UFC 60: Hughes vs. Gracie was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on May 27, 2006. The event took place at the Staples Center, in Los Angeles, California and was broadcast live on pay-per-view in the United States and Canada. Headlining the card was a non-title match between Matt Hughes, current UFC Welterweight Champion, and Royce Gracie, the champion of UFC 1, UFC 2 and UFC 4. This was Gracie's first match in the UFC and in the United States since UFC 5.
The number of pay-per-view buys for UFC 60 in the United States was between 615,000 and 625,000, which generated gross PPV revenue of $24.57 million to $24.97 million. The Staples Center was announced as sold out according to the UFC broadcast but was visibly empty in the mid-level tiers of the arena. The actual attendance, according to the California State Athletic Commission, was 10,347 in paid attendance and 14,765 in total attendance, for a live gate of $2,900,090. The disclosed fighter payroll for UFC 60 was $740,000.
Preliminary card
Lightweight bout
Melvin Guillard vs Rick Davis
Guillard defeated Davis by KO (right overhead punch to the face) at 1:37 of round one. Guillard announced his intention to stay at Lightweight; he earlier fought at Welterweight for all of his previous UFC appearances.
Heavyweight bout
Gabriel Gonzaga Vs. Fabiano Scherner
Gonzaga defeated Scherner by TKO at :24 of round two. Scherner complained of vision problems between rounds; however doctors cleared him for round two.
Lightweight bout
Spencer Fisher vs Matt Wiman
Wiman got a takedown in the first round, and took Fisher's back. Fisher escaped, and Wiman appeared to nearly finish a guillotine choke, but Fisher survived and escaped, finishing the round on top of Wiman in the guard. Fisher came back to defeat Wiman by KO (flying knee) at 1:43 of round two. Wiman replaced Leonard Garcia, who reportedly broke his leg in training. This was Wiman's UFC debut.
Middleweight bout
Jeremy Horn vs. Chael Sonnen
Jeremy Horn defeated Chael Sonnen by submission (armbar) at 1:17 of round two. This was the third meeting between the two, all won by Horn, all accepted by Sonnen on short notice.[4] Sonnen was a late replacement for Evan Tanner, who reportedly withdrew due to personal issues. This preliminary fight was the only match that did not air on the pay-per-view broadcast.
Main card
Middleweight bout
Mike Swick vs Joe Riggs
Swick defeated Riggs by submission (guillotine choke) at 2:19 of round one. For Riggs, fighting at middleweight was a step up from his usual fighting weight of 170 lb.
Heavyweight bout
Brandon Vera vs. Assuerio Silva
Vera defeated Silva by submission (guillotine choke) at 2:39 in round one. Silva had suffered an accidental eye-poke at 1:33 in the first round, but was cleared by doctors after a referee's time-out.
Welterweight bout
Diego Sanchez vs John Alessio
Alessio avoided the majority of Sanchez' takedown attempts. Alessio spent much of the third round standing with Sanchez on his back. Sanchez defeated Alessio by unanimous decision. The judges scored the bout 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28.
Light heavyweight bout
Dean Lister vs Alessio Sakara
Lister defeated Sakara by submission (triangle choke) at 2:20 of round one. This was Lister's debut in the UFC, and he announced intentions to fight at 185 lb. in future bouts after the fight.
Catchweight (175 lb) bout
Royce Gracie vs Matt Hughes
Midway though round one, Hughes held Gracie in a kimura lock, but Gracie remarkably did not tap out. Gracie eventually escaped from the submission attempt and attempted to sweep Hughes into his guard, but in the process Hughes gained a dominant position by mounting his back and defeated Gracie by TKO (referee stoppage, ground and pound) at 4:39 of round one. The match was held at a catchweight of 175 lb, and was scheduled for three rounds.
