UFC 111
| Company type | Mixed martial arts event |
|---|---|
| Industry | Sports entertainment |
| Founded | March 27, 2010 |
| Headquarters | Newark, New Jersey , United States |
| Products | Mixed martial arts competition |
UFC 111: St-Pierre vs. Hardy was a mixed martial arts competition organized by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on March 27, 2010, hosted at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, United States.
Background
The UFC Primetime program made a comeback to build anticipation for the UFC Welterweight Championship bout featuring GSP and Dan Hardy, which represented the inaugural occasion a British competitor vied for a UFC title.
Initially, Martin Kampmann was set to face Ben Saunders, but due to an injury sustained during training, he was substituted by Jake Ellenberger.
For undisclosed reasons, Ricardo Funch withdrew from his scheduled fight against Matthew Riddle, leading to UFC debutant Greg Soto stepping in as his replacement.
Three preliminary fights were aired on Spike TV approximately one hour before the pay-per-view broadcast commenced.
Additionally, the event was screened in American cinemas through National CineMedia's Fathom service and at the Cineplex Odeon theaters across Canada.
The official sell-out for UFC 111 was announced on March 10, 2010.
A controversy emerged when UFC altered promotional materials by digitally removing Hardy's "om mani padme hum" tattoo to prevent potential offense to the Chinese government, as stated by UFC president Dana White.
On March 25, Thiago Alves was withdrawn from competition following the discovery of an abnormality in a pre-fight CAT scan. Subsequently, Ben Saunders—originally matched with Ellenberger—opted to compete against Alves's opponent, Jon Fitch, replacing Ellenberger who received compensation despite not participating. This adjustment elevated the bout between Kurt Pellegrino and Fabricio Camoes to the main card.
During the official weigh-ins held on March 26, Rory Markham failed to make weight at 177 lb and consequently forfeited $1,000 (equivalent to 12.5% of his fight purse) to his opponent, Nate Diaz.
Results
{{MMAevent bout |Middleweight |Rousimar Palhares |def. |Tomasz Drwal |Submission (heel hook) |1 |0:45 |} }
Bonus awards
Monetary bonuses of $65,000 were granted as follows:
- Fight of the Night: Rodney Wallace vs. Jared Hamman
- Knockout of the Night: Shane Carwin
- Submission of the Night: Kurt Pellegrino
Television rating
The preliminary matches broadcast on Spike TV at 9 pm EST attracted a series-low audience of 1.2 million viewers, coinciding with the Elite Eight phase of the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship.