UFC 40’s Vendetta: Tito Ortiz Forces Shamrock’s Corner
UFC 40: Vendetta took place on November 22, 2002, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Its main event was the long-awaited light heavyweight title fight between champion Tito Ortiz and Ken Shamrock. Ortiz retained his belt when Shamrock’s corner stopped the fight after the third round.
Ortiz wins the first meeting
After years of hostility and buildup, Shamrock returned to the UFC to challenge Ortiz for the championship. Ortiz used his wrestling and ground control to dictate much of the bout. Shamrock’s corner elected not to let him continue after round three, giving Ortiz the corner-stoppage victory. The event became a landmark for the promotion, drawing a large crowd and strong pay-per-view interest during a period when the UFC was rebuilding its audience.
All eight fights on the card ended in a finish. Chuck Liddell stopped Renato Sobral with a head kick in round one, and Matt Hughes retained the welterweight title when doctors stopped his bout with Gil Castillo because of a cut. Carlos Newton submitted Pete Spratt with a kimura; Robbie Lawler stopped Tiki Ghosn; Andrei Arlovski stopped Ian Freeman; Vladimir Matyushenko stopped Travis Wiuff with strikes; and Phillip Miller submitted Mark Weir by rear-naked choke.
Liddell makes his title ambitions clear
Liddell’s victory over Sobral supplied a striking counterpoint to Ortiz’s wrestling-led defense. After turning away a takedown attempt, Liddell pressured the Brazilian with punches before landing the head kick that ended the bout. His performance strengthened his case for a championship opportunity, keeping the light heavyweight title picture in focus even before Ortiz and Shamrock entered the cage.
Hughes continued his own championship run in a different fashion. Castillo survived the opening round, but a cut brought the fight to an end between rounds. The stoppage gave Hughes his third successful defense. Newton, meanwhile, rebounded from his loss to Hughes in London by submitting Spratt, offering a reminder that the former champion remained dangerous on the ground.
UFC 40: Vendetta results
- Light heavyweight title: Tito Ortiz def. Ken Shamrock by corner stoppage, Round 3, 5:00 — Ortiz retained the title.
- Chuck Liddell def. Renato Sobral by KO (head kick), Round 1, 2:55.
- Welterweight title: Matt Hughes def. Gil Castillo by TKO (doctor stoppage due to cut), Round 1, 5:00 — Hughes retained the title.
- Carlos Newton def. Pete Spratt by submission (kimura), Round 1, 1:41.
- Robbie Lawler def. Tiki Ghosn by TKO (strikes), Round 1, 1:29.
- Andrei Arlovski def. Ian Freeman by TKO (strikes), Round 1, 1:18.
- Vladimir Matyushenko def. Travis Wiuff by stoppage (strikes), Round 1, 4:10.
- Phillip Miller def. Mark Weir by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 2, 4:50.
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Article Tags
Tito Ortiz, Ken Shamrock, Chuck Liddell, Matt Hughes, UFC 40, MMA History, Fight Results
