UFC 33
| Industry | Mixed martial arts promotion |
|---|---|
| Founded | November 12, 1993 |
| Headquarters | Las Vegas , United States |
Key people | Dana White (President) |
| Products | Mixed martial arts events |
| Website | www |
UFC 33: Victory in Vegas was a mixed martial arts competition organized by the Ultimate Fighting Championship at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada on September 28, 2001. This event was broadcast live via pay-per-view across the United States and subsequently became available on home video.
History
The fight card included three championship contests: Tito Ortiz facing Vladimir Matyushenko for the Light Heavyweight Championship (following the withdrawal of Vitor Belfort due to injury), Dave Menne competing against Gil Castillo for the first-ever Middleweight Title, and Jens Pulver battling Dennis Hallman for the Lightweight Championship.
UFC 33 marked the inaugural MMA event approved by the Nevada State Athletic Commission under the newly introduced Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts, which had been formulated earlier that year by the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board.
Although notable in its regulatory significance, UFC 33 is frequently criticized as one of the least engaging UFC shows, primarily because every fight on the main card concluded with a judges' decision—an unprecedented occurrence in UFC history. The title bouts between Ortiz and Matyushenko as well as Pulver and Hallman are often described as some of the most uneventful five-round matches. Furthermore, broadcast overruns led to numerous cable providers cutting off coverage prematurely during the Ortiz-Matyushenko matchup. In response to this event, UFC modified its format by limiting live fights per card to five and refrained from scheduling three title fights on a single event for over fifteen years.
Dana White, UFC president, has consistently referred to UFC 33 in a negative light: during the UFC 111 post-fight press conference, he called it "the only one I can remember where every fight sucked"; at UFC 149, he compared another disappointing event to UFC 33; and after UFC on Fox 6 in 2013, he described it as "the worst show we've ever had." In 2024, following Power Slap 6, White again labeled UFC 33 "the worst show in UFC history," highlighting its operational shortcomings.
Encyclopedia awards
In October 2011, fighters honored in the UFC Encyclopedia included:
- Fight of the Night: Matt Serra vs. Yves Edwards
- Knockout of the Night: Jutaro Nakao
- Submission of the Night: Ricardo Almeida