1997 in UFC

The year 1997 was the fifth year in the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States. In 1997, the UFC held five events beginning with UFC 12: Judgement Day.

1997 in UFC
Information
First date	February 7, 1997
Last date	December 21, 1997
Events
Total events	5
UFC	4
Fights
Total fights	41
Title fights	5
Chronology
1996 in UFC 1997 in UFC 1998 in UFC

Title fights

Title fights in 1997
Weight class				Method	Round	Time	Event	Notes
Heavyweight	Mark Coleman	def.	Dan Severn	Submission (neck crank)		2:57	UFC 12: Judgement Day	[a]
Heavyweight	Maurice Smith	def.	Mark Coleman (c)	Decision (unanimous)		21:00	UFC 14: Showdown	[b]
Heavyweight	Maurice Smith (c)	def.	Tank Abbott	Submission (exhaustion)		8:08	UFC 15: Collision Course	[c]
Light Heavyweight	Frank Shamrock	def.	Kevin Jackson	Submission (armbar)	1	0:16	UFC Ultimate Japan	[d]
Heavyweight	Randy Couture	def.	Maurice Smith (c)	Decision (majority)	1	21:00	UFC Ultimate Japan	[e]

1. Coleman defeated Severn to become the inaugural UFC Heavyweight Champion.
2. Smith defeated Coleman to become the new UFC Heavyweight Champion.
3. Smith defeated Abbott to remain the UFC Heavyweight Champion.
4. Shamrock defeated Jackson to become the inaugural the Light Heavyweight Champion.
5. Couture defeated Smith to become the new UFC Heavyweight Champion. However, he was stripped of the title in October 1998 due to a contract dispute.

Debut UFC fighters

The following fighters fought their first UFC fight in 1997:

Alex Hunter Brad Kohler Carlos Barreto Dan Bobish Dmitri Stepanov Donnie Chappell Dwayne Cason Enson Inoue Eric Martin Frank Shamrock Greg Stott Harry Moskowitz Houston Dorr Jackie Lee Jim Mullen Justin Martin Yoshiki Takahashi Kazushi Sakuraba Kevin Jackson Marcus Silveira Mark Kerr Maurice Smith Nick Sanzo Rainy Martinez Randy Couture Royce Alger Saeed Hosseini Steven Graham Tito Ortiz Tony Fryklund Tony Halme Tra Telligman Vitor Belfort Wallid Ismail Wes Albritton Yoji Anjo Yuri Vaulin

Events list

Main article: List of UFC events

#	Event	Date	Venue	Location	Attendance
14	UFC 12: Judgement Day	Feb 7, 1997	Dothan Civic Center	Dothan, Alabama, U.S.	3,100[1]
15	UFC 13: The Ultimate Force	May 30, 1997	Augusta Civic Center	Augusta, Georgia, U.S.	5,100[2]
16	UFC 14: Showdown	Jul 27, 1997	Boutwell Auditorium	Birmingham, Alabama, U.S.	5,000[3]
17	UFC 15: Collision Course	Oct 17, 1997	Casino Magic Bay St. Louis	Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, U.S.	—
18	UFC Japan: Ultimate Japan	Dec 21, 1997	Yokohama Arena	Yokohama, Japan	5,000[4]

See also

• UFC
• List of UFC champions
• List of UFC events