UFC 66
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Mixed martial arts promotion |
| Founded | 1993 |
| Headquarters | Las Vegas , United States |
| Products | Mixed martial arts events |
| Website | www |
UFC 66: Liddell vs. Ortiz was a mixed martial arts (MMA) pay-per-view event organized by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on December 30, 2006, hosted at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Paradise, Nevada.
Background
The headline bout showcased Light Heavyweight Champion Chuck Liddell defending his belt against former titleholder Tito Ortiz, a matchup revealed during the weigh-ins for UFC 63. The featured co-main event pitted Forrest Griffin against "The Dean of Mean" Keith Jardine. This card also marked the comeback of ex-Heavyweight Champion Andrei Arlovski alongside the UFC debut of The Ultimate Fighter 3 victor Michael Bisping, competing for the first time since winning his season. Additionally, the event announced that Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic had signed with UFC and would make his debut at UFC 67.
This event was UFC's first return to MGM Grand Garden Arena since UFC 56. It nearly sold out with an attendance figure of 13,761 (12,191 paid), generating a record-breaking $5.4 million live gate—the highest ever recorded in North American MMA—exceeding UFC 57 by more than $2 million. The pay-per-view buys reached approximately 1.05 million, setting a new UFC record for PPV sales at that time. The total disclosed fighter payroll amounted to $767,000.
Results
{{MMAevent bout |Welterweight |Thiago Alves |def. |Tony DeSouza |KO (knee) |2 |1:10 |} {{MMAevent bout |Heavyweight |Gabriel Gonzaga |def. |Carmelo Marrero |Submission (armbar) |1 |3:22 |} {{MMAevent bout |Middleweight |Yushin Okami |def. |Rory Singer |TKO (submission to punches) |3 |4:03 |} {{MMAevent bout |Heavyweight |Christian Wellisch |def. |Anthony Perosh |Decision (unanimous) (29–28, 29–27, 29–28) |3 |5:00 |}
Bonus awards
- Fight of the Night: Chuck Liddell vs. Tito Ortiz
- Knockout of the Night: Keith Jardine
- Submission of the Night: Jason MacDonald
Reported salaries
The total reported fighter compensation was $767,000.
- Chuck Liddell: $250,000
- Tito Ortiz: $210,000
- Andrei Arlovski: $145,000
- Michael Bisping: $24,000
- Thiago Alves: $22,000
- Gabriel Gonzaga: $18,000
- Forrest Griffin: $16,000
- Yushin Okami: $16,000
- Keith Jardine: $14,000
- Jason MacDonald: $10,000
- Chris Leben: $7,000
- Tony DeSouza: $7,000
- Christian Wellisch: $6,000
- Marcio Cruz: $5,000
- Carmelo Marrero: $5,000
- Rory Singer: $5,000
- Eric Schafer: $4,000
- Anthony Perosh: $3,000
It is important to note that Thiago Alves tested positive for spironolactone after the fight and received an eight-month suspension along with a $5,500 fine from the Nevada State Athletic Commission—making him the first fighter in Nevada to test positive for a diuretic.