Tito Ortiz: 10 Signature Fights
UFC 40
Ken
Shamrock offered little in the way of meaningful resistance at UFC
40. | Photo: J. Sherwood/Sherdog.com
Nov. 22, 2002 | Las Vegas
UFC 40 was a seminal event for Zuffa, as the long-awaited Tito Ortiz-Ken Shamrock grudge match opened eyes to new possibilities by shattering previous pay-per-view buy rates.
Shamrock’s return to the Octagon from a six-year absence did not go as he had hoped. Ortiz battered “The World’s Most Dangerous Man” to such a degree -- he landed 155 total strikes, 74 of them significant, according to FightMetric -- that he was barely recognizable by the time his corner called for a merciful stoppage between rounds three and four. It marked the fifth and final successful title defense for Ortiz, who surrendered the 205-pound championship to Randy Couture a little less than a year later.
Headlined by Ortiz-Shamrock, UFC 40 drew 13,265 fans to the MGM Grand Garden Arena for a $1,540,000 gate and proved mixed martial arts, with the right ingredients, could be a viable pay-per-view entity.
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