UFC 39’s Heavyweight Crown: Ricco Rodriguez Stops Couture
UFC 39: The Warriors Return took place on September 27, 2002, at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. The main event was a heavyweight title fight for the vacant championship between former champion Randy Couture and Ricco Rodriguez. Rodriguez won the championship by TKO from elbows in the fifth round, at 3:04.
Rodriguez takes the heavyweight belt
Couture and Rodriguez fought at close range throughout the championship bout, trading wrestling positions and strikes across four full rounds. In the fifth, Rodriguez landed elbows that forced the referee to stop the contest. The victory made Rodriguez the UFC heavyweight champion and denied Couture a return to the title.
Tim Sylvia also scored a heavyweight TKO, stopping Wesley Correira by corner stoppage in round two. B.J. Penn earned a unanimous decision over Matt Serra, and Caol Uno did the same against Din Thomas. Phil Baroni needed just 18 seconds to knock out former middleweight champion Dave Menne. On the preliminary card, Matt Lindland defeated Ivan Salaverry by decision, while Sean Sherk beat Benji Radach after a doctor halted their bout.
A new champion and a heavyweight arrival
The belt was vacant after Josh Barnett was stripped of the championship following a positive steroid test. Couture therefore entered as a former champion seeking to regain the title, rather than as its defending holder. Rodriguez’s fifth-round finish settled that vacancy and gave the heavyweight division a new champion after a contest that demanded far more endurance than the night’s quick knockouts.
Sylvia’s UFC debut provided another significant heavyweight result. Correira absorbed repeated attacks without being knocked off his feet, but his corner eventually ended the punishment. McGee’s stoppage of Rizzo added a third heavyweight finish to the card. Together, those results made the division a central thread of the evening, stretching from the undercard to the championship bout.
Penn and Uno advance at lightweight
Penn’s victory over Serra and Uno’s win over Thomas were semifinals in a tournament for the vacant lightweight title. Both went the distance, advancing Penn and Uno to the final at UFC 41. Their place on this card gave UFC 39 stakes beyond its heavyweight main event: two divisions were taking steps toward resolving championship vacancies.
UFC 39: The Warriors Return results
- Heavyweight title: Ricco Rodriguez def. Randy Couture by TKO (elbows), Round 5, 3:04 — Rodriguez won the title.
- Tim Sylvia def. Wesley Correira by TKO (corner stoppage), Round 2, 1:43.
- B.J. Penn def. Matt Serra by unanimous decision.
- Caol Uno def. Din Thomas by unanimous decision.
- Gan McGee def. Pedro Rizzo by TKO (corner stoppage), Round 1, 5:00.
- Phil Baroni def. Dave Menne by KO (punches), Round 1, 0:18.
- Matt Lindland def. Ivan Salaverry by unanimous decision.
- Sean Sherk def. Benji Radach by TKO (doctor stoppage), Round 1, 4:16.
Sources
Article Tags
Ricco Rodriguez, Randy Couture, B.J. Penn, UFC 39, MMA History, Fight Results
