UFC 47
UFC 47: It's On! was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on April 2, 2004, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.[1][2] The event was headlined by a highly anticipated light heavyweight grudge match between rivals Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz, which Liddell won by knockout via punches at 0:38 of the second round, igniting one of the most storied feuds in UFC history.[1][2] The full card consisted of eight fights across multiple weight classes, with notable results including Andrei Arlovski defeating Wesley Correira by TKO in the second round, Nick Diaz knocking out Robbie Lawler in the second round, and Genki Sudo submitting Mike Brown with a triangle choke in the first round.[2][1] UFC 47 attracted 11,437 spectators, generating a live gate of $1,444,020 and approximately 106,000 pay-per-view buys, reflecting the growing mainstream appeal of MMA during the early 2000s.[3] The pay-per-view event underscored the UFC's shift toward sanctioned, high-profile bouts and helped solidify stars like Liddell as key figures in the promotion's expansion.[1]Background
Event Planning and Promotion
UFC 47 was announced as a major pay-per-view event in early 2004, building directly on the momentum from UFC 46 and positioning itself as a showcase for top rivalries in the promotion.[4] The card was promoted under the theme "It's On!", which captured the explosive anticipation surrounding key matchups, particularly the long-simmering feud between light heavyweight contenders Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz. This slogan underscored the high-stakes nature of the bouts, emphasizing personal animosities and competitive intensity to draw in fans.[5] The promotional hype revolved heavily around the Liddell-Ortiz clash, their first professional meeting after years as training partners at the same gym, where a falling out led to intense trash-talk and prolonged negotiations that had delayed the bout from potential earlier slots.[6] Media events and press conferences amplified the bad blood, with Ortiz mocking Liddell's stand-up style and Liddell promising a knockout, creating one of the most talked-about rivalries in UFC history at the time.[7] This buildup was designed to elevate the event's profile, with projections for strong pay-per-view buys tied to the star power of the pairing.[8] Originally, the co-main event was set as a heavyweight title bout for the vacant UFC Heavyweight Championship between former champion Tim Sylvia and Andrei Arlovski, announced to headline the undercard alongside the light heavyweight showdown. However, Sylvia was pulled from the fight due to a positive drug test for the anabolic steroid stanozolol after UFC 44 in September 2003, which resulted in a six-month suspension and the vacating of his title in October 2003. Sylvia was still scheduled for the bout but was pulled weeks before the event due to lingering traces of the substance preventing clearance.[9][10] The replacement matchup pitted Arlovski against Wesley Correira, who stepped up from a preliminary slot against Mike Kyle, forcing promoters to pivot marketing efforts away from the championship allure toward the raw power and unpredictability of the revised heavyweight feature. This late change, occurring just weeks before the event, tested the promotional strategy but maintained focus on the overall theme of unresolved rivalries.[3]Key Fights and Storylines
The main event of UFC 47 featured a highly anticipated light heavyweight clash between Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz, whose rivalry had been brewing since 2002 due to personal animosity stemming from their shared training history in the early MMA scene and contrasting fighting styles—Liddell's knockout power against Ortiz's wrestling dominance.[6][7] Ortiz, who had lost his light heavyweight title to Randy Couture at UFC 44 in 2003, entered the bout seeking to reestablish himself as the division's top contender and settle the score with Liddell, whom he accused of avoiding a fight while pushing for the matchup publicly.[11][12] Liddell, on a three-fight win streak in the UFC, viewed the encounter as an opportunity to solidify his status as the promotion's premier striker and capitalize on the bad blood that had escalated through trash-talk and media confrontations.[13] In the co-main event, former heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski faced Wesley "Cabbage" Correira after Tim Sylvia's removal from the card due to a positive steroid test, shifting Arlovski's path toward reclaiming title momentum in a non-title bout. Arlovski, who had held the belt until his loss to Sylvia at UFC 41, aimed to build toward a rematch or unification while showcasing his technical striking and grappling against Correira's reputation as a durable brawler known for epic stand-up wars, including his legendary UFC debut against Wanderlei Silva at UFC 39.[14][15] The matchup highlighted the heavyweight division's volatility, with Arlovski needing a strong performance to reassert his dominance amid the UFC's efforts to stabilize the weight class.[16] The welterweight bout between Nick Diaz and Robbie Lawler pitted two aggressive rising stars against each other, contrasting Diaz's elite submission grappling and taekwondo-based kicks with Lawler's explosive knockout power and wrestling base honed from his youth in taekwondo and high school wrestling.[17][18] Both fighters, in their early 20s and on the cusp of breakout runs, brought high-energy styles that promised a chaotic test of durability and finishing ability in a stacked division.[19] Other notable pairings included the lightweight showdown between Yves Edwards and Hermes Franca, a technical striking affair with implications for title contention as both were established contenders—Edwards with his dynamic kicks and Franca as a future challenger building his resume.[20] On the undercard, Chris Lytle faced Tiki Ghosn in a welterweight bout expected to deliver excitement through Lytle's veteran clinch work and ground control against Ghosn's potential as an unproven but aggressive prospect.[21][22] UFC 47's storylines underscored the promotion's 2004 push for mainstream appeal through high-profile rivalries like Liddell-Ortiz, which promotional efforts heavily highlighted to draw casual fans, even as the organization navigated regulatory hurdles such as state-level bans on MMA events outside Nevada.[7][23]Event Details
Date, Venue, and Logistics
UFC 47 was held on April 2, 2004, beginning in the evening local time in Las Vegas, Nevada.[3][13] The event took place at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, located in Paradise, Nevada, an unincorporated community within the Las Vegas metropolitan area.[3][13][24] This multi-purpose arena, owned by MGM Resorts International, has a seating capacity of 12,000 and was configured to host over 11,000 spectators for the mixed martial arts card inside the Octagon enclosure.[25][26] The event aired live on pay-per-view through major U.S. cable and satellite providers, with commentary provided by Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan.[3] Preliminary bouts were not broadcast on television at the time, focusing the PPV on the main card fights.[3] A commercial DVD release followed shortly after, compiling the full event along with highlights and supplemental footage.[27] Logistically, official weigh-ins were conducted on April 1, 2004, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, adhering to UFC weight class requirements.[3] All non-title fights proceeded under the standard Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts, featuring three rounds of five minutes each, judged on a 10-point must system.[3] The production included ring announcements by Bruce Buffer and post-fight interviews handled by Joe Rogan.[3]Attendance and Financial Performance
UFC 47 drew a paid attendance of 11,437 spectators to the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, reflecting steady interest in the promotion's highly anticipated light heavyweight grudge match between rivals Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz. This figure marked an increase from the 10,700 attendees at UFC 46: Supernatural two months earlier, though it fell short of setting a new benchmark amid the era's growing but inconsistent live event draw. The event generated $1,444,020 in gate revenue from ticket sales, surpassing UFC 46's $1,377,000 and contributing to Zuffa LLC's efforts to stabilize finances through higher-priced seating and promotional hype around the main event storyline.[3][28] Pay-per-view buys for UFC 47 reached approximately 105,000 to 106,000, a notable uptick from UFC 46's 80,000 and signaling the Liddell-Ortiz rivalry's appeal in boosting UFC's PPV revenue stream during 2004, a transitional year for the organization post-regulatory challenges. This performance, while solid, did not eclipse the 110,000 buys of UFC 48: Payback later that year, underscoring the event's role in incremental growth rather than explosive dominance. The draw outcome in the main event tempered expectations for a potential record, yet it affirmed the matchup's commercial viability in an industry still recovering from earlier slumps. UFC president Dana White later highlighted the 106,000 buys as a key milestone in the promotion's path to broader accessibility.[3][29][28] The total disclosed fighter purse for UFC 47 amounted to $333,000, distributed across the 16 combatants on the card, emphasizing the era's modest compensation structure relative to rising event revenues. This aggregate payout aligned with UFC's operational model at the time, where gate and PPV income increasingly supported expansion while fighter earnings remained conservative compared to boxing counterparts. The financial metrics overall positioned UFC 47 as a commercially viable outing that bolstered the promotion's momentum without achieving outlier status.Fight Results
Main Card
The main card of UFC 47 consisted of five bouts broadcast on pay-per-view from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, showcasing high-profile matchups in the light heavyweight, welterweight, lightweight, and heavyweight divisions.[2] In the main event, Chuck Liddell defeated Tito Ortiz via knockout (punches) at 0:38 of the second round; Liddell connected with a left hook to back up Ortiz before unleashing a barrage of ground strikes to secure the victory.[2][30] The co-main event saw Chris Lytle defeat Tiki Ghosn via submission (bulldog choke) at 1:55 of the second round, as Lytle transitioned to the choke after taking Ghosn down and securing top position.[2] Yves Edwards defeated Hermes Franca via split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29) after three five-minute rounds, in a closely contested lightweight bout where Edwards' striking volume narrowly outpointed Franca's grappling attempts.[2] Andrei Arlovski defeated Wesley Correira via TKO (punches) at 1:15 of the second round, dropping Correira with strikes before finishing with ground-and-pound from mount in their heavyweight clash.[2] Opening the main card, Nick Diaz defeated Robbie Lawler via knockout (punch) at 1:31 of the second round, flooring Lawler with a precise right hand to the chin that forced the referee to intervene.[2][31]Preliminary Card
The preliminary card for UFC 47 featured three non-televised bouts in the lightweight and heavyweight divisions, providing quick finishes to build momentum toward the main event. In the opening lightweight bout, Genki Sudo defeated Mike Brown by submission via triangle choke at 3:31 of Round 1, locking in the hold from the bottom guard after defending an early takedown attempt.[13][32] The second fight saw heavyweight Jonathan Wiezorek win by TKO (punches) over Wade Shipp at 4:40 of Round 1, mounting Shipp's back and unleashing unanswered ground strikes to force the stoppage.[33][13] Closing the undercard, heavyweight Mike Kyle knocked out Wes Sims with a punch to the head at 4:59 of Round 1, landing the decisive strike at distance following a competitive exchange.[34][13]Payouts and Awards
Reported Payouts
The reported payouts for UFC 47, as disclosed through state athletic commission records and MMA media reports, totaled $333,000 in base pay and win bonuses across the card. These figures represent the guaranteed earnings reported at the time, though additional incentives such as pay-per-view shares for headliners were not publicly detailed and are not included in the aggregate.| Fighter | Reported Payout | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Tito Ortiz | $125,000 | No win bonus (loser) |
| Chuck Liddell | $100,000 | Includes $50,000 win bonus |
| Andrei Arlovski | $23,000 | Includes $8,000 win bonus |
| Genki Sudo | $16,000 | Includes $8,000 win bonus |
| Wesley Correira | $12,000 | Flat pay |
| Yves Edwards | $12,000 | Includes $6,000 win bonus |
| Robbie Lawler | $8,000 | Flat pay |
| Hermes Franca | $6,000 | Flat pay |
| Nick Diaz | $6,000 | Includes $3,000 win bonus |
| Mike Kyle | $6,000 | Includes $3,000 win bonus |
| Wes Sims | $5,000 | Flat pay |
| Chris Lytle | $4,000 | Includes $2,000 win bonus |
| Jonathan Wiezorek | $4,000 | Includes $2,000 win bonus |
| Mike Brown | $2,000 | Flat pay |
| Tiki Ghosn | $2,000 | Flat pay |
| Wade Shipp | $2,000 | Flat pay |