''UFC 14: Showdown'' 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 July 27, 1997 in

Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Jefferson County, Alabama, Jefferson County. The population was 200,733 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List ...

. The event was seen live on

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 ...

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. ...

History

UFC 14 featured two separate tournaments: a heavyweight tournament for fighters 200 lb or more, and a middleweight (formerly lightweight) tournament for fighters under 200 lb. The event also featured a

UFC Heavyweight Championship Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships. Historical notes At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight clas ...

"Superfight" between

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 ...

and Maurice Smith, as well as two alternate bouts in case of tournament injury. ''Showdown'' 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 require all fighters to wear padded gloves, weighing between four and six ounces. Up until then, it was the fighter's option - Melton Bowen was the first UFC fighter to choose to wear UFC gloves, back in

UFC 4 ''UFC 4: Revenge of the Warriors'' was a mixed martial arts (MMA) event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on December 16, 1994, at the Expo Center Pavilion in Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States. The event was seen live on pay-per-vie ...

. It was also the first UFC appearance of World champion kickboxer Maurice Smith and champion collegiate wrestler Mark Kerr, who was encouraged to try

competition by his friend and training partner, Mark Coleman.

Results

UFC 14 Middleweight tournament bracket

Tony Fryklund Anthony James Fryklund (born March 26, 1971) is an American retired professional mixed martial artist who last competed in the Lightweight division. A professional competitor from 1997 until 2013, he competed for the UFC, the WEC, Bellator, S ...

replaced

Joe Moreira Jose Carlos Moreira is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner and a former mixed martial artist. Career Mixed martial arts Following his long string of Jiu-Jitsu and Judo victories, Moreira decided to test his skills in mixed martial arts competi ...

who was not medically permitted to continue.

UFC 14 Heavyweight Tournament Bracket

Encyclopedia awards

The following fighters were honored in the October 2011 book titled '' UFC Encyclopedia''. *Fight of the Night: Maurice Smith vs. Mark Coleman *Knockout of the Night: Mark Kerr *Submission of the Night: Kevin Jackson

References

source number 1 no longer exists

External links

UFC 14 results at Sherdog.comOfficial UFC website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ufc 014 Ultimate Fighting Championship flagship events 1997 in mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts in Alabama Sports in Birmingham, Alabama 1997 in Alabama