2002 in UFC

The year 2002 was the 10th year in the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States. In 2002 the UFC held 7 events beginning with, UFC 35: Throwdown.

2002 in UFC
Information
First date	January 11, 2002
Last date	November 22, 2002
Events
Total events	7
UFC	7
Fights
Total fights	52
Title fights	9
Chronology
2001 in UFC 2002 in UFC 2003 in UFC

Title fights

Title fights in 2002
Weight class				Method	Round	Time	Event	Notes
Middleweight	Murilo Bustamante	def.	Dave Menne (c)	TKO (punches)	2	0:44	UFC 35	[a]
Lightweight	Jens Pulver (c)	def.	B.J. Penn	Decision (majority)	5	5:00	UFC 35	[b]
Welterweight	Matt Hughes (c)	def.	Hayato Sakurai	TKO (punches)	4	3:01	UFC 36	[c]
Heavyweight	Josh Barnett	def.	Randy Couture (c)	TKO (punches)	2	4:35	UFC 36	[d]
Middleweight	Murilo Bustamante (c)	def.	Matt Lindland	Submission (guillotine choke)	3	1:33	UFC 37	[e]
Welterweight	Matt Hughes (c)	def.	Carlos Newton	TKO (punches)	4	3:27	UFC 38	[f]
Heavyweight	Ricco Rodriguez	def.	Randy Couture	TKO (submission to elbow)	5	3:04	UFC 39	[g]
Welterweight	Matt Hughes (c)	def.	Gil Castillo	TKO (doctor stoppage)	1	5:00	UFC 40	[h]
Light Heavyweight	Tito Ortiz (c)	def.	Ken Shamrock	TKO (corner stoppage)	3	5:00	UFC 40	[i]

1. For the UFC Middleweight Championship.
2. For the UFC Lightweight Championship.
3. For the UFC Welterweight Championship.
4. For the UFC Heavyweight Championship. Afterwards Barnett would be stripped of the title when he tested positive for steroids during a mandatory post-fight drug test.
5. For the UFC Middleweight Championship. Bustamante had Lindland hooked cleanly in an armbar early in the fight, then released it after what seemed to be a tap, followed by a shout to stop the action by John McCarthy. Lindland claimed it wasn't a tap, which controversially led McCarthy to restart the fight. This has led to the contest being known as the infamous "double tap" fight. Bustamante was stripped of the title in October 2002 after signing with PRIDE, thereby vacating the UFC Middleweight Championship belt.
6. For the UFC Welterweight Championship.
7. For the vacant UFC Heavyweight Championship.
8. For the UFC Welterweight Championship. Hughes wins via TKO (accidental headbutt) after round 1. Between rounds doctors ruled that the resulting cut was too severe to continue.
9. For the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship.

Debut UFC fighters

The following fighters fought their first UFC fight in 2002:

Aaron Riley Amar Suloev Andrei Semenov Benji Radach Chris Haseman Genki Sudo Hayato Sakurai Ivan Salaverry

James Zikic Joao Marcos Pierini Keith Rockel Kelly Dullanty Leigh Remedios Mark Weir Nick Serra Paul Creighton

Pete Spratt Robbie Lawler Rodrigo Ruas Tim Sylvia Travis Wiuff Wesley Correira Zach Light

Events list

Main article: List of UFC events

#	Event	Date	Venue	Location	Attendance
045	UFC 40: Vendetta	Nov 22, 2002	MGM Grand Garden Arena	Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.	13,770
044	UFC 39: The Warriors Return	Sep 27, 2002	Mohegan Sun Arena	Uncasville, Connecticut, U.S.	7,800[1]
043	UFC 38: Brawl at the Hall	Jul 13, 2002	Royal Albert Hall	London, England, U.K.	5,000[2]
042	UFC 37.5: As Real As It Gets	Jun 22, 2002	Bellagio	Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.	3,700[3]
041	UFC 37: High Impact	May 10, 2002	CenturyTel Center	Bossier City, Louisiana, U.S.	7,200[4]
040	UFC 36: Worlds Collide	Mar 22, 2002	MGM Grand Garden Arena	Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.	10,000
039	UFC 35: Throwdown	Jan 11, 2002	Mohegan Sun Arena	Uncasville, Connecticut, U.S.	9,600[5]

See also

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