View source for UFC 66

{{short description|UFC mixed martial arts event in 2006}}
{{Infobox MMA event
|name = UFC 66: Liddell vs. Ortiz
|image = UFC 66 Poster.jpg
|promotion = [[Ultimate Fighting Championship]]
|date = December 30, 2006
|venue = [[MGM Grand Garden Arena]]
|city = [[Paradise, Nevada]]
|attendance = 13,761 (12,191 paid)<ref name="ufc 148">{{cite web |url=http://mmajunkie.com/news/29571/ufc-148-attendancegate.mma |title=UFC 148 draws a reported 15,016 attendance for $7 million live gate |date=2012-07-08 |access-date=2012-08-01 |publisher=mmajunkie.com}}</ref>
|gate = $5,397,300<ref name="ufc 148"/>
|buyrate = 1,050,000<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mmaweekly.com/ufc-ppv-revenue-tops-200-million-in-2006-2 |title=UFC PPV REVENUE TOPS $200 MILLION IN 2006 |last=Trembow |first=Ivan |date=2007-03-01 |access-date=2012-08-01 |publisher=mmaweekly.com}}</ref>
|purse = $767,000 (disclosed)<ref name="salaries">{{cite web |url=http://www.mmaweekly.com/fighter-salaries-for-ufc-66-ufc-fight-night-7-2 |title=FIGHTER SALARIES FOR UFC 66 & UFC FIGHT NIGHT 7 |publisher=mmaweekly.com |date=2007-01-03 |access-date=2012-08-01 |last=Trembow |first=Ivan}}</ref>
|previousevent = [[UFC Fight Night: Sanchez vs. Riggs]]
|followingevent = [[UFC Fight Night: Evans vs. Salmon]]
}}
'''''UFC 66: Liddell vs. Ortiz''''' was a [[mixed martial arts]] (MMA) [[pay-per-view]] event held by the [[Ultimate Fighting Championship]] on December 30, 2006 at the [[MGM Grand Garden Arena]] in the [[Las Vegas]] suburb of [[Paradise, Nevada]].
==Background==
''UFC 66'''s main event was a championship fight with two of the UFC's biggest light heavyweight stars, Light Heavyweight Champion [[Chuck Liddell]] defending his title against former champion [[Tito Ortiz]]. This fight was first announced by Ortiz at the ''[[UFC 63]]'' weigh-ins on September 22, 2006.<ref name="card-announcement">{{cite web |url=http://sports.bostonherald.com/ufc/view.bg?articleid=159007 |title=Future looks 'Icy' for Ortiz |publisher=Boston Herald |access-date=2012-08-01}}</ref>
The co-main event saw [[Forrest Griffin]] take on "The Dean of Mean" [[Keith Jardine]]. The card also saw the return of former Heavyweight Champion [[Andrei Arlovski]] and [[The Ultimate Fighter 3]] winner [[Michael Bisping]]'s first bout in the UFC since winning that season. During the event, it was made official that [[Mirko Filipović|Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic]] had signed a contract with the UFC, and would make his debut with the organization at ''[[UFC 67]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mmaweekly.com/ufc-confirms-cro-cops-signing-a-look-at-title-pictures-2 |title=UFC CONFIRMS CRO COP'S SIGNING; A LOOK AT TITLE PICTURES |last=Trembow |first=Ivan |date=2006-12-31 |access-date=2012-08-01 |publisher=mmaweekly.com}}</ref>
The event was the UFC's first show at [[MGM Grand Arena]] since ''[[UFC 56]]'', and was nearly sold-out, producing the highest live gate revenue in North American mixed martial arts history,<ref name="ufc 148"/> extending the previous record at ''[[UFC 57]]'' by over $2,000,000 ([[USD]]). At the time, it was estimated to be the UFC's biggest pay-per-view success with just over 1 million buys.<ref name="UFC66buyrate">{{cite web |url=http://blogs.chron.com/fighting/2006/12/ufc_66_to_make_mma_history.html |title=UFC 66 To Make MMA History |publisher=chron.com |last=Sievert |first=Steve |access-date=2012-08-01 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090114073630/http://blogs.chron.com/fighting/2006/12/ufc_66_to_make_mma_history.html |archive-date=2009-01-14 }}</ref>
The disclosed fighter payroll for the event was $767,000.<ref name="salaries"/>
==Results==
{{MMAevent}}
{{MMAevent card|Main Card}}
{{MMAevent bout
|Light Heavyweight
|[[Chuck Liddell]] (c)
|def.
|[[Tito Ortiz]]
|TKO (punches)
|3
|3:59
| For the [[List of UFC champions#Light Heavyweight Championship|UFC Light Heavyweight Championship]]
}}
{{MMAevent bout
|Light Heavyweight
|[[Keith Jardine]]
|def.
|[[Forrest Griffin]]
|TKO (punches)
|1
|4:41
|
}}
{{MMAevent bout
|Middleweight
|[[Jason MacDonald]]
|def.
|[[Chris Leben]]
|Submission (guillotine choke)
|2
|4:03
|
}}
{{MMAevent bout
|Heavyweight
|[[Andrei Arlovski]]
|def.
|[[Márcio Cruz]]
|KO (punches)
|1
|3:15
|
}}
{{MMAevent bout
|Light Heavyweight
|[[Michael Bisping]]
|def.
|[[Eric Schafer]]
|TKO (punches)
|1
|4:24
|
}}
{{MMAevent card|Preliminary Card|header=no}}
{{MMAevent bout
|Welterweight
|[[Thiago Alves (fighter)|Thiago Alves]]
|def.
|[[Tony DeSouza]]
|KO (knee)
|2
|1:10
| This bout aired on the PPV broadcast following the Griffin vs. Jardine fight. After the fight Alves tested positive for [[spironolactone]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mmaweekly.com/in-depth-commission-hearings-for-randleman-yvel-alves-toughill-carvalho-2 |title=In-Depth: Commission Hearings For Randleman, Yvel, Alves, Toughill, & Carvalho |publisher=mmaweekly.com |date=2007-02-16 |access-date=2012-08-01 |last=Trembow |first=Ivan}}</ref> He was fined $5,500 by the NSAC and suspended for eight months.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://mmajunkie.com/news/1949/thiago-alves-suspended-eight-months-fined-5500-by-nsac.mma |title=Thiago Alves Suspended Eight Months, Fined $5,500 by NSAC |last=Stupp |first=Dan |date=2007-02-16 |access-date=2012-08-01 |publisher=mmajunkie.com}}</ref> Alves is the first fighter in Nevada to ever test positive for a [[diuretic]].
}}
{{MMAevent bout
|Heavyweight
|[[Gabriel Gonzaga]]
|def.
|[[Carmelo Marrero]]
|Submission (armbar)
|1
|3:22
| This bout aired last on the PPV broadcast following the Liddell vs. Ortiz fight.
}}
{{MMAevent bout
|Middleweight
|[[Yushin Okami]]
|def.
|[[Rory Singer]]
|Submission (punches)
|3
|4:03
|
}}
{{MMAevent bout
|Heavyweight
|[[Christian Wellisch]]
|def.
|[[Anthony Perosh]]
|Decision (unanimous) (29–28, 29–27, 29–28)
|3
|5:00
|
}}
{{MMAevent end|notes = yes}}
==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==
UFC 66 Fighters' Salaries:<ref name="salaries"/>
*Chuck Liddell: '''$250,000''' ($250,000 to fight; no win bonus)
*Tito Ortiz: '''$210,000''' ($210,000 to fight; no win bonus)
*Andrei Arlovski: '''$145,000''' ($90,000 to fight; $55,000 win bonus)
*Michael Bisping: '''$24,000''' ($12,000 to fight; $12,000 win bonus)
*Thiago Alves: '''$22,000''' ($11,000 to fight; $11,000 win bonus)
*Gabriel Gonzaga: '''$18,000''' ($9,000 to fight; $9,000 win bonus)
*Forrest Griffin: '''$16,000''' ($16,000 to fight; no win bonus)
*Yushin Okami: '''$16,000''' ($8,000 to fight; $8,000 win bonus)
*Keith Jardine: '''$14,000''' ($7,000 to fight; $7,000 win bonus)
*Jason MacDonald: '''$10,000''' ($5,000 to fight; $5,000 win bonus)
*Chris Leben: '''$7,000''' ($7,000 to fight; no win bonus)
*Tony DeSouza: '''$7,000''' ($7,000 to fight; no win bonus)
*Christian Wellisch: '''$6,000''' ($3,000 to fight; $3,000 win bonus)
*Marcio Cruz: '''$5,000''' ($5,000 to fight; no win bonus)
*Carmelo Marrero: '''$5,000''' ($5,000 to fight; no win bonus)
*Rory Singer: '''$5,000''' ($5,000 to fight; no win bonus)
*Eric Schafer: '''$4,000''' ($4,000 to fight; no win bonus)
*Anthony Perosh: '''$3,000''' ($3,000 to fight; no win bonus)
==See also==
* [[Ultimate Fighting Championship]]
* [[List of UFC champions]]
* [[List of UFC events]]
* [[2006 in UFC]]
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20061123054345/http://66.ufc.com/ Official UFC 66 website]
*[http://www.ufc.com/index.cfm?fa=EventDetail.FightCard&eid=326 Official UFC 66 Fight Card]
*[http://www.mmahq.com/2006/12/28/ufc-66-preview UFC 66 Fight Previews]
{{UFC Events}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ufc 066}}
[[Category:Ultimate Fighting Championship flagship events]]
[[Category:2006 in mixed martial arts]]
[[Category:2006 in sports in Nevada]]
[[Category:Ultimate Fighting Championship events at MGM Grand Garden Arena]]
[[Category:December 2006 sports events in the United States]]