFC event to be released on DVD.

Headlining the event was a Heavyweight Title bout between Randy Couture and Ricco Rodriguez for the vacant title. Originally Ricco Rodriguez was scheduled to fight Josh Barnett for the UFC title but Barnett was stripped following a positive test for steroids.

The event marked the octagon debut of future UFC Heavyweight Champion Tim Sylvia. This fight saw Sylvia's opponent, Wesley Correira, take several straight punches, knees, and kicks to the head without ever falling before his corner eventually threw in the towel.

Main Card
Weight class Method Round Time Notes
Heavyweight Ricco Rodriguez def. Randy Couture TKO (submission due to elbows) 5 3:04 [a]
Heavyweight Tim Sylvia def. Wesley Correira TKO (corner stoppage) 2 1:43
Lightweight B.J. Penn def. Matt Serra Decision (unanimous) (29–28, 29–28, 29–28) 3 5:00 [b]
Lightweight Caol Uno def. Din Thomas Decision (unanimous) (29–27, 29–27, 29–27) 3 5:00 [c]
Heavyweight Gan McGee def. Pedro Rizzo TKO (corner stoppage) 1 5:00 [d]
Middleweight Phil Baroni def. Dave Menne KO (punches) 1 0:18
Preliminary card
Middleweight Matt Lindland def. Ivan Salaverry Decision (unanimous) (30–28, 29–28, 29–28) 3 5:00
Welterweight Sean Sherk def. Benji Radach TKO (doctor stoppage) 1 4:16
  1. ^ For the vacant UFC Heavyweight Championship.
  2. ^ Lightweight Tournament Semifinal bout.
  3. ^ Lightweight Tournament Semifinal bout.
  4. ^ Rizzo took a straight right hand to the nose with twelve seconds left in the first round. After examining Rizzo's nose between rounds, his corner decided to throw in the towel.

Lightweight tournament bracket

[edit]

| Semifinals | Finals (UFC 41) | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------- | ------ | | | | | | | | | | | United States | B.J. Penn | UD | | | | United States | Matt Serra | 3 | | | | United States | B.J. Penn | D1 | | | | | | | | | | Japan | Caol Uno | 15:00 | | | | Japan | Caol Uno | UD | | | | United States | Din Thomas | 3 | | |

1 At UFC 41, B.J. Penn vs. Caol Uno ended in a split draw. (48-46, 47-48, 48-48). The title remained vacant.

Encyclopedia awards

[edit]

The following fighters were honored in the October 2011 book titled UFC Encyclopedia.[1]

  1. ^ Gerbasi, Thomas (2011-10-17). UFC Encyclopedia - The Definitive Guide to the Ultimate Fighting Championship. New York: DK. p. 197. ISBN 978-0756683610.