UFC 28
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Mixed martial arts promotion |
| Founded | November 12, 1993 |
| Headquarters | Las Vegas , United States |
| Products | Mixed martial arts events |
| Owner | Zuffa LLC (after UFC 29) |
| Website | ufc |
UFC 28: High Stakes was a mixed martial arts competition organized by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on November 17, 2000, at the Mark G. Etess Arena located in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
History
This event marked the inaugural UFC show to receive approval from the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board (NJSACB), which began regulating MMA contests starting September 2000 after evaluating promoters' regulations. This regulatory involvement paved the way for the establishment of the "Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts" in April 2001, which have since become the authoritative guidelines for professional MMA across North America.
Taking place in New Jersey, UFC 28 was the first UFC event hosted in a northern state since UFC 7. The newly sanctioned rules mandated fighters to wear only trunks and gloves. The event introduced defined weight divisions and showcased the sole UFC Super Heavyweight matchup featuring Josh Barnett against Gan McGee. Prior to this, the initial UFC Bantamweight contest had been held at UFC 26.
The headline fight highlighted the comeback of former Heavyweight Champion Randy Couture, who regained his championship by overcoming Kevin Randleman. UFC 28 also marked the debut of prominent fighters such as Andrei Arlovski, Renato "Babalu" Sobral, Chris Lytle, Barnett, and McGee, alongside one-time appearances from Alex Stiebling, Ben Earwood, Aaron Brink, and Mark Hughes.
Although all 5,000 tickets were sold out, UFC 28 experienced limited pay-per-view distribution. It was also the sixth straight UFC event without a home video or DVD release due to parent company SEG approaching bankruptcy. This event represented SEG's final United States show before transferring ownership of the UFC to Zuffa LLC after UFC 29 in Japan.
Encyclopedia awards
Recognitions presented in the October 2011 publication UFC Encyclopedia include:
- Fight of the Night: Randy Couture vs. Kevin Randleman
- Knockout of the Night: Jens Pulver
- Submission of the Night: Andrei Arlovski