On Saturday, Nov. 14, 2009, “UFC 105: Couture vs. Vera” set the promotion’s European attendance record as 16,693 screaming fans packed into Manchester, England’s M.E.N. Arena. The event brought in a healthy $2 million live gate according to UFC officials.
“Fight of the Night” went to Michael Bisping and Denis Kang, and each fighter was awarded a $40,000 bonus. The question before the fight was, how will Bisping look in his first fight back after suffering a brutal knockout loss at the hands of Dan Henderson at UFC 100. The answer was, remarkable.
Although, knocked down by Kang early in round one, Kang could not capitalize, and Bisping defended Kang’s top position well. In round two, Bisping took Kang down on three separate occasions, poured on the ground and pound, and eventually got the TKO stoppage. It was a great fight and a great showing for the Brit.
“Knockout of the Night” went to Dennis Siver for his spinning back kick and punches that took out Wolfslair Academy fighter Paul Kelly in the second round of the first fight of the night. Siver was awarded a $40,000 bonus for the finish.
“Submission of the Night” went to Terry Etim for his second round guillotine choke of Shannon Gugerty. Etim was awarded a $40,000 bonus for tapping out his opponent. Etim loves choke submissions. Nine of his 14 career victories have come from various choke submissions.