UFC 70
| Industry | Mixed martial arts event |
|---|---|
| Founded | April 21, 2007 |
| Headquarters | Manchester , United Kingdom |
Area served | United Kingdom, Ireland, North America |
| Products | Mixed martial arts fights, pay-per-view broadcasts |
UFC 70: Nations Collide marked the second occasion the UFC hosted an event in the United Kingdom and was the inaugural UFC event held in Manchester on April 21, 2007. This event represented only the seventh time the UFC took place outside the United States and was the first international card since UFC 38. In the UK and Ireland, the fight card was broadcast live via pay-per-view through Setanta Sports.
In North America, the event aired on Spike TV, achieving a 1.84 overall rating with an audience of 2.8 million viewers, peaking at 3.5 million during the headlining bout.
Background
The headline bout featured heavyweight contender Gabriel Gonzaga facing off against Mirko Cro Cop, who was the 2006 PRIDE Open-Weight Grand Prix Champion. This matchup was arranged to decide the leading challenger for the UFC Heavyweight Championship, then held by Randy Couture.
Among other notable fights, Michael Bisping made his UFC debut in England against seasoned competitor Elvis Sinosic. Additionally, former UFC Heavyweight Champion Andrei Arlovski went up against prizefighter and Cro Cop’s training partner, future UFC Heavyweight Champion Fabrício Werdum, who also made his UFC debut at this event.
Although there were plans for UFC 70 to be broadcast on HBO, negotiations were not finalized in time. Consequently, the event was shown on Spike TV in North America at 9 pm EDT with a six-hour tape delay.
Originally, Lyoto Machida was set to compete against Forrest Griffin, but Griffin withdrew due to a staph infection and was replaced by David Heath.
Results
{{MMAevent bout |Welterweight |Jess Liaudin |def. |Dennis Siver |Submission (armbar) |1 |1:21 |}
Bonus awards
Monetary bonuses of $30,000 were awarded to fighters:
- Fight of the Night: Michael Bisping vs. Elvis Sinosic
- Knockout of the Night: Gabriel Gonzaga
- Submission of the Night: Terry Etim