UFC 8

Infobox Wrestling event
name = UFC 8: David vs. Goliath


promotion = Ultimate Fighting Championship
date = February 16, 1996
venue = Ruben Rodriguez Coliseum
city = San Juan, Puerto Rico
attendance = 13,000
buyrate =
lastevent = Ultimate Ultimate 1995
nextevent =

"UFC 8: David vs. Goliath" was a mixed martial arts event held by Ultimate Fighting Championship on February 16 1996, at Ruben Rodriguez Coliseum in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The event was broadcast live on pay per view in the United States, and later released on home video.

History

UFC 8 featured an eight-man tournament, and a UFC Superfight between Ken Shamrock and Kimo Leopoldo. The event also featured one alternate fight, which was not shown on the live pay-per-view broadcast. The tournament had no weight classes, or weight limits. A 10 minute time limit was imposed for all matches in the tournament.

Also, this was the first UFC where three judges scored the fights - in order to eliminate any potential draws - possibly in response to UFC 7 where a draw was declared after 33 minutes of the Superfight where Ken Shamrock fought Oleg Taktarov. The referee for the night was 'Big' John McCarthy. The event's matchups pitted larger fighters against smaller fighters, hence the term "David vs. Goliath".

UFC 8 was the first appearance of fan favorite fighters Don Frye and Gary Goodridge, who both scored stunning knockouts that would be featured extensively on future UFC highlight reels. The championship fight featured Frye vs. Goodridge, with Frye taking the victory via strikes 2:14 into the fight.

The event is also notable as being the first MMA event to draw criticism, including local politician Calvin McCard’s on site protests at UFC 8. These protests would spark the nationwide movement against MMA in 1996, spearheaded by Arizona Senator John McCain, which would later temporarily push the sport in the United States underground in 1997. [http://www.grapplearts.com/Mixed-Martial-Arts-3.htm]

Alternate bouts

*Sam Adkins vs. Keith Mielke:Adkins wins by submission due to strikes at 0:50.

Quarterfinals

*Gary Goodridge vs. Paul Herrera:Goodridge wins by KO due to elbow strikes at 0:13.

*Jerry Bohlander vs. Scott Ferrozzo:Bohlander wins by submission (guillotine choke) at 9:05.
*Paul Varelans vs. Joe Moreira:Varelans wins by unanimous decision at 10:00. Due to injury sustained in this fight, Varelans was unable to continue in the tournament and was replaced by Sam Adkins.
*Don Frye vs. Thomas Ramirez:Frye wins by KO at 0:08.

emifinals

*Gary Goodridge vs. Jerry Bohlander:Goodridge wins by TKO (referee stoppage due to strikes) at 5:32.

*Don Frye vs. Sam Adkins:Frye wins by TKO (doctor stoppage due to cut) at 0:48. Adkins replaced Paul Varelans, who was injured in his Quarterfinal bout.

Finals

*Don Frye vs. Gary Goodridge:Don Frye wins the UFC 8 Tournament by submission due to strikes at 2:14.

UFC 8 bracket

8TeamBracket | RD1=Quarterfinals| RD2=Semifinals| RD3=Finals
RD1-seed1=| RD1-seed2=| RD1-seed3=| RD1-seed4=| RD1-seed5=| RD1-seed6=| RD1-seed7=| RD1-seed8=
RD1-team1=Don Frye
RD1-team2=Thomas Ramirez
RD1-team3=Paul Varelans
RD1-team4=Joe Moreira
RD1-team5=Jerry Bohlander
RD1-team6=Scott Ferrozzo
RD1-team7=Gary Goodridge
RD1-team8=Paul Herrera
RD2-team1=Don Frye
RD2-team2=Sam Adkins*
RD2-team3=Jerry Bohlander
RD2-team4="'Gary Goodridge
RD3-team1=Don Frye
RD3-team2=Gary Goodridge
* Due to injury sustained in this fight, Varelans was unable to continue in the tournament and was replaced by Sam Adkins.

uperfight

*Superfight: Ken Shamrock vs. Kimo Leopoldo:Shamrock wins by submission (kneebar) at 4:24.

External links

* [http://www.sherdog.com/fightfinder/fightfinder.asp?EventID=15 UFC8 results at Sherdog.com]
* [http://www.411mania.com/MMA/video_reviews/54877/History-of-the-UFC:-UFC-VIII---David-vs-Goliath.htm UFC8 fights reviews]
* [http://www.ufc.com Official UFC website]