UFC 22: Shamrock Turns Back Ortiz as Future Champions Arrive
Frank Shamrock retained his UFC championship against Tito Ortiz at UFC 22 on September 24, 1999. Their main event at the Lake Charles Civic Center in Louisiana ended with a fourth-round stoppage, after Ortiz had pushed the champion through an extended contest.
Shamrock finishes the championship test
The title belonged to the division then called middleweight, later renamed light heavyweight. Shamrock finished Ortiz with strikes at 4:42 of round four, keeping the championship after a demanding defense against a younger challenger building his own reputation.
The card also featured Matt Hughes’s UFC debut. Hughes defeated Valeri Ignatov by unanimous decision, beginning a promotional career that would later become closely associated with the welterweight championship. Chuck Liddell earned a first-round doctor-stoppage victory over Paul Jones.
Early milestones across the card
Jeremy Horn submitted Jason Godsey in the opening round. John Lewis stopped Lowell Anderson early in round three, while Brad Kohler needed only thirty seconds to finish Steve Judson. Those results provided several different kinds of stoppage beneath the championship headliner.
Two bouts went down as draws: Tim Lajcik against Ron Waterman after three rounds, and Jens Pulver against Alfonso Alcarez after two. The mixture of finishes, decisions and draws made the card more varied than its main event alone suggests. Shamrock supplied the successful title defense, while appearances by Hughes, Liddell and Pulver linked UFC 22 to several major careers still developing in the promotion.
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UFC 22, UFC history, MMA
