''UFC 66: Liddell vs. Ortiz'' was a

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incor ...

(MMA)

pay-per-view Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast. Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program g ...

event held by the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

on December 30, 2006 at the

MGM Grand Garden Arena The MGM Grand Garden Arena (originally known as the MGM Grand Garden Special Events Center) is a 17,000-seat multi-purpose arena located within the MGM Grand Las Vegas on the Las Vegas Strip. Sporting events From its opening on December 18, 1993 ...

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Veg ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

Background

''UFC 66s main event was a championship fight with two of the UFC's biggest light heavyweight stars, Light Heavyweight Champion Chuck Liddell defending his title against former champion

Tito Ortiz Jacob Christopher "Tito" Ortiz (; born January 23, 1975) is an American mixed martial artist and politician. He is currently signed to the Combate Americas promotion. Ortiz is best known for his stints with the Ultimate Fighting Championship ...

. This fight was first announced by Ortiz at the '' UFC 63'' weigh-ins on September 22, 2006. The co-main event saw

Forrest Griffin Forrest Griffin (born July 1, 1979) is an American retired mixed martial artist and former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. He was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2013 and currently serves as the Vice President of Athlete Development at the ...

take on "The Dean of Mean"

Keith Jardine Keith Jardine (born October 31, 1975) is an American actor and retired mixed martial artist who most notably competed in the UFC and Strikeforce. Jardine was known for upset victories in bouts he took at short notice against highly rated fighte ...

. The card also saw the return of former Heavyweight Champion

Andrei Arlovski Andrei Arlovski (born 4 February 1979) is a Belarusian-American professional mixed martial artist, actor and former UFC Heavyweight Champion. He currently competes in the Heavyweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and ho ...

and

The Ultimate Fighter 3 ''The Ultimate Fighter 3'' was the third season of the mixed martial arts reality television series ''The Ultimate Fighter''. It premiered on April 6, 2006, immediately after the conclusion of '' Ultimate Fight Night 4''. The season featured six ...

winner

Michael Bisping Michael Gavin Joseph Bisping (; born 28 February 1979) is an English actor, sports analyst, commentator and retired mixed martial artist, who competed in the Middleweight and Light Heavyweight division of the UFC. A professional competitor ...

's first bout in the UFC since winning that season. During the event, it was made official that Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic had signed a contract with the UFC, and would make his debut with the organization at '' UFC 67''. The event was the UFC's first show at

MGM Grand Arena The MGM Grand Garden Arena (originally known as the MGM Grand Garden Special Events Center) is a 17,000-seat multi-purpose arena located within the MGM Grand Las Vegas on the Las Vegas Strip. Sporting events From its opening on December 18, 1993 ...

since '' UFC 56'', and was nearly sold-out, producing the highest live gate revenue in North American mixed martial arts history, extending the previous record at '' UFC 57'' by over $2,000,000 ( USD). At the time, it was estimated to be the UFC's biggest pay-per-view success with just over 1 million buys. The disclosed fighter payroll for the event was $767,000.

Results

Bonus awards

*Fight of the Night: Chuck Liddell vs.

*Knockout of the Night:

*Submission of the Night: Jason MacDonald

Reported salaries

UFC 66 Fighters' Salaries: *Chuck Liddell: $250,000 ($250,000 to fight; no win bonus) *Tito Ortiz: $210,000 ($210,000 to fight; no win bonus) *Andrei Arlovski: $145,000 ($90,000 to fight; $55,000 win bonus) *Michael Bisping: $24,000 ($12,000 to fight; $12,000 win bonus) *Thiago Alves: $22,000 ($11,000 to fight; $11,000 win bonus) *Gabriel Gonzaga: $18,000 ($9,000 to fight; $9,000 win bonus) *Forrest Griffin: $16,000 ($16,000 to fight; no win bonus) *Yushin Okami: $16,000 ($8,000 to fight; $8,000 win bonus) *Keith Jardine: $14,000 ($7,000 to fight; $7,000 win bonus) *Jason MacDonald: $10,000 ($5,000 to fight; $5,000 win bonus) *Chris Leben: $7,000 ($7,000 to fight; no win bonus) *Tony DeSouza: $7,000 ($7,000 to fight; no win bonus) *Christian Wellisch: $6,000 ($3,000 to fight; $3,000 win bonus) *Marcio Cruz: $5,000 ($5,000 to fight; no win bonus) *Carmelo Marrero: $5,000 ($5,000 to fight; no win bonus) *Rory Singer: $5,000 ($5,000 to fight; no win bonus) *Eric Schafer: $4,000 ($4,000 to fight; no win bonus) *Anthony Perosh: $3,000 ($3,000 to fight; no win bonus)

References

External links