UFC 9: Motor City Madness was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on May 17, 1996, at the Cobo Arena in Detroit, Michigan. The event was seen live on pay-per-view in the United States, and later released on home video.

UFC 9: Shamrock vs. Severn 2
The poster for UFC 9: Shamrock vs. Severn 2
PromotionUltimate Fighting Championship
DateMay 17, 1996
VenueCobo Arena
CityDetroit, Michigan
Attendance10,000
Buyrate141,000
Event chronology
UFC 8: David vs. Goliath UFC 9: Shamrock vs. Severn 2 UFC 10: The Tournament

History

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UFC 9 was the first UFC production not to feature the tournament format (which was brought back by popular demand at UFC 10). Instead, it featured an entire card of regular bouts. The card featured seven bouts and an alternate bout to fill time for the pay-per-view broadcast.

The main event was the highly anticipated rematch between reigning UFC Superfight Champion Ken Shamrock and number one contender Dan Severn, who had fought one year earlier at UFC 6 for the UFC Superfight Championship, with Shamrock reigning victorious.

The UFC drew national criticism leading up to the event, due in large part to Arizona Senator John McCain's letter writing campaign against the "brutal spectacle" of no holds barred fighting.[1] After a legal battle in the Detroit courts up until 4:30 p.m. on the day of the show, the UFC was allowed to continue, but with modified rules.

The special rules included no closed fisted strikes to the head and no headbutts – a rule that referee John McCarthy attempted to enforce, but with little success. Before the show, fighters were warned not to use closed fisted strikes under penalty of arrest. Although many fights that night included closed fisted striking, no fighters were arrested.

Due in part to this special rule, the Superfight between Dan Severn and Ken Shamrock is widely considered one of the worst MMA fights of all time, with the fighters circling each other for nearly 20 minutes with little or no contact.[2][3]

Aftermath

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Following the legal battle over UFC 9, Senator John McCain was successful in pulling UFC pay-per-view broadcasts from numerous cable systems, including TCI cable, which greatly hurt pay-per-view buy rates.[1]

Results

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Superfight Championship
Weight class Method Round Time Notes
N/A Dan Severn def. Ken Shamrock (c) Split decision 30:00 [a]
Main Card
N/A Steve Nelmark def. Tai Bowden TKO (doctor stoppage) 7:25
N/A Cal Worsham def. Zane Frazier TKO (punches) 3:14
N/A Rafael Carino def. Matt Andersen TKO (punches) 5:32
N/A Mark Schultz def. Gary Goodridge TKO (cut) 12:00
N/A Mark Hall def. Koji Kitao TKO (doctor stoppage - broken nose) 0:40
N/A Don Frye def. Amaury Bitetti TKO (punches) 9:22

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Mixed Martial Arts: Ultimate Sport, or Ultimately Illegal? Part 3 - Grapplearts". 12 December 2008. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  2. ^ "The secret story behind the worst UFC fight ever". Retrieved 28 August 2018.
  3. ^ "Revisiting UFC 9: The Night MMA Lost Its Punches - FIGHTLAND". Retrieved 28 August 2018.
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