UFC 81: Breaking Point
UFC 81: Breaking Point was a mixed martial arts (MMA) event held on February 2, 2008 by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The event featured Tim Sylvia and Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira for UFC's Interim World Heavyweight Championship. UFC Heavyweight champion Randy Couture declined a championship fight with Nogueira, which caused the creation of the interim title.
This event also saw the UFC debut of former WWE Champion Brock Lesnar in a bout against former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir.
- Next Event: UFC 82: Pride of a Champion
- Previous Event: UFC Fight Night 12
Results
| Weight Class | Winner | Loser | Method | Round | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lightweight | Robert Emerson | Keita Nakamura | Decision (Split) | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Middleweight | Marvin Eastman | Terry Martin | Decision (Unanimous) | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Light Heavyweight | Tim Boetsch | David Heath | TKO (Slam and Punches) | 1 | 4:52 | |
| Welterweight | Chris Lytle | Kyle Bradley | TKO (Punches) | 1 | 0:33 | Lytle won Knockout of the Night Honors |
| Lightweight | Tyson Griffin | Gleison Tibau | Decision (Unanimous) | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Middleweight | Ricardo Almeida | Rob Yundt | Submission (Guillotine Choke) | 1 | 1:08 | Almeida's first fight after coming out of retirement |
| Middleweight | Nate Marquardt | Jeremy Horn | Submission (Guillotine Choke) | 2 | 1:37 | |
| Heavyweight | Frank Mir | Brock Lesnar | Submission (Kneebar) | 1 | 1:30 | Mir won Submission of the Night Honors |
| Heavyweight | Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira | Tim Sylvia | Submission (Guillotine Choke) | 3 | 1:28 | Nogueira won Interim UFC Heavyweight Championship; Fight won Fight of the Night Honors |
Bonus Awards
At the end of this event, $60,000 was awarded to each of the fighters who received one of these three awards.
- Fight of the Night: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Tim Sylvia
- Submission of the Night: Frank Mir
- Knockout of the Night: Chris Lytle
Reported Payout
The individual payouts are listed below. Payout amounts includes the payment amounts for show and win. but do not include sponsor payments, fees, taxes, or special award bonuses.
- Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira: $200,000 (includes $100,000 win bonus) def. Tim Sylvia: $100,000
- Frank Mir: $80,000 (includes $40,000 win bonus) def. Brock Lesnar: $250,000
- Nate Marquardt: $52,000 (includes $26,000 win bonus) def. Jeremy Horn: $25,000
- Ricardo Almeida: $40,000 (includes $20,000 win bonus) def. Rob Yundt: $5,000
- Tyson Griffin: $36,000 (includes $18,000 win bonus) def. Gleison Tibau: $11,000
- Chris Lytle: $24,000 (includes $12,000 win bonus) def. Kyle Bradley: $4,000
- Tim Boetsch: $12,000 (includes $6,000 win bonus) def. David Heath: $6,000
- Marvin Eastman: $14,000 (includes $7,000 win bonus) def. Terry Martin: $12,000
- Rob Emerson: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus) def. Keita Nakamura: $5,000
