''UFC 24: First Defense'' 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 March 10, 2000, at the Lake Charles Civic Center in Lake Charles,

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

History

The event featured 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 ...

appearances of

Ian Freeman Ian William Freeman (born 11 October 1966) is a retired English mixed martial artist who was the Cage Rage World Heavyweight Champion and the final Cage Rage British Light Heavyweight Champion. He was the first British person to fight in ...

, future UFC Middleweight Champion

Dave Menne David Jeremy Menne (born July 29, 1974) is an American retired mixed martial artist. He was the first ever UFC Middleweight Champion and has also competed for Cage Rage, Bellator, Shooto, ADCC and RINGS. Background Menne was born in Minnea ...

and

Shonie Carter Shonie Carter (born May 3, 1972), is an American former mixed martial artist. He is a former WEC Welterweight Champion, a UFC veteran, and a contestant on '' The Ultimate Fighter 4'' reality show. He has also competed in Pancrase, Shooto, Ki ...

. UFC 24 also featured the first televised appearance of

Jens Pulver Jens Johnnie Pulver (born December 6, 1974) is an American retired professional mixed martial artist and undefeated boxer and kickboxer. In 2023, Pulver was inducted into the UFC hall of fame. Pulver was the inaugural UFC Lightweight Champion in ...

, who had fought in an untelevised preliminary bout at UFC 22. The name "First Defense" refers to a scheduled Heavyweight title Bout between

Kevin Randleman Kevin Christopher Randleman (August 10, 1971 – February 11, 2016) was an American mixed martial artist, amateur and professional wrestler, and former UFC Heavyweight Champion. Randleman's background was in collegiate wrestling, in which he ...

and

Pedro Rizzo Pedro Augusto Rizzo (; born 3 May 1974) is a Brazilian retired mixed martial artist and kickboxer who competed for the UFC, PRIDE, M-1 Global, and Affliction. Although he never captured the UFC Heavyweight Championship, Rizzo competed for ...

, which did not happen due to injury. While warming up backstage during the event, Randleman slipped on the concrete floor and hit his head, knocking himself out completely. Randleman was taken by ambulance to the hospital, where he was revived, and diagnosed with a concussion. As the incident happened during the broadcast, fans in attendance and viewers watching on pay per view were not notified until the end of the show. The bout was rescheduled and took place at

UFC 26 ''UFC 26: Ultimate Field of Dreams'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on June 9, 2000, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. History The main card featured Welterweight Champion Pat Miletich defending his title against ...

. This event also marked the appearance of

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 ...

as a referee for the preliminary bouts. Unlike the traditional solid black garb of a

referee, he wore black and white stripes and red shoes. UFC 24 was initially 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 ...

, but was not 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. ...

at the time. A double

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...

with

UFC 23 ''UFC 23: Ultimate Japan 2'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on November 19, 1999 at Tokyo Bay NK Hall in Tokyo, Japan. History UFC 23 was the second UFC event to take place in Tokyo, Japan, where the ne ...

and 24 was released in 2007.

Results

Encyclopedia awards

The following fighters were honored in the October 2011 book titled '' UFC Encyclopedia''. *Fight of the Night: Bob Cook vs. Tiki Ghosn *Knockout of the Night: Lance Gibson *Submission of the Night: Scott Adams

References

External links

Official UFC website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ufc 024 Ultimate Fighting Championship flagship events 2000 in mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts events in Louisiana Sports competitions in Lake Charles, Louisiana 2000 in sports in Louisiana March 2000 sports events in the United States

History

Results

Encyclopedia awards

See also

References

External links