UFC 5
| Industry | Mixed martial arts promotion |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1993 |
| Founder | Rorion Gracie, Art Davie |
| Headquarters | Las Vegas , United States |
| Products | Mixed martial arts events |
| Website | www |
UFC 5: The Return of the Beast was a mixed martial arts spectacle produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship, held on April 7, 1995, at Independence Arena in Charlotte, North Carolina. The event was broadcast live via pay-per-view across the United States and subsequently made available on home video.
History
The card at UFC 5 centered around an eight-competitor tournament offering a $50,000 grand prize. This installment also marked the debut of the UFC Superfight concept and featured two alternate matches that were excluded from the pay-per-view broadcast. Fighters competed without weight divisions or restrictions; bouts concluded only through submission, knockout, referee intervention, or towel throw, with no judges to decide outcomes—rules that would evolve in later UFC editions.
The headline bout was the inaugural Superfight pitting longtime adversaries Royce Gracie and Ken Shamrock against each other to crown the UFC Champion. This matchup achieved the highest pay-per-view purchase rate in UFC history up to that point. Despite substantial hype, the fight is frequently regarded as one of the least dynamic in MMA history, lasting 35 minutes with very limited offensive engagement.
UFC 5 reintroduced time constraints for matches: quarterfinals and semifinals were limited to 20 minutes, while finals and the Superfight had a 30-minute limit. The Superfight extended beyond 31 minutes and received an additional five-minute overtime before ultimately ending in a draw.
Dan Severn secured victory in the tournament final by submitting Dave Beneteau with a keylock. The event’s referee was 'Big' John McCarthy.
This edition was notable as the final appearance of UFC co-founder Rorion Gracie, reportedly due to his opposition to implementing time limits that conflicted with Brazilian jiu-jitsu’s emphasis on finishing fights decisively. Following this event, Gracie and his business associate Art Davie sold their shares in the promotion to Semaphore Entertainment Group. Royce Gracie also withdrew from competition until his comeback at UFC 60.
Time limits were introduced primarily to accommodate satellite pay-per-view broadcast schedules. The entire event lasted approximately 2 hours and 40 minutes, exceeding its planned timeframe; however, additional satellite time was purchased to cover this extension—contrasting with UFC 4, which was prematurely cut off by some providers.
At UFC 5, several fighters adopted new monikers for the first time:
- Dan Severn – The Beast
- Oleg Taktarov – The Russian Bear
- Todd Medina – El Tiburon
- Joe Charles – The Ghetto Man
- Jon Hess – The Giant With an Attitude
Results
UFC 5 bracket
1Jon Hess was penalized $2,000 for fouling and withdrew due to injury; he was replaced by Dave Beneteau.
Encyclopedia awards
The October 2011 publication UFC Encyclopedia honored these fighters:[1]
- Fight of the Night: Oleg Taktarov vs. Ernie Verdicia
- Knockout of the Night: Jon Hess def. Andy Anderson
- Submission of the Night: Oleg Taktarov def. Ernie Verdicia
See also
External links
- Detailed results for UFC 5 at Sherdog.com
- Comprehensive fight analyses of UFC 5
- Official website of the Ultimate Fighting Championship
- MMA Mental's historical overview of UFC 5
References
- ↑ Gerbasi, Thomas. UFC Encyclopedia - The Definitive Guide to the Ultimate Fighting Championship, DK, New York, 2011, p. 152.