UFC 63: Hughes Stops Penn, Joe Lauzon Shocks Jens Pulver
UFC 63 brought Matt Hughes and B.J. Penn back together on September 23, 2006, at the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, California. Hughes retained his welterweight championship, but only after surviving two difficult rounds. Elsewhere, Joe Lauzon interrupted Jens Pulver’s long-awaited return with a stunning debut victory, giving the nine-fight card a second lasting storyline.
Hughes survives before taking control
Penn had beaten Hughes for the title at UFC 46, and this rematch became available when an injury removed Georges St-Pierre from the scheduled championship bout. The challenger again presented serious problems. His striking and takedown defense frustrated Hughes early, and his ground attack nearly ended the fight in round two.
Penn took the champion’s back and threatened submissions, including a triangle and an armbar near the end of the second round. Hughes escaped into the break. In the third, the balance changed: Hughes found success with punches, secured a takedown and advanced to a controlling position. With Penn’s arm trapped, the champion landed unanswered strikes until the stoppage at 3:53.
The finish tied their series at one win each and kept the welterweight belt with Hughes. Its significance lies in the recovery as much as the ending. A description of effortless dominance misses the danger he faced before the third-round turnaround, when Penn’s grappling had put the championship within reach.
Lauzon spoils Pulver’s return
Pulver, the UFC’s first lightweight champion, was returning to the promotion after more than four years away. Lauzon entered his UFC debut against a far more familiar name, but the newcomer quickly changed the expected story. After early wrestling exchanges, he landed a left hook that dropped Pulver and brought the contest to an end at 48 seconds of round one.
UFC’s official record lists the finish as a TKO. Whether remembered for the punch or the upset, the result gave Lauzon an immediate foothold in the lightweight division. It was a main-card fight, and the shock came from a debutant beating an established former champion rather than from a title changing hands.
Evans, Guillard and Swick deliver
Rashad Evans faced Jason Lambert at light heavyweight and finished him with punches in round two. Evans’ wrestling created the position for the decisive attack, showing how his takedowns and striking could work together. Melvin Guillard also won in the second round, stopping Gabe Ruediger after a damaging body-punch attack in their lightweight contest.
Mike Swick had to work through three rounds against David Loiseau. All three judges scored their middleweight bout 29–28 for Swick. The preliminary card included Roger Huerta’s unanimous-decision win over Jason Dent, Eddie Sanchez’s second-round finish of Mario Neto, Jorge Gurgel’s split decision over Danny Abbadi and Tyson Griffin’s first-round rear-naked choke against David Lee.
Complete UFC 63 results
Matt Hughes defeated B.J. Penn by TKO (punches), round 3, 3:53, retaining the welterweight title. Mike Swick defeated David Loiseau by unanimous decision. Melvin Guillard defeated Gabe Ruediger by TKO (strikes), round 2, 1:01. Rashad Evans defeated Jason Lambert by stoppage from punches, round 2, 2:22. Joe Lauzon defeated Jens Pulver by TKO (punches), round 1, 0:48.
Roger Huerta defeated Jason Dent by unanimous decision. Eddie Sanchez defeated Mario Neto by knockout from punches, round 2, 0:17. Jorge Gurgel defeated Danny Abbadi by split decision. Tyson Griffin defeated David Lee by submission (rear-naked choke), round 1, 1:50.
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UFC 63, Matt Hughes, B.J. Penn, Joe Lauzon, Jens Pulver, UFC Results
