Finally, after 20 years, the Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to Miami Dade County.
UFC 287, which is set to be headlined by the middleweight title rematch between Alex Pereira vs. Israel Adesanya, is the promotion’s first show in “the 305” since “UFC 42: Sudden Impact.” That night, April 25, 2003, not only marked the UFC’s first time in Miami but also the organization’s first-ever show in Florida. So, as we draw closer to UFC 287, I thought it would be fun to look back at the UFC’s first night in “The Magic City.”
The name
UFC 42 happened in an era when the organization attached names to almost all its pay-per-views. This trend mostly lasted during the early 2000s and hasn’t been done since “UFC 125: Resolution” in 2011. And I must admit, as cringy as they may have been, as a fan from this era, it’s a trend I sometimes miss. The name attached to UFC 42 was “Sudden Impact.” While I couldn’t find any clear or credible reasons for the name, personally it carries a lot of nostalgia for me, as “UFC: Sudden Impact” the video game played a huge part in my early UFC fandom. Ironically, that game featured Phil Baroni on the cover who, as we’ll get to later, played a huge part in the UFC’s first-ever Miami event.
The venue
UFC 42 took place in the same venue set to host UFC 287, Miami-Dade Arena. However, back in 2003, it was then called American Airlines Arena. The venue was, and still is, the home of the Miami Heat. That night, 6,700 UFC fans showed up in attendance to see UFC 42. Miami-Dade Arena’s official website says the venue can hold up to 20,000 spectators. Given the growth of the sport over the last 20 years, a massive title rematch in the main event, and hometown legend Jorge Masvidal on the bill, it’s safe to say UFC 287 will shatter the organization’s Miami attendance record set by UFC 42.
The commentary
Remember when I said Baroni had a bigger part to play? UFC 42 featured a two-man commentary team, which was comprised of Joe Rogan, and you guessed it, “The New York Bad Ass.” Rogan, over the years, has moved to a more color commentary role, but on this night, it was Baroni who assumed those duties, with Rogan calling the play-by-play action.
Baroni’s dealings with the UFC are long over, however, Rogan is still very much expected be a part of UFC 287. Though his commentary schedule has slimmed down in recent years, you’d have to assume getting Rogan back on the cans 20 years removed from that first night in Florida would be a must for the UFC, and Rogan himself. Also, part of the broadcast team back in 2003 was expert analyst Eddie Bravo, and Lisa Dergan, who handled the in-ring interviews.
The ring announcer
C’mon! You know what time it is. “The Buff.” Enough said.
The referees
Four men were on assignment at UFC 42 to handle refereeing duties. They were James Warring, Larry Landless, Jorge Alonso, and the legend himself, “Big” John McCarthy. The thing I found most interesting was of the eight bouts on this card, McCarthy officiated five of them, while the other three oversaw just one fight each. Even more notable, was that “Big” John was the referee for back-to-back bouts in the main and co-main events, a practice we don’t see anymore in the modern UFC.
The fighters
The marquee fight for UFC 42 was the defending welterweight champion Matt Hughes vs. “The Muscle Shark” Sean Sherk. Hughes was defending his welterweight title for the fourth time, while the challenger, Sherk, came in with an unbeaten record of 19-0-1. Hughes would go on to win the five-round main event by unanimous decision, where he largely leaned on his takedowns to rack up a total of 15 minutes in control time. It wasn’t the most exciting 25 minutes of fighting you’ll ever watch, but it was a very dominant performance by the champion.
The co-main event featured another very familiar name, as Robbie Lawler faced Pete Spratt. Sporting a full head of hair, the 21-year-old Lawler lost the fight after a couple of heavy Spratt leg kicks in the first round forced “Ruthless” to verbally call off the fight in round 2. We should all take a moment to appreciate the legend of Lawler. To still be an active fighter 20 years later is no easy feat. He is the only fighter from this Miami card still active today. I also want to interject I loved the ad read at the beginning of this fight telling fans to go to UFC.tv for online scoring. Yes, I was a fan during the “.tv” days.
UFC 42 was also The UFC debut for future middleweight champion and Hall of Famer Rich “Ace” Franklin. That night Franklin, won his promotional debut over Evan Tanner via first-round TKO. These two would eventually square off in a rematch two years later, when Franklin would again defeat Tanner to capture the middleweight title.
Another debutant making his promotional debut that night was Duane “Bang” Ludwig. These were also the days when fighters would sometimes leave off their first names and just go by their nicknames followed by their surname. So, “Bang” Ludwig, as he was introduced, won his UFC debut that night over Genki Sudo. This fight might be worth your time to rewatch. Sudo was a wild man and started this fight by immediately turning his back to Ludwig and dancing around the cage.
I’d also be remised if I didn’t mention a personal favorite of mine who also fought on this card, Wesley “Cabbage” Correira. “Cabbage” was always an entertaining watch and had a chin from hell. He would eat punches until either himself or his opponent hit the mat. On this night, in Dade County, Correira put on one of his patented performances and defeated Sean Alvarez by second-round TKO.
The truth
In all honesty, “UFC 42: Sudden Impact” is probably an event that we would have normally forgotten about. Though some legends used these battles to help shape their legacies, it wasn’t one for the history books. But the significance of almost 20 years to the date is hard to ignore. Just think of the renaissance that has happened in the sport since that last event. And now, on the cusp of the biggest middleweight title rematch since Anderson Silva vs. Chris Weidman, UFC 287 has a chance to change the perspective and leave a mark on South Florida forever. The story of the UFC in Miami changes this Saturday, but for fans in the 305, I hope it isn’t another 20 years before they can add the next chapter.
