2003 in UFC

The year 2003 was the 11th year in the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States. In 2003, the UFC held five events beginning with UFC 41: Onslaught.

2003 in UFC
Information
First date	Feb 28, 2003
Last date	Nov 21, 2003
Events
Total events	5
UFC	5
Fights
Total fights	41
Title fights	6
Chronology
2002 in UFC 2003 in UFC 2004 in UFC

Title fights

Title fights in 2003
Weight class				Method	Round	Time	Event	Notes
Welterweight	Matt Hughes (c)	def.	Frank Trigg	Submission (rear-naked choke)	1	3:54	UFC 45: Revolution	[a]
Heavyweight	Tim Sylvia (c)	def.	Gan McGee	KO (punches)	1	1:54	UFC 44: Undisputed	[b]
Light Heavyweight	Randy Couture (ic)	def.	Tito Ortiz (c)	Decision (unanimous)	5	5:00	UFC 44: Undisputed	[c]
Light Heavyweight	Randy Couture	def.	Chuck Liddell	TKO (punches)	3	2:39	UFC 43: Meltdown	[d]
Welterweight	Matt Hughes (c)	def.	Sean Sherk	Decision (unanimous)	5	5:00	UFC 42: Sudden Impact	[e]
Lightweight	B.J. Penn	vs.	Caol Uno	Draw	5	5:00	UFC 41: Onslaught	[f]
Heavyweight	Tim Sylvia	def.	Ricco Rodriguez (c)	TKO (punches)	1	3:09	UFC 41: Onslaught	[g]

1. For the UFC Welterweight Championship.
2. For the UFC Heavyweight Championship.
3. For the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship.
4. For the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship. Couture won via TKO (punches) at 2:39 of Round 3. Couture becomes the Interim Light Heavyweight Champion, and the first person to win a title in two different weight divisions (Couture was a two-time Heavyweight Champion).
5. For the UFC Welterweight Championship.
6. For the UFC Lightweight Championship. Penn and Uno fought to a split draw after five rounds. Judges scored the bout 48–47 Uno, 48–46 Penn, and 48–48. This match was the final match of a 4-man tournament that took place over several cards to crown a new lightweight champion, the first round occurred on UFC 39. Without a definite outcome, the title remained vacant and eventually put the Lightweight division on hiatus. The Lightweight championship would be contested once again at UFC 64 and since then has become a permanent fixture in the UFC.
7. For the UFC Heavyweight Championship.

Debut UFC fighters

The following fighters fought their first UFC fight in 2003:

Chris Liguori Dave Strasser David Loiseau Duane Ludwig Eddie Ruiz Edwin Dewees Falaniko Vitale Frank Trigg

Gerald Strebendt Hermes Franca Jeremy Jackson Jorge Rivera Josh Thomson Karo Parisyan Marvin Eastman Nick Agallar

Nick Diaz Rich Clementi Rich Crunkilton Rich Franklin Romie Aram Sean Alvarez Vernon White Wes Sims

Events list

Main article: List of UFC events

#	Event	Date	Venue	Location	Attendance
050	UFC 45: Revolution	Nov 21, 2003	Mohegan Sun Arena	Uncasville, Connecticut, U.S.	9,200[1]
049	UFC 44: Undisputed	Sep 26, 2003	Mandalay Bay Events Center	Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.	10,400[2]
048	UFC 43: Meltdown	Jun 6, 2003	Thomas & Mack Center	Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.	9,800[3]
047	UFC 42: Sudden Impact	Apr 25, 2003	AmericanAirlines Arena	Miami, Florida, U.S.	7,500[4]
046	UFC 41: Onslaught	Feb 28, 2003	Boardwalk Hall	Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.	11,707[5]

See also

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