Ultimate Fighting Championship holds UFC 59 on April 15, 2006 in Anaheim, Ca. It’s the promotions seventieth event. UFC 59: Reality Check takes place in front of a crowd of over 12,000 fight fans at the Arrowhead Pond in central Orange County, an arena known today as Honda Center.
Headlined by a rematch between Heavyweight titleholder Andrei Arlovski and former champ Tim Sylvia, fight fans were sure it would be a boxing match in the octagon. Arlovski and Sylvia’s first fight for the vacant Heavyweight Interim-title happened at UFC 51.
This fight coming roughly five months after the title had been left vacant by Frank Mir; Mir had suffered serious injuries in a motorcycle accident in September of 2004, leading to the UFC stripping him of his belt shortly after. Andrei Arlovski would defeat Sylvia in the first bout by submission in just 47 seconds. An Achilles-lock the Pitbull set up with a crushing right hand that sent Sylvia to the mat early helped Arlovski make short work of the ex-champ.
Between their first and second fights both men fought and won twice. Arlovski being promoted to Undisputed Champion after his second defense of the belt and destruction Paul Buentello in the first round at UFC 55.
Arlovski and Sylvia’s rematch would be almost as short as the first bout, offering more thrills. After a feeling out process lasted the opening two and a half minutes of the first Arlovski lands a vicious right flush on Sylvia’s chin. Sylvia crashes to the canvas but this time recovers and gets back on his feet quickly.
Visibly rattled, Sylvia puts together some quick combos to counter Arlovski’s aggression. After whiffing a right hand, Arlovski finds himself on the wrong end of a battering right hand uppercut and slams face first to the mat. Sylvia pummels the Pitbull with shots as he lied prone for good measure until referee Herb Dean (2-3) stops the bout at 2:43 of the first round.
Sylvia, crowned Heavyweight royalty once more, would go on to defend the title twice more. Once again defeating Arlovski in his second defense by a five-round decision (in an ultra boring fight) at UFC 61. Arlovski would never fight in a UFC title match again after his second defeat at the hands of the Maine-iac.
Reality Check was a solid card that also featured Tito Ortiz, Forrest Griffin, Nick Diaz, and Sean Sherk among others, but it was the rough and tumble Heavyweight title bout that left MMA fans everywhere with their jaws on the floor.
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