UFC 23
| Company type | Mixed martial arts event |
|---|---|
| Industry | Mixed martial arts |
| Founded | November 19, 1999 |
| Headquarters | Tokyo , Japan |
| Products | Mixed martial arts competition |
| Website | www |
UFC 23: Ultimate Japan 2 was a mixed martial arts competition organized by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on November 19, 1999, hosted at Tokyo Bay NK Hall in Tokyo, Japan.
History
This event represented the UFC's second appearance in Tokyo, occurring during the surge in popularity of Japan's PRIDE Fighting Championship. The card included a Heavyweight Championship match between Kevin Randleman and Pete Williams, held to determine a new titleholder following the retirement of Bas Rutten.
A prominent feature of UFC 23 was a four-competitor middleweight tournament featuring Japanese fighters, designed to crown the first-ever UFC Japan Champion. This tournament was notable as the UFC’s first since UFC 17 and the final one-night format tournament; subsequent tournaments were spread across multiple events such as UFC 39, UFC 41, and several in 2012. Originally, SEG intended for UFC Japan to operate as an independent promotion overseen by local organizers, but financial challenges, insufficient promoter collaboration, and stiff competition from PRIDE and K-1 resulted in its discontinuation following UFC 25: Ultimate Japan 3.
Due to financial constraints faced by SEG and restricted pay-per-view availability in the United States, UFC 23 was the first event not to have a home video release initially. It was later incorporated into a DVD set covering UFC events 21 through 30. This event also marked the debut of James Werme as an interviewer conducting backstage segments.
At this event, Bas Rutten relinquished the heavyweight title to compete at middleweight, with the goal of encouraging Frank Shamrock to return from retirement for a middleweight title contest.
Encyclopedia awards
Participants recognized in the October 2011 UFC Encyclopedia include:
- Fight of the Night: Eugene Jackson vs. Keiichiro Yamamiya
- Knockout of the Night: Pedro Rizzo (defeated Tsuyoshi Kosaka)