UFC 79
UFC 79: Nemesis was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on December 29, 2007, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Paradise, Nevada, marking the promotion's final pay-per-view of the year.[1][2] The event was headlined by a welterweight interim title bout between former champion Georges St-Pierre and Matt Hughes, stemming from champion Matt Serra's back injury that forced him to vacate the main event slot; St-Pierre defeated Hughes via armbar submission at 4:54 of the second round, securing the interim belt and improving his trilogy record against Hughes to 2-1.[2][3] The co-main event featured a long-awaited light heavyweight clash between former UFC champion Chuck Liddell and Pride FC veteran Wanderlei Silva, delayed for years due to organizational differences; Liddell won by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) in a high-intensity three-round battle that earned Fight of the Night honors and helped Liddell snap a two-fight losing skid.[2][3] Other notable main card bouts included Lyoto Machida's second-round submission (arm-triangle choke) victory over Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, Rich Clementi's first-round submission (rear-naked choke) of Melvin Guillard, and Eddie Sanchez's third-round TKO (punches) of Soa Palelei, showcasing emerging talents in the light heavyweight and heavyweight divisions.[3] UFC 79 drew significant attention for bridging rival promotions through the Liddell-Silva matchup and advancing the welterweight division's narrative toward St-Pierre's eventual undisputed title reign, while the undercard highlighted international fighters like Brazilian Roan Carneiro and Peruvian Tony De Souza in a welterweight prelim bout won by Carneiro via TKO.[2][3] The event underscored the UFC's growing mainstream appeal in 2007, featuring 5 main card fights on pay-per-view, with 6 preliminary bouts.[1]Event Details
Date and Venue
UFC 79 took place on December 29, 2007, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Paradise, Nevada, United States.[1][3] The venue, a prominent multi-purpose arena known for hosting high-profile combat sports, was configured specifically for mixed martial arts events.Promotion and Broadcast
UFC 79, subtitled "Nemesis," was named to evoke the themes of rivalry and revenge central to its marquee bouts, including the rubber match between welterweight contenders Georges St-Pierre and Matt Hughes, as well as the highly anticipated showdown between light heavyweight legends Chuck Liddell and Wanderlei Silva.[4] The event was officially announced on October 25, 2007, through a UFC media conference call hosted by President Dana White and featuring key fighters Liddell, Silva, and Brock Lesnar to generate early buzz around the card's star-driven matchups.[5] Promotional activities ramped up with the release of an official video trailer on November 22, 2007, followed by the "Countdown to UFC 79" preview special airing on Spike TV on December 26, 2007, at 11 p.m. ET, which highlighted the historical stakes and fighter narratives to build viewer excitement.[6][7] A final press conference took place on December 27, 2007, in Las Vegas, further amplifying hype through fighter face-offs and media interactions.[8] Marketing campaigns positioned UFC 79 as a pivotal year-end pay-per-view within the UFC's 2007 schedule, with significant emphasis on the crossover appeal of the Liddell-Silva "dream fight," a long-sought matchup between UFC's former champion and PRIDE's iconic striker that had tantalized fans for years.[9][5] The preliminary card aired on Spike TV starting at 9 p.m. ET, preceding the main card, which aired live on pay-per-view starting at 10 p.m. ET on December 29, 2007, from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Paradise, with play-by-play commentary by Mike Goldberg, color analysis by Joe Rogan, and post-fight interviews conducted by Dana White.[10]Background
Welterweight Division Context
The welterweight division in late 2007 was marked by significant upheaval following Matt Serra's unexpected capture of the undisputed UFC welterweight championship earlier that year at UFC 69, where he defeated the previously dominant Georges St-Pierre via first-round knockout.[11] As the new champion, Serra was scheduled to defend his title against former two-time welterweight champion Matt Hughes in the main event of UFC 79, a matchup anticipated to test Serra's credentials against one of the division's most accomplished grapplers. However, Serra suffered a severe back injury—a herniated disc—during training, forcing him to withdraw from the bout just weeks before the event and leaving the title defense in jeopardy.[12][13] In response to Serra's injury, the UFC pivoted to an interim welterweight title fight between Hughes and St-Pierre, elevating the stakes of what would become their third professional encounter and providing a pathway for the eventual unification of the belts upon Serra's recovery. Their rivalry had already defined much of the division's narrative: Hughes had submitted St-Pierre in the first round at UFC 50 in October 2004, establishing his unchallenged reign as the era's premier welterweight with a record of seven successful title defenses characterized by his elite wrestling and ground control. St-Pierre, then an emerging talent, rebounded decisively by knocking out Hughes in the second round at UFC 65 in November 2006 to claim the title, fueling a personal quest for redemption after the earlier defeat.[14][15][16] This interim bout underscored the welterweight division's transitional state, with Serra's sidelining creating an urgent need to maintain momentum and crown a placeholder champion capable of defending the interim belt until a unification fight could occur. Hughes, at 34, represented the old guard's enduring legacy, having dominated the 170-pound weight class throughout the early 2000s with a style that emphasized physicality and mat mastery, while the 26-year-old St-Pierre embodied the division's evolving future as a versatile striker and wrestler seeking to solidify his status as the next great champion.[17][2] The matchup not only addressed the immediate vacancy but also reignited a storied rivalry central to the welterweight landscape, promising to shape the division's direction amid Serra's absence.[14]Light Heavyweight Rivalries
The co-main event of UFC 79 featured a highly anticipated superfight between former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell and former PRIDE middleweight champion Wanderlei Silva, pitting icons from rival promotions against each other in a clash of aggressive striking styles. Liddell, known for his precise boxing and knockout power, faced Silva, renowned for his relentless forward pressure and Muay Thai aggression, in a matchup that embodied the UFC-PRIDE rivalry. Talks of this dream bout dated back to 2003, when Liddell competed in PRIDE's Middleweight Grand Prix with the potential to face Silva in the finals, though Quinton Jackson's upset victory over Liddell prevented it. Negotiations resurfaced multiple times, including a verbal agreement in July 2007 for UFC 76, but fell through due to contractual issues; the fight was finally realized after Zuffa LLC's acquisition of PRIDE FC in March 2007, which integrated Silva into the UFC roster and positioned the bout as a symbolic "nemesis" encounter between the promotions' flagship strikers.[9][18][19] Adding to the light heavyweight intrigue was Lyoto Machida's bout against debuting Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, a Cameroonian judoka who had generated buzz with stunning upsets in PRIDE FC earlier that year. Sokoudjou, a 2001 U.S. Open judo champion, shocked the MMA world by knocking out Antonio Rogerio Nogueira in just 23 seconds at PRIDE 33 in February 2007, followed by a quick submission win over Ricardo Arona at PRIDE 34: Kamikaze in April 2007, earning him the nickname "The African Assassin" and a high-profile UFC debut opposite the undefeated, karate-based Machida.[20][21] This matchup highlighted the influx of PRIDE talent post-acquisition, testing Sokoudjou's explosive power against Machida's elusive counterstriking in a pivotal moment for the division's evolving landscape.[20] The undercard further showcased rising prospects with Luiz Cane facing James Irvin, positioning the undefeated Brazilian as a momentum-builder against the experienced American. Cane entered UFC 79 on an eight-fight winning streak, including a first-round knockout of James Damien Stelly in September 2007 under the Art of War promotion, marking him as a promising striker with submission skills eager to make an impact in his Octagon debut. Irvin, a TUF 6 contestant with a background in wrestling and Muay Thai, was selected as a stern test for Cane, bringing his own knockout pedigree from prior UFC appearances to create a high-stakes prospect clash that underscored the division's depth.[22]Results
Main Card Outcomes
The main card of UFC 79 opened with a lightweight bout between Rich Clementi and Melvin Guillard. Clementi controlled the fight early with grappling, securing a rear-naked choke submission victory at 4:40 of the first round.[3] Next, undefeated light heavyweight Lyoto Machida faced Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, who had recently scored back-to-back first-round knockouts in Pride FC. Machida weathered an early storm before taking the fight to the ground, where he locked in an arm-triangle choke for the submission at 4:20 of the second round.[3] In the heavyweight matchup, Eddie Sanchez took on Soa Palelei in a battle of debuting fighters. Sanchez survived Palelei's early aggression and turned the tide with ground-and-pound, earning a TKO stoppage via punches at 3:24 of the third round.[3] The co-main event featured a highly anticipated light heavyweight clash between former champion Chuck Liddell and Wanderlei Silva. The fight was a stand-up war marked by heavy exchanges, with Liddell landing more effective strikes to secure a unanimous decision victory (30-27, 30-27, 29-28).[23] The main event was a welterweight interim title fight between Georges St-Pierre and Matt Hughes, their third meeting. St-Pierre dominated with wrestling and striking before transitioning to an armbar submission at 4:54 of the second round to claim the interim UFC Welterweight Championship.[3]Preliminary Card Outcomes
The preliminary card at UFC 79 featured five bouts involving a mix of UFC veterans and prospects, primarily in the lightweight and middleweight divisions, with several fights ending abruptly due to submissions or stoppages. One notable upset came in the form of a rare disqualification, underscoring the strict enforcement of rules in the Octagon. These undercard matchups provided competitive action for the live audience at Mandalay Bay Events Center, though they drew less attention than the star-studded main card.[24] The results were as follows:| Weight Class | Result | Method | Round | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lightweight | Mark Bocek def. Doug Evans | Unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) | 3 | 5:00 [24] |
| Welterweight | Roan Carneiro def. Tony De Souza | TKO (punches) | 2 | 3:33 [25] |
| Middleweight | Dean Lister def. Jordan Radev | Unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) | 3 | 5:00 |
| Lightweight | Manny Gamburyan def. Nate Mohr | Submission (ankle lock) | 1 | 1:31 [26] |
| Light Heavyweight | James Irvin def. Luiz Cane | Disqualification (illegal knee to grounded opponent) | 1 | 1:51 [27] |