''UFC 12: Judgement Day'' was a

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting combat sport, sport based on strike (attack), striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-s ...

event held by the

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

on February 7, 1997 at the Dothan Civic Center in Dothan,

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

. The event was seen live on pay per view in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, and later released on

home video Home video is recorded media sold or Video rental shop, rented for home viewing. The term originates from the VHS and Betamax era, when the predominant medium was videotapes, but has carried over to optical disc formats such as DVD and Blu-ray. ...

. This event was also

Vitor Belfort Vítor Vieira Belfort (; born 1 April 1977) is a Brazilian professional boxer and retired mixed martial artist who competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he fought in the Heavyweight, Light Heavyweight, and Middleweight d ...

's debut in the UFC.

History

UFC 12 was the first

UFC 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 TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. The larg ...

event to feature weight classes; heavyweights (200 lb and over) and lightweights (under 200 lb) battled in two separate mini tournaments, each consisting of two semifinal bouts and a finals match. The event also featured a Superfight between

Dan Severn Daniel DeWayne Severn (born June 8, 1958), nicknamed "the Beast", is an American retired professional wrestler, retired mixed martial artist and amateur wrestler. A UFC Hall of Fame member, Severn is considered one of the leading pioneers of ...

and

Mark Coleman Mark Coleman (born December 20, 1964) is an American retired mixed martial artist, professional wrestler and Amateur wrestling, amateur wrestler. Coleman was the UFC 10 and UFC 11 tournament champion, the first List of UFC champions#Tournament ...

. The fight would unify the UFC Superfight Championship with the UFC tournament championship and determine the first ever UFC Heavyweight Champion. Mark Coleman was a late substitution for

Don Frye Donald Frye (born November 23, 1965) is an American former mixed martial artist, professional wrestler, and actor. In MMA, he was one of the sport's earliest well-rounded fighters and won the '' UFC 8'' and '' David vs. Goliath 96'' tournament ...

, who had earned the rematch with Severn after winning the Ultimate Ultimate 1996, but was unable to participate in UFC 12 because of injuries he had suffered in that previous event. Frye never returned to the UFC. "Judgement Day" also featured two alternate bouts in case of tournament injury. UFC 12 marked the first UFC appearance of

, who won the heavyweight tournament and was only 19 years of age. UFC 12 also marked the first appearance of commentator

Joe Rogan Joseph James Rogan (born August 11, 1967) is an American podcaster, Ultimate Fighting Championship, UFC color commentator, comedian, actor, and former television host. He hosts The Joe Rogan Experience, ''The Joe Rogan Experience'', which is o ...

, who handled backstage interviews for the event and interviewed the winners of the main events. After being removed from many pay per view carriers, and with mounting pressure from politicians such as Senator

John McCain John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American statesman and United States Navy, naval officer who represented the Arizona, state of Arizona in United States Congress, Congress for over 35 years, first as ...

, the UFC had continuing troubles finding a venue, and a state, that would host UFC 12.It was first announced that UFC 12 would be held in

Niagara Falls, New York Niagara Falls is a City (New York), city in Niagara County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a total population of 48,671. It is adjacent to the Niagara River, across from the city of Niagar ...

, to which it was ultimately denied sanctioning rights. Next, it was announced that UFC 12 would be held in

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

, which soon banned the event. Finally, the UFC returned to

, where it appeared in the small city of Dothan, located about 200 miles southeast of

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

. The UFC would continue to hold events exclusively in the Southern US States (aside from occasional shows in

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

and

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

) until 2001, when the UFC was sanctioned by the New Jersey State Athletic Commission.

Results

''UFC 12'' Lightweight Tournament Bracket

*a. Nick Sanzo replaced Yoshiki Takahashi.

''UFC 12'' Heavyweight Tournament Bracket

Encyclopedia awards

The following fighters were honored in the October 2011 book titled '' UFC Encyclopedia''. *Fight of the Night: Mark Coleman vs. Dan Severn *Knockout of the Night: Vitor Belfort *Submission of the Night: Mark Coleman

References

External links

UFC 12 results at Sherdog.comOfficial UFC website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ufc 012 Ultimate Fighting Championship flagship events 1997 in mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts in Alabama Sports in Dothan, Alabama 1997 in Alabama