UFC 10


UFC 10: The Tournament was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on July 12, 1996, at the Fair Park Arena in Birmingham, Alabama. The event was seen live on pay per view in the United States, and later released on home video. A fictional UFC 10, staged at the Grand Olympic Auditorium, is featured during one scene in the film Virtuosity, including an appearance from fighter Ken Shamrock.

History

UFC 10 marked the UFC's return to the tournament format. The card featured an eight man tournament, as well as two alternate bouts in case of an injury, and to fill time for the pay-per-view broadcast.
UFC was originally supposed to air this event from the Providence Civic Center in Providence, [Rhode Island|Providence], Rhode Island. The Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation challenged the UFC's licence to host the event in court. Judge Richard J. Israel agreed that the tournament could go ahead there but only if they followed the rules of professional wrestling. When the UFC's lawyer stated that the WWF wasn't real, the judge retorted: "I’ve been watching it for 20 years, it certainly is." Due to wrestling needing a licence in Rhode Island, the UFC were obliged to apply for a wrestling licence from the DBR, which they refused to grant and the refusal was upheld on appeal. As a result, this led to UFC 10 being forced to move the event to Alabama.
UFC 10 featured the first appearance of Mark Coleman, who beat fan favorite Don Frye to win the tournament. It was also the first time that Bruce Buffer announced the fights inside the Octagon, replacing Rich Goins. However, Rich Goins came back for UFC 8, UFC 9, and UFC 11.

Encyclopedia awards

The following fighters were honored in the October 2011 book titled UFC Encyclopedia.
  • Fight of the Night: Mark Coleman vs. Don Frye
  • '''Knockout of the Night: Mark Coleman '''