UFC 74

Lore & Background

The main event was a UFC Heavyweight Championship bout which featured champion Randy Couture defending his title against Gabriel Gonzaga, who knocked out Mirko Filipović at UFC 70 to become the number one contender. Former UFC and TKO Major League MMA welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre, in his first fight since losing his title to Matt Serra at UFC 69, was matched up against The Ultimate Fighter's Josh Koscheck. The card also featured former heavyweight champion Frank Mir against K-1 veteran Antoni Hardonk; The Ultimate Fighter 3's winner Kendall Grove; the UFC debut of PRIDE veteran Marcus Aurélio; The Ultimate Fighter 2 welterweight winner Joe Stevenson; and former light heavyweight challenger Renato Sobral.

Despite winning his bout, Sobral was fined $25,000 by the Nevada State Athletic Commission because he did not immediately follow referee's directions for releasing his chokehold after David Heath tapped. Due to the controversial manner in which the bout was stopped, Sobral was subsequently released from his UFC contract. Future UFC Heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar has said in an interview with ESPN that he wanted to fight in the UFC but Dana White wouldn't take his calls.

He then said that he went to this event and after the show was over he jumped the barricade, avoided security, and introduced himself to White.

Reader's Guide

The event featured a UFC Heavyweight Championship bout between Randy Couture and Gabriel Gonzaga, a welterweight bout between Georges St-Pierre and Josh Koscheck, a heavyweight bout between Frank Mir and Antoni Hardonk, and other bouts including Kendall Grove, Marcus Aurélio, Joe Stevenson, and Renato Sobral. Bonus awards: Fight of the Night ($40,000) – Randy Couture vs. Gabriel Gonzaga; Knockout of the Night ($40,000) – Patrick Côté; Submission of the Night ($40,000) – Thales Leites.