UFC 111

Background

The UFC Primetime series returned to build up the UFC Welterweight Championship fight between GSP and Dan Hardy. It was the first time a British fighter had ever fought for a UFC title.

Martin Kampmann was originally set to fight Ben Saunders, but Kampmann was replaced by Jake Ellenberger, due to a deep cut suffered in training by Kampmann.

Ricardo Funch was forced to pull out of a fight against Matthew Riddle for an undisclosed reason. UFC newcomer Greg Soto was his replacement.

Spike TV broadcast three preliminary bouts one hour before the live PPV broadcast began.

This event was seen in movie theaters throughout the United States via National CineMedia's Fathom event distribution service. Also, it was shown at the Cineplex Odeon chain in Canada.

On March 10, 2010 it was announced that the event was officially sold out.

There was also some controversy that the UFC airbrushed Hardy's tattoo which reads "om mani padme hum" for their promotional poster. UFC president Dana White later admitted that this was done so as to not provoke the Chinese government.

On March 25, 2010 Thiago Alves was removed from the card due to brain irregularity from a pre-fight CAT scan. After learning of the removal, Ben Saunders, who was scheduled to fight Jake Ellenberger, requested Alves's opponent, Jon Fitch, and subsequently replaced Ellenberger on the card. As a result, Ellenberger did not compete but received his "show" and "win" money to make up for the last minute switch. The fight between Kurt Pellegrino and Fabricio Camoes was moved up to the main card as a result of the cancellation.

On March 26 at the official weigh-ins, Rory Markham weighed 177 lb. He forfeited $1,000 (12.5% of his purse) to Nate Diaz.

Results

|Welterweight |Georges St-Pierre (c) |def. |Dan Hardy |Decision (unanimous) (50–43, 50–44, 50–45) |5 |5:00 |For the UFC Welterweight Championship. |Heavyweight |Shane Carwin |def. |Frank Mir |KO (punches) |1 |3:48 |For the interim UFC Heavyweight Championship. |Lightweight |Kurt Pellegrino |def. |Fabrício Camões |Submission (rear-naked choke) |2 |4:20 | |Welterweight |Jon Fitch |def. |Ben Saunders |Decision (unanimous) (30–27, 30–27, 30–27) |3 |5:00 | |Lightweight |Jim Miller |def. |Mark Bocek |Decision (unanimous) (29–28, 29–28, 29–28) |3 |5:00 | |Catchweight (177 lb) |Nate Diaz |def. |Rory Markham |TKO (punches) |1 |2:47 | |Welterweight |Ricardo Almeida |def. |Matt Brown |Submission (rear-naked choke) |2 |3:30 | |Middleweight |Rousimar Palhares |def. |Tomasz Drwal |Submission (heel hook) |1 |0:45 |Palhares was suspended for 90 days following the fight for failing to release the submission after the stoppage. |Light Heavyweight |Jared Hamman |def. |Rodney Wallace |Decision (unanimous) (29–28, 29–28, 29–28) |3 |5:00 | |Welterweight |Matthew Riddle |def. |Greg Soto |DQ (illegal upkick) |3 |1:30 |

Bonus awards

The following fighters received $65,000 bonuses:

• Fight of the Night: Rodney Wallace vs. Jared Hamman
• Knockout of the Night: Shane Carwin
• Submission of the Night: Kurt Pellegrino

Television rating

The preliminary bouts shown on Spike TV at 9 pm EST drew a series-low of 1.2 million viewers, and coincided with the Elite Eight round of the NCAA basketball tournament.

References

References

1. (March 28, 2010). "New Jersey's UFC 111 event draws 17,000 attendance and $4 million live gate". mmajunkie.com.
2. "MMAPayout.com Blue Book".
3. "UFC 111". ufc.com.
4. "Spike TV brings back "UFC Primetime" series for UFC 111's GSP vs. Har…".
5. "Kampmann out of UFC 111, Ellenberger faces Saunders at UFC 111". mmajunkie.com.
6. "Ricardo Funch off UFC 111 prelim card, newcomer Greg Soto to meet Matthew Riddle | MMAjunkie.com".
7. "Spike's "UFC Prelim" broadcast returns for "UFC 111: St-Pierre vs. Hardy" in March {{!}} MMAjunkie.com".
8. "Unknown".
9. "UFC 118: Edgar vs. Penn 2".
10. "Tckets sold out for UFC 111 in New Jersey".
11. "Cagewriter".
12. "Alves out of UFC 111 due to failed CT scan, Pellegrino vs. Camoes promoted to PPV {{!}} MMAjunkie.com".
13. "Jon Fitch replaces Jake Ellenberger, meets Ben Saunders on UFC 111 main card {{!}} MMAjunkie.com".
14. "The Weekly Wrap: March 27 - April 2 - Top Story".
15. (2010-03-28). "UFC 111 bonuses: Carwin, Pellegrino, Hamman and Wallace earn $65K each". MMAjunkie.
16. (March 30, 2010). "UFC 111's "UFC Prelims" broadcast draws 1.2 million viewers, ratings dip". MMAjunkie.com.