UFC 8

UFC 8 was the first UFC event located outside of the Continental United States. It featured an eight-man tournament, and a UFC Superfight Championship fight between reigning UFC champion Ken Shamrock and Kimo Leopoldo. The event also featured one alternate fight, which was not shown on the live pay-per-view broadcast. The tournament had no weight classes, or weight limits. A 10-minute time limit was imposed for all matches in the tournament except Superfight and final (15 minutes).

The event's matchups pitted larger fighters against smaller fighters, hence the term "David vs. Goliath".

Local promoter for the historical first and only professional mixed martial arts event was Richy Miranda-Cortese, whose company Sports & Entertainment Ltd had to take local Government officials to Federal Court in order to avoid cancellation of the event by the Government. Among those government officials was Governor Pedro Rosselló and Sports and Recreation Director Erick Labrador. The presentation of the event developed into a new boxing commission rules and regulations and Imposition of a banning Law that was later overturned after Miranda-Cortese fought it in court.

The tournament championship fight featured Don Frye against Gary Goodridge, with Frye taking the victory when Goodridge tapped out.

Just days before the show, the Puerto Rican government made a ruling banning the event. Two days before the card, Cablevision became the first major carrier, of what over the next few years would become nearly every major cable system in North America, to ban the show, stating it never expected to air UFC or similar type of programming ever again.

The event is also notable as being the first MMA event to draw criticism, including Michigan politician Calvin McCard’s on site protests at UFC 8. These protests would spark the nationwide movement against MMA in 1996, spearheaded by Arizona Senator John McCain, which would later temporarily push the sport in the United States underground in 1997.{{cite web |url=http://www.grapplearts.com/Mixed-Martial-Arts-3.htm |title=Mixed Martial Arts: Ultimate Sport, or Ultimately Illegal? Part 3 |publisher=grapplearts.com | last=Walter | first=Donald F. Jr. |date=2008-12-12 |access-date=2012-07-26}}

{{MMAevent}}

{{MMAevent card|Superfight Championship}}

{{MMAevent bout

| N/A

| Ken Shamrock (c)

| def.

| Kimo Leopoldo

| Submission (kneebar)

|

| 4:24

| Shamrock defended the UFC Superfight Championship.

}}

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

{{MMAevent bout

| N/A

| Don Frye

| def.

| Gary Goodridge

| TKO (submission to punches)

|

| 2:14

|

}}

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

{{MMAevent bout

| N/A

| Don Frye

| def.

| Sam Adkins

| TKO (doctor stoppage)

|

| 0:48

| Adkins replaced Paul Varelans, who was injured in his Quarterfinal bout.

}}

{{MMAevent bout

| N/A

| Gary Goodridge

| def.

| Jerry Bohlander

| TKO (punches)

|

| 5:31

|

}}

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

{{MMAevent bout

| N/A

| Don Frye

| def.

| Thomas Ramirez

| KO (punch)

|

| 0:08

|

}}

{{MMAevent bout

| N/A

| Paul Varelans

| def.

| Joe Moreira

| Decision (unanimous)

|

| 10:00

| Due to a broken foot sustained in this fight, Varelans was unable to continue in the tournament and was replaced by Sam Adkins.

}}

{{MMAevent bout

| N/A

| Jerry Bohlander

| def.

| Scott Ferrozzo

| Submission (guillotine choke)

|

| 9:03

|

}}

{{MMAevent bout

| N/A

| Gary Goodridge

| def.

| Paul Herrera

| KO (elbows)

|

| 0:13

|

}}

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

{{MMAevent bout

| N/A

| Sam Adkins

| def.

| Keith Mielke

| TKO (submission to punches)

|

| 0:50

|

}}

{{MMAevent end|notes = yes}}

{{8TeamBracket | RD1=Quarterfinals| RD2=Semifinals| RD3=Finals

| RD1-seed1=

| RD1-seed2=

| RD1-team1={{flagicon|USA}} Don Frye (Wrestling)

| RD1-team2={{flagicon|Puerto Rico}} Thomas Ramirez (Baguazhang)

| RD1-score1=KO

| RD1-score2=0:08

| RD1-seed3=

| RD1-seed4=

| RD1-team3={{flagicon|USA}} Paul Varelans (Wrestling)

| RD1-team4={{flagicon|BRA}} Joe Moreira (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu)

| RD1-score3=DEC

| RD1-score4=10:00

| RD1-seed5=

| RD1-seed6=

| RD1-team5={{flagicon|USA}} Jerry Bohlander (Shootfighting)

| RD1-team6={{flagicon|USA}} Scott Ferrozzo (Wrestling)

| RD1-score5=SUB

| RD1-score6=9:03

| RD1-seed7=

| RD1-seed8=

| RD1-team7={{flagicon|Trinidad and Tobago}} Gary Goodridge (Kuk Sool Won)

| RD1-team8={{flagicon|USA}} Paul Herrera (Wrestling)

| RD1-score7=KO

| RD1-score8=0:13

| RD2-seed1=

| RD2-seed2=

| RD2-team1={{flagicon|USA}} Don Frye

| RD2-team2={{flagicon|USA}} Sam Adkins *

| RD2-score1=TKO

| RD2-score2=0:48

| RD2-seed3=

| RD2-seed4=

| RD2-team3={{flagicon|USA}} Jerry Bohlander

| RD2-team4={{flagicon|Trinidad and Tobago}} Gary Goodridge

| RD2-score3=5:31

| RD2-score4=TKO

| RD3-seed1=

| RD3-seed2=

| RD3-team1={{flagicon|USA}} Don Frye

| RD3-team2={{flagicon|Trinidad and Tobago}} Gary Goodridge

| RD3-score1=SUB

| RD3-score2=2:14

}}

• Due to injury sustained in this fight, Varelans was unable to continue in the tournament and was replaced by Sam Adkins.

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= 156|isbn=978-0756683610}}

• Fight of the Night: Gary Goodridge vs. Jerry Bohlander
• Knockout of the Night: Gary Goodridge {{small|def. Paul Herrera}}
• Submission of the Night: Jerry Bohlander {{small|def. Scott Ferrozzo}}

• Ultimate Fighting Championship
• List of UFC champions
• List of UFC events
• 1996 in UFC

{{Reflist}}

• [http://www.sherdog.com/events/UFC-8-David-vs-Goliath-15 UFC 8 Results from Sherdog.com]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20090910061506/http://www.411mania.com/MMA/video_reviews/54877/History-of-the-UFC:-UFC-VIII---David-vs-Goliath.htm UFC 8 fights reviews]
• [http://www.ufc.com Official UFC website]

{{UFC Events}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ufc 008}}

Category:Ultimate Fighting Championship flagship events

Category:1996 in mixed martial arts

Category:Mixed martial arts in Puerto Rico

Category:1996 in Puerto Rican sports