2005 in UFC
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Mixed martial arts promotion |
| Founded | 1993 |
| Headquarters | Las Vegas , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Mixed martial arts events and promotions |
| Website | www |
The year 2005 represented the 13th anniversary of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a premier mixed martial arts organization based in the United States. Throughout this year, UFC organized a total of 10 events, commencing with UFC 51: Super Saturday. Significantly, the reality television series The Ultimate Fighter premiered alongside the first-ever UFC Ultimate Fight Night on Spike TV. The event The Ultimate Fighter 1 Finale was particularly notable as it marked the UFC's initial live broadcast on a non-pay-per-view channel.
2005 UFC.com awards
In 2005, Thomas Gerbasi, the senior editor at UFC.com, launched the inaugural year-end awards on the official website. These accolades recognized outstanding submissions, knockouts, and fights that shaped the competitive scene within the promotion.
}The Ultimate Fighter
| Season | Final event | Weight class | Champion | Second place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TUF 1: Team Couture vs. Team Liddell | April 9, 2005 | Light Heavyweight | Forrest Griffin | Stephan Bonnar |
| Middleweight | Diego Sanchez | Kenny Florian | ||
| TUF 2: Team Hughes vs. Team Franklin | November 5, 2005 | Heavyweight | Rashad Evans | Brad Imes |
| Welterweight | Joe Stevenson | Luke Cummo |
New UFC competitors in 2005
Among the prominent athletes making their UFC debut in 2005 were Forrest Griffin, Diego Sanchez, Rashad Evans, Joe Stevenson, Keith Jardine, Josh Koscheck, and Kenny Florian. This group of newcomers played a significant role in enhancing the UFC's talent pool and broadening its audience reach.
- Alessio Sakara
- Alex Karalexis
- Alex Schoenauer
- Ansar Chalangov
- Bill Mahood
- Bobby Southworth
- Brad Imes
- Branden Lee Hinkle
- Brandon Vera
- Brian Gassaway
- Brock Larson
- Chael Sonnen
- Charles McCarthy
- Chris Leben
- Chris Sanford
- Diego Sanchez
- Drew Fickett
- Fabiano Scherner
- Forrest Griffin
- Gabriel Gonzaga
- Gideon Ray
- James Irvin
- Jason Miller
- Jason Thacker
- Jeff Newton
- Joe Stevenson
- John Marsh
- Jon Fitch
- Jonathan Goulet
- Josh Burkman
- Josh Koscheck
- Josh Neer
- Josh Rafferty
- Keigo Kunihara
- Keith Jardine
- Keith Wisniewski
- Kenny Florian
- Kerry Schall
- Kevin Jordan
- Kit Cope
- Lodune Sincaid
- Luke Cummo
- Marcio Cruz
- Marcus Davis
- Melvin Guillard
- Mike Swick
- Nate Marquardt
- Nate Quarry
- Nick Thompson
- Paul Buentello
- Pete Sell
- Rashad Evans
- Ron Faircloth
- Sam Hoger
- Sammy Morgan
- Sean Gannon
- Spencer Fisher
- Stephan Bonnar
- Terry Martin
- Thiago Alves
List of events
| # | Event name | Date held | Venue | City | Crowd size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 065 | UFC 56: Full Force | November 19, 2005 | MGM Grand Garden Arena | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | 12000 |
| 064 | The Ultimate Fighter: Team Hughes vs. Team Franklin Finale | November 5, 2005 | Hard Rock Hotel and Casino | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | n/a |
| 063 | UFC 55: Fury | October 7, 2005 | Mohegan Sun Arena | Uncasville, Connecticut, United States | 8000 |
| 062 | UFC Fight Night 2 | October 3, 2005 | Hard Rock Hotel and Casino | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | n/a |
| 061 | UFC 54: Boiling Point | August 20, 2005 | MGM Grand Garden Arena | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | 13520 |
| 060 | UFC Ultimate Fight Night | August 6, 2005 | Cox Pavilion | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | n/a |
| 059 | UFC 53: Heavy Hitters | June 4, 2005 | Boardwalk Hall | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | 12000 |
| 058 | UFC 52: Couture vs Liddell | April 16, 2005 | MGM Grand Garden Arena | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | 14562 |
| '057' | 'The Ultimate Fighter 1 Finale' | 'April 9, 2005' | 'Cox Pavilion' | 'Las Vegas, Nevada, United States' | 'n/a' |
| '056' | 'UFC 51: Super Saturday' | 'February 5, 2005' | 'Mandalay Bay Events Center' | 'Las Vegas, Nevada, United States' | '11072' |
UFC Ultimate Fight Night
UFC Ultimate Fight Night, also referred to as UFC Fight Night 1, took place on August 6, 2005, at the Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas, Nevada. This event marked the debut of the UFC Fight Night series and was broadcast on Spike.
Encyclopedia awards
The UFC Encyclopedia from October 2011 recognized several fighters from this event, including:
- Fight of the Night: Chris Leben vs. Patrick Côté
- Knockout of the Night: Mike Swick
- Submission of the Night: Josh Koscheck