UFC 83

Lore & Background

The event was originally scheduled to be called UFC 84, but after the cancellation of a tentatively scheduled March 8, 2008 event in England, the title was changed to UFC 83. The card was headlined by UFC Welterweight Champion Matt Serra and UFC Interim Welterweight Champion Georges St-Pierre in a match to unify the championship. It was a rematch from their fight at UFC 69, which Serra had won. St-Pierre cited personal issues for the loss, including his father's serious illness and the death of his 17-year-old cousin in a car accident around the time of the first fight. St-Pierre claimed he only accepted the fight because he thought he could easily beat Serra. Serra responded by calling St-Pierre a 'Frenchy' and telling him to 'go drink some red wine and go watch a hockey game.' This was the company's first event in Canada. Several prominent Canadian MMA fighters competed, including Kalib Starnes, Mark Bocek, Jason MacDonald, Sam Stout, and Jonathan Goulet. Patrick Côté was originally scheduled to fight Alan Belcher but pulled out due to a non-fighting related injury and was replaced by Jason Day. UFC 83 broke two UFC records: the fastest sellout ever (tickets sold mostly to Fight Club members in the first 24 hours of presale, with the rest sold within one minute of public sale) and the attendance record (21,390 people, breaking the previous record of 19,049 set at UFC 68). This event marked the promotional debut of future UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez.

In Their Own Story

The MGM Grand Garden Arena hummed with a low, electric buzz as the lights dimmed over the octagon. Penn stood in his corner, chalk dust catching the spotlight, his eyes steady and calculating. Across the cage, Condit bounced on the balls of his feet, jaw set, already selling the war to everyone in the building. The referee's voice cut through the roar: "Gentlemen, let's get this fight on." The first exchange was a controlled jab from Penn, a measured probe. Condit answered with a flurry—left, right, body shot—closing the distance before Penn could reset. The crowd inhaled as a single. The arena became a living thing, breathing with the rhythm of the fight, every punch a pulse, every takedown a held breath. In that cage, two philosophies of violence collided, and the audience felt the weight of both.

Reader's Guide

The event took place on April 19, 2008, at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The main event was a welterweight title unification bout between Matt Serra and Georges St-Pierre. Bonus awards: Fight of the Night ($75,000) went to Jonathan Goulet vs. Kuniyoshi Hironaka; Knockout of the Night ($75,000) to Jason MacDonald; Submission of the Night ($75,000) to Demian Maia. The Quebec Boxing Council refused to disclose fighter payouts.

Did You Know?

• UFC 83 was the first UFC event held in Canada.
• The event broke the UFC attendance record with 21,390 people.
• Cain Velasquez made his UFC debut at this event.
• The event was originally numbered UFC 84 before a cancellation in England led to the number change.