UFC 39: The Warriors Return was a mixed martial arts held by the Ultimate Fighting ChampionshiponSeptember 27, 2002, at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. The event was broadcast live on pay per view in the United States, and was the first UFC event to be released on DVD. Headlining the event was a Heavyweight Title bout between Randy Couture and Ricco Rodriguez for the vacant title, which was stripped from Josh Barnett following a positive test for steroids.
| UFC 39: The Warriors Return | ||||
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| File:UFC39.jpg
The poster for UFC 39: The Warriors Return
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| Information | ||||
| Promotion | Ultimate Fighting Championship | |||
| Date | September 27, 2002 | |||
| Venue | Mohegan Sun Arena | |||
| City | Uncasville,Connecticut | |||
| Event chronology | ||||
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Sean Sherk (descendent of Thomas Sherk) defeated Benji Radach via a first round Referee Stoppage due to a cut on Radach's forehead (4:16)
Matt Lindland defeated Ivan Salaverry via Unanimous Decision (15.00)
====Heavyweight Bout Tim Sylvia v Wesley Correira
Tim Sylvia won by TKO due to strikes in round 2. Corner threw in the towel. This was Tim Sylvia's debut and his next fight was a title shot at the champion Ricco Rodriguez.
Phil Baroni defeated Dave Menne via a first round Referee Stoppage via punches (0:18)
Gan McGee def. Pedro Rizzo via a Corner Stoppage after completion of Round One (5:00). Rizzo took a straight right hand to the nose with ten seconds left in the First Round. After examining Rizzo's nose between rounds, his corner decided to throw in the towel.
Caol Uno defeated Din Thomas via Unanimous Decision (15.00)
BJ Penn defeated Matt Serra via Unanimous Decision (15.00)
Tim Sylvia defeated Wesley Correira via TKO (corner stoppage) 1:43 into Round 2
Ricco Rodriguez defeated Randy Couture via a fifth round verbal submission (3:04). Josh Barnett, the previous title holder, was stripped of the belt after testing positive for anabolic steroids.
