UFC 35’s Lightweight Thriller: Pulver Edges Penn
UFC 35: Throwdown took place on January 11, 2002, at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. The event featured two title fights: Jens Pulver defended his lightweight championship against B.J. Penn, while Dave Menne put the middleweight belt on the line against Murilo Bustamante. Pulver retained his title by majority decision; Bustamante stopped Menne in the second round to become champion.
Pulver and Penn go five rounds
Penn challenged for Pulver’s lightweight title in the event’s headlining bout. Their five-round contest went to the judges, who awarded Pulver a majority decision. The result preserved Pulver’s championship and gave Penn his first professional loss. It was the first time a UFC event was headlined by a lightweight championship bout.
Bustamante captures the middleweight belt
The second title fight ended with a new champion. Menne defended his middleweight title against Bustamante, who stopped him with strikes at 0:44 of round two. Bustamante’s win made him the UFC middleweight champion, while Pulver’s decision victory meant the event ended with one title changing hands and one champion retaining.
The rest of the card
Ricco Rodriguez stopped Jeff Monson with punches in the third round, and Chuck Liddell earned a unanimous decision over Amar Suloev. Andrei Semenov defeated Ricardo Almeida by second-round TKO. On the preliminary card, Kevin Randleman and Gil Castillo each won unanimous decisions, while Eugene Jackson submitted Keith Rockel with a guillotine choke.
Official results
- Jens Pulver def. B.J. Penn — lightweight title, majority decision.
- Murilo Bustamante def. Dave Menne — middleweight title, TKO (strikes), round 2, 0:44.
- Ricco Rodriguez def. Jeff Monson — TKO (punches), round 3, 3:00.
- Chuck Liddell def. Amar Suloev — unanimous decision.
- Andrei Semenov def. Ricardo Almeida — TKO (strikes), round 2, 2:01.
- Kevin Randleman def. Renato Sobral — unanimous decision.
- Gil Castillo def. Chris Brennan — unanimous decision.
- Eugene Jackson def. Keith Rockel — submission (guillotine choke), round 2.
Pulver’s defense against Penn was the first UFC main event built around a lightweight title, a notable change in a promotion whose earlier headline bouts had focused on heavier divisions. The majority decision meant two judges favored Pulver while the third scored the bout a draw, and Pulver remained champion. The event also included a second title bout, which Bustamante won by stopping Menne. The two championship results made UFC 35 a turning point for the lighter divisions. official UFC 35 event record.
Sources
Article Tags
Jens Pulver, B.J. Penn, Murilo Bustamante, UFC 35, MMA History, Fight Results
