UFC 21: Maurice Smith Stops Marco Ruas
UFC 21: Return of the Champions took place on July 16, 1999, at the Five Seasons Events Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The headline bout was heavyweight Maurice Smith against Marco Ruas. Pat Miletich also defended the UFC welterweight championship against Andre Pederneiras. The event introduced a new scoring system and round structure, marking an important rules change for the promotion.
The heavyweight main event and Miletich’s title defense
In the main event, Maurice Smith defeated Marco Ruas when Ruas’s corner stopped the fight after the first round. In the welterweight title bout, champion Pat Miletich retained his belt against Andre Pederneiras by doctor stoppage at 2:20 of round two. The two fights were distinct matchups: Miletich did not face Bas Rutten, who had fought Kevin Randleman for the vacant heavyweight title at UFC 20.
The remaining card included a striking win for Jeremy Horn over Daiju Takase and a rear-naked choke finish by Paul Jones over Flavio Luiz Moura. Tsuyoshi Kosaka defeated Tim Lajcik when Lajcik’s corner stopped the bout after round two. Eugene Jackson knocked out Royce Alger, Andre Roberts stopped Ron Waterman with a punch, and Travis Fulton earned a unanimous decision over David Dodd.
Official results
These are the eight bouts recorded for UFC 21. The event did not feature Jens Pulver, Murilo Bustamante, Royce Gracie, John Lober, Tank Abbott, or a lightweight tournament.
- Heavyweight main event: Maurice Smith def. Marco Ruas by corner stoppage, round 1, 5:00.
- Welterweight championship: Pat Miletich def. Andre Pederneiras by doctor stoppage, round 2, 2:20.
- Jeremy Horn def. Daiju Takase by TKO (punches), round 1, 4:41.
- Paul Jones def. Flavio Luiz Moura by submission (rear-naked choke), round 1, 4:20.
- Tsuyoshi Kosaka def. Tim Lajcik by corner stoppage, round 2, 5:00.
- Eugene Jackson def. Royce Alger by KO (punch), round 2, 1:19.
- Andre Roberts def. Ron Waterman by KO (punch), round 1, 2:51.
- Travis Fulton def. David Dodd by unanimous decision.
New rules for the sport
UFC 21 was the first UFC event to use the 10-point must system, alongside the newer format of two five-minute rounds for preliminary bouts, three five-minute rounds for non-title main-card bouts, and five five-minute rounds for championship fights. The change helped move the sport toward a more standardized scoring structure. Read the official UFC event record and Sherdog’s full results for the card details. For broader context, see our coverage of UFC history, fighters, and MMA.
Read the official UFC event record and Sherdog’s results for the full card. The event connects an established titleholder’s defense with an important change in UFC scoring.
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Article Tags
UFC 21, Maurice Smith, Marco Ruas, Pat Miletich, Andre Pederneiras
