UFC 80

Lore & Background

The main event was originally scheduled as an interim lightweight championship fight, but after Sean Sherk was stripped of the title, the bout between B.J. Penn and Joe Stevenson was altered to be for the undisputed lightweight championship.

In Their Own Story

The Alltel Arena hummed with a low, electric buzz. Two thousand fans in the lower bowl leaned forward as the cage doors slid open and the announcer's voice boomed through the speakers. Griffin stepped through, his jaw set, his gloves still fresh from the warm-up. He could feel the weight of every camera lens, every skeptical eyebrow in the front row. Serra circled the other way, calm, methodical, the way a man who has already won a hundred times in his head moves. Round one was a chess match. Serra probed, shot a takedown, got it, but Griffin scrambled, got to his feet, and the crowd roared. Griffin's hands were fast, his body language loose in a way that said he had nothing to prove except the next three seconds. Then round two. A left hook landed flush. Serra stumbled. Griffin pressed forward, not with rage, with purpose, and the referee's hand came up. The belt was his. He dropped to his knees in the cage, and for a moment the arena went silent before the sound hit him all at once.

Reader's Guide

The event featured a Fight of the Night bonus awarded to Paul Taylor vs. Paul Kelly, a Knockout of the Night bonus to Wilson Gouveia, and a Submission of the Night bonus to B.J. Penn. Each bonus was $35,000.

Did You Know?

• The event took place on January 19, 2008.
• The venue was the Metro Radio Arena in Newcastle, United Kingdom.
• B.J. Penn won Submission of the Night.
• Wilson Gouveia won Knockout of the Night.