UFC 48: Mir Snatches Gold as Shamrock Settles the Score
On June 19, 2004, UFC 48: Payback delivered two abrupt heavyweight finishes at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. Frank Mir captured the heavyweight championship against Tim Sylvia in fifty seconds, while Ken Shamrock knocked out Kimo Leopoldo in the main event.
Mir’s armbar changes the championship
Mir defeated Sylvia by technical submission from an armbar at 0:50 of round one. Referee Herb Dean stopped the contest after Sylvia’s arm broke in the hold. The championship fight was over before a minute had elapsed, making submission defense the difference between leaving with a belt and leaving injured.
Shamrock’s non-title meeting with Kimo lasted only slightly longer. A knee produced the knockout at 1:26 of the first round, giving the veteran the final victory on a card with several recognizable names beneath its heavyweight attractions.
The rest of the Payback card
Frank Trigg stopped Dennis Hallman with punches at 4:15 of round one. Matt Hughes defeated Renato Verissimo by unanimous decision, while Evan Tanner and Matt Serra also won unanimously against Phil Baroni and Ivan Menjivar, respectively.
Georges St-Pierre stopped Jay Hieron with punches at 1:42 of the opening round. Trevor Prangley submitted Curtis Stout in the second round at 1:05.
Three decisions and five finishes filled the eight-bout event. Mir’s title win and Shamrock’s knockout supplied the heavyweight headlines, but the supporting results also put Hughes, St-Pierre, Tanner and Serra in the win column.
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Article Tags
UFC 48, Frank Mir, Tim Sylvia, Ken Shamrock, Kimo Leopoldo, MMA history
