UFC 15

UFC 15 was headlined by a UFC Heavyweight Championship bout between Maurice Smith and Tank Abbott. Abbott was brought in as a last-minute replacement for Dan Severn, who couldn't fight because of an injured hand.

UFC 15 featured a Superfight between Randy Couture and Vitor Belfort, a Heavyweight Tournament, and two alternate bouts. The Superfight was billed as a Heavyweight Title Elimination bout, which can be described as a #1 Contender's match, meaning the winner would advance to compete for the UFC Heavyweight Championship at the next event, UFC Japan.

The show also marked the last event to feature Bruce Beck, who had been the main play-by-play announcer starting with UFC 4. He was replaced by Mike Goldberg in UFC Japan.

Collision Course marked a major change in the UFC's rules, with limitations set on permissible striking areas. Headbutts, groin strikes, strikes to the back of the neck and head, knees to a downed opponent, head stomps, kicks to a downed opponent, small joint manipulation, and hair pulling all became officially illegal.

{{MMAevent}}

{{MMAevent card|Heavyweight Championship}}

{{MMAevent bout

|Heavyweight

|Maurice Smith (c)

|def.

|Tank Abbott

|TKO (leg kicks)

|

|8:08

|For the UFC Heavyweight Championship.

}}

{{MMAevent card|Heavyweight Superfight|header=no}}

{{MMAevent bout

|Heavyweight

|Randy Couture

|def.

|Vitor Belfort

|TKO (punches)

|

|8:16

|

}}

{{MMAevent card|Finals|header=no}}

{{MMAevent bout

|Heavyweight

|Mark Kerr

|def.

|Dwayne Cason

|Submission (rear-naked choke)

|

|0:53

|Cason replaced Dave Beneteau who could not continue due to fatigue.

}}

{{MMAevent card|Semifinals|header=no}}

{{MMAevent bout

|Heavyweight

|Mark Kerr

|def.

|Greg Stott

|KO (knee)

|

|0:17

|

}}

{{MMAevent bout

|Heavyweight

|Dave Beneteau

|def.

|Carlos Barreto

|Decision (unanimous)

|

|15:00

|Due to fatigue, Beneteau was unable to continue in the tournament.

}}

{{MMAevent card|Alternate bouts|header=no}}

{{MMAevent bout

|Heavyweight

|Alex Hunter

|def.

|Harry Moskowitz

|Decision (split)

|

|12:00

|

}}

{{MMAevent bout

|Heavyweight

|Dwayne Cason

|def.

|Houston Dorr

|TKO (punches)

|

|3:43

|

}}

{{MMAevent end|notes = yes}}

{{4TeamBracket | RD1=Semifinals| RD2=Finals

| RD1-seed1=

| RD1-seed2=

| RD1-team1={{flagicon|USA}} Mark Kerr

| RD1-team2={{flagicon|USA}}Greg Stott

| RD1-score1=KO

| RD1-score2=0:17

| RD1-seed3=

| RD1-seed4=

| RD1-team3={{flagicon|CAN}} Dave Beneteau

| RD1-team4={{flagicon|BRA}} Carlos Barreto

| RD1-score3=DEC

| RD1-score4=15:00

| RD2-seed1=

| RD2-seed2=

| RD2-team1={{flagicon|USA}} Mark Kerr

| RD2-team2={{flagicon|USA}} Dwayne Cason¹

| RD2-score1=SUB

| RD2-score2=0:53

}}

¹ Dwayne Cason replaced Dave Beneteau who withdrew due to fatigue.

The following fighters were honored in the October 2011 book titled UFC Encyclopedia.{{cite book |last= Gerbasi|first= Thomas|date= 2011-10-17|title= UFC Encyclopedia - The Definitive Guide to the Ultimate Fighting Championship|location= New York|publisher= DK|page= 164|isbn=978-0756683610}}

• Fight of the Night: Randy Couture vs. Vitor Belfort
• Knockout of the Night: Mark Kerr {{small|def. Greg Stott}}
• Submission of the Night: Mark Kerr {{small|def. Dwayne Cason}}

• Ultimate Fighting Championship
• List of UFC champions
• List of UFC events
• 1997 in UFC

{{Reflist}}

• [http://www.ufc.com Official UFC website]
• [http://www.sherdog.com/events/UFC-15-Collision-Course-23 UFC 15 results at Sherdog.com]
• [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0485281/ UFC 15 IMDb Entry]

{{UFC Events}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ufc 015}}

Category:Ultimate Fighting Championship flagship events

Category:1997 in mixed martial arts

Category:Mixed martial arts in Mississippi

Category:Sports in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi

Category:1997 in sports in Mississippi