UFC 23

Infobox MMA event
name = UFC 23: Ultimate Japan 2


promotion = Ultimate Fighting Championship
date = November 19, 1999
venue = Tokyo Bay NK Hall
city = Tokyo, Japan
attendance =
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buyrate =
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"UFC 23: Ultimate Japan 2" was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on November 19, 1999 at Tokyo Bay NK Hall in Tokyo, Japan.

History

UFC 23 was the second UFC event to take place in Japan, where the newly formed PRIDE Fighting Championships were enjoying massive success. UFC 23 was headlined by a Heavyweight Championship Title bout between Kevin Randleman and Pete Williams, held to determine the champion after Bas Rutten's retirement.

The event also featured a four man "Japanese" tournament, held to crown the first ever UFC Japan Champion. The tournament was the first in the UFC since UFC 17, and the last ever tournament held by the UFC. SEG originally intended UFC Japan to be a separate company, run by local promoters, but due to mounting financial problems, and the rise of the popular PRIDE and K-1 organizations, the idea was scrapped following "".

UFC 23 was the first UFC event to not see a home video release, as SEG was nearing bankruptcy and struggling to keep the UFC alive through extremely limited pay per view in the US, as well as minor coverage in Brazil and Japan. To date, UFC 23 through UFC 29 have never been released in the US on home video or DVD in any form, and many consider this period to be the "Dark Ages" of the UFC. It wasn't until UFC 30, with new owners Zuffa, that the UFC returned to home video.__NOTOC__

Main Card

Middleweight Bout: Eugene Jackson vs. Keiichiro Yamamiya

Jackson wins by KO at 3:12 of the third round.

Middleweight Bout: Joe Slick vs. Jason Delucia

Slick wins by TKO (verbal submission due to knee injury) at 1:28 of the first round.

Heavyweight Bout: Pedro Rizzo vs. Tsuyoshi Kosaka

Rizzo wins by TKO (referee stoppage due to strikes) at 1:12 of the third round.

Heavyweight Championship Title Bout: Kevin Randleman vs. Pete Williams

Randleman wins by unanimous decision at 25:00 to claim the vacant UFC Heavyweight title.

UFC Japan Tournament

emifinals

*flagicon|JapanKatsuhisa Fujii vs. flagicon|JapanMasutatsu YanoFuji wins by TKO (referee stoppage due to strikes) at 3:12 of the second round.

*flagicon|JapanKenichi Yamamoto vs. flagicon|JapanDaiju TakaseYamamoto wins by unanimous decision at 15:00.

Finals

*UFC Japan Tournament Final Bout: flagicon|Japan Kenichi Yamamoto vs. flagicon|Japan Katsuhisa Fujii:Yamamoto wins the UFC Japan Tournament by submission (kneebar) at 4:15 of the second round.

External links

* [http://www.sherdog.com/fightfinder/fightfinder.asp?EventID=33 UFC23 results at Sherdog.com]
* [http://www.411mania.com/MMA/video_reviews/63559/HIstory-of-the-UFC-11.19.07:-UFC-XXIII---Ultimate-Japan-2.htm UFC23 fights reviews]
* [http://www.ufc.com Official UFC website]