There was no way it was going to last. When Calvin Ayre bankrolled the creation of Bodog Fight (stylized as BodogFIGHT) in 2006, the dream wasn’t to do battle with MMA promotions like the UFC – it was to put on the best fights possible. If that meant bringing some of the world’s top talent to exotic locations around the world, or to fight them on the beaches rather than a packed arena, Ayre was willing and able to take the financial hit.
For a while. Ayre has since retired, and Bodog Fight’s last event was held in late 2007. But the enduring legacy of this one-of-a-kind promotion cannot be denied. Bodog Fight helped change the face of mixed martial arts; we put on some great fights, and we launched some very impressive careers.
With that in mind, let’s take a look back at the all-too-brief history of Bodog Fight, and see what made it one of the top destinations for MMA fans and fighters alike in the mid-Aughts.
Bodog Fight: Memorable Events
Bodog Fight is probably remembered most for Costa Rica Combat, three days of MMA fights (and tapings) held at an “undisclosed” beach somewhere in Costa Rica – more on that to follow. This is the show that set Bodog Fight apart from the others. It aired on The Score in Canada and ION Television in the US, and was streamed live on Bodog’s media platforms.
Costa Rica Combat was actually the third season of the larger Bodog Fight television series. The first season (on the Fight Network in Canada), also held in Costa Rica – but indoors this time – was called To the Brink of War, and was presented in much the same style as the UFC reality show The Ultimate Fighter. Season 2 was called Clash of the Nations (also on the Fight Network), and wrapped with a sold-out PPV finale on April 14, 2007 at the Ice Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Because that event did so well, Bodog Fight was back in Russia on November 30 for what would prove to be our last card. Held at the MegaSport Ice Arena in Moscow, this card was titled Russia vs. USA, but somewhere along the way, media outlets like ESPN got it confused with the two USA vs. Russia shows held earlier at the PNE Agrodome in Vancouver.
Bodog Fight: Famous Names
The confusion is understandable. That second trip to Russia didn’t work out quite as well for Bodog Fight and has largely been forgotten by all but the staunchest of MMA fans. But Russia vs. USA had impossibly big shoes to fill. In attendance for the Bodog Fight: St. Petersburg PPV was none other than Russian President Vladimir Putin, watching alongside actor/martial artist Jean-Claude Van Damme. Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi was also there to hobnob and catch the fights.
This was 2007, so Putin had yet to gain the reputation he has today, and Berlusconi still had his third and most controversial run ahead of him as Italy’s PM. As for Van Damme, he and Putin later attended a bare-knuckle event in Sochi back in 2010, but it appears Van Damme has done a split-legged 180 since then, having been filmed shouting “Slava Ukraini!” (“Glory to Ukraine!”) in a November 2022 video shared by the Ukrainian Defence Ministry.
Bodog Fight: Famous Locations
It’s been in the papers multiple times in recent years, so yes, it appears Costa Rica Combat was filmed at Ayre’s estate in Playa Tambor. He paid big bucks to have all the fighters flown in – and the camera crew, and all the other crews. And it was all worth it. Styles make fights, but so do locations, and the “Bodog Beach” backdrop became our signature.
It’s not the PNE Agrodome, though. Forget about the beaches and the palm trees for a moment if you can; fight fans in the Great White North are more than familiar with this cozy 5,000-seat arena, adjacent to the larger Pacific Coliseum that once featured the Vancouver Canucks as their primary tenant. The Agrodome was home to All-Star Wrestling (still running today under “Gorgeous” Michelle Starr) in the 1960s and 70s, and we were very proud indeed to hold our first-ever PPV event there.
That show at the Ice Palace (sometimes stylized as “ICE Palace”) was quite something, though. Obviously they had no trouble packing the 12,300-seat arena – Putin was there, and so was MMA fighter Fedor Emelianenko in the main event. But the rink itself is amazing, built in 2000 for the IIHF World Championship and four times the host of the IIHF European Champions Cup. Still not the Agrodome, of course, but it does let us say that Bodog Fight played the same venue as Elton John and Jennifer Lopez.
Bodog Fight: Standout Moments
Ah, yes: Fedor Emelianenko. The stars aligned in 2007 when Emelianenko made his lone appearance with Bodog Fight to take on Matt Lindland. Representing St. Petersburg at the time (and now living just south of Moscow), but born in the Ukrainian SSR, Emelianenko was the reigning Heavyweight champion for Japan’s PRIDE promotion. Fortunately for us, Emelianenko had a clause in his contract that allowed him to fight on Russian soil for any promotion.
The cheer that arose when Emelianenko secured that armbar on Lindland and got him to tap out after just 2:58? It was off the charts – a standing ovation for the local hero, and one he would have received regardless of who else was in attendance.
Three short months later, on July 14, 2007, Bodog Fight made history when we crowned our first ever women’s champion: Tara LaRosa, who defeated Kelly Kobold via fourth-round armlock for the Bantamweight title at Bodog Fight: Alvarez vs. Lee in Trenton, New Jersey. This was more than five years before the UFC bought Strikeforce and made Ronda Rousey their first women’s champion.
Bodog Fight: Success Stories
Being among the very first MMA promotions to showcase women fighters was easily one of our biggest successes here at Bodog Fight. The entire Costa Rica Combat experience was absolutely amazing as well. But in the end, it’s the fighters themselves and the success they went on to enjoy that has earned Bodog Fight its place in combat sports history.
Shayna Baszler
Let’s start with one of the women LaRosa defeated en route to the Bantamweight title. Shayna Baszler made her official MMA debut in 2003, fighting out of her native South Dakota. She was 6-3 when she faced LaRosa in Costa Rica on February 18, 2007, having previously lost once to Kobold and twice to Amanda Buckner on the indie circuit.
It wasn’t the best of times for Baszler – she ate a flurry of LaRosa punches and lost via TKO at 3:15 of the second round. But bigger things were on the horizon for Baszler. She rose up the ranks, appearing in EliteXC, Strikeforce and Invicta FC before gracing the Octagon twice, losing to Bethe Correja in 2014 and Amanda Nunes in 2015.
No shame in that. Having trained in Muay Thai and Brazilian jiu-jitsu – and in catch wrestling with Josh Barnett – Baszler seamlessly transitioned to professional wrestling, where she’s a two-time NXT Women’s Champion and three-time WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion, including a run with Rousey.
Eddie Alvarez
He hasn’t graced the square circle yet, but Alvarez has otherwise taken a similar path to glory as Baszler’s. His four appearances with Bodog Fight were career-defining; he was a welterweight when he started, winning the MFC belt over Aaron Riley on December 2, 2006 at the Agrodome, but Alvarez left as a lightweight, which is where he’d become champion for Bellator and eventually the UFC.
It seemed like a bad idea at first. Alvarez struggled in his debut at 170 pounds, losing via second-round TKO to Nick Thompson at Bodog Fight: St. Petersburg. But on July 14, 2007, in the main event of Bodog Fight: Alvarez vs. Lee, our hero earned a unanimous decision over Matt Lee to leave us on a winning note.
Then it was off to EliteXC. This was an important promotion at the time, co-founded and backed by Showtime Networks – then they promptly went belly-up, and Alvarez went to Japan to fight for the Dream promotion before eventually winning the inaugural Bellator Lightweight title in 2009, then the UFC Lightweight title (over Rafael dos Anjos) in 2016.
Jorge Masvidal
Say hello to the original BMF. Masvidal had just 10 pro MMA fights under his belt when he made his debut for us at Bodog Fight: To the Brink of War. His majority decision over Keith Wisniewski was followed by a similar victory in St. Petersburg over Steve Berger, then Masvidal made his own switch from welterweight to lightweight in 2007 and knocked out Yves Edwards in Trenton with a head kick.
EliteXC folded before he got the chance, so Masvidal racked up the other usual stops on the MMA trail: Strikeforce, Bellator, and a spell in Japan with the World Victory Tour promotion. Masvidal became a Strikeforce regular during his second stop there, and made his Octagon debut in 2013 after the UFC bought Strikeforce. He still has yet to win any gold aside from the symbolic BMF title, and he did announce his retirement this past April after losing to Gilbert Burns at UFC 287, but we have a feeling the insanely popular Masvidal isn’t done yet – if he can keep out of trouble.
Antonio Silva
Winning isn’t everything. Antonio Silva suffered the first loss of his MMA career on December 2, 2006 when Eric Pele walked out of the Agrodome with a first-round TKO. Then, after the requisite stop in EliteXC, where he became Heavyweight champion, Silva lost his 2009 Strikeforce debut to Fabrico Werdum – and then his 2012 UFC debut to Cain Velasquez.
Nevertheless, he persisted. Silva isn’t the largest giant out there at 6-foot-4 and 264 pounds, but he is indeed a giant, which is why they call him Bigfoot. It’s also why his MMA career went south in 2014 after the Nevada State Athletic Commission banned testosterone replacement therapy. Silva was using TRT to treat his acromegaly, and he subsequently lost five of his last six fights inside the Octagon before giving kickboxing and bare-knuckle boxing a try.
Cain Velazquez
You didn’t think we’d forget the greatest fighter we ever produced? Cain Velazquez was 1-0 as a pro and fresh off a successful NCAA Division I wrestling career when he joined our crew for Bodog Fight: St. Petersburg; it took him just four minutes to earn a TKO over then-undefeated Jeremiah Constant.
The road from Bodog Fight to the UFC was very short for Velasquez. After a bit of extra training, his next bout was in 2008 inside the Octagon, another first-round TKO over Brad Morris at UFC 83 in Montreal. Then the victims kept falling to those heavy hands, one after the other. The next thing you know, it’s 2010, and Velasquez has knocked out Brock Lesnar for the Heavyweight title at UFC 121.
Velazquez hasn’t graced the Octagon since his 26-second KO loss to Francis Ngannou at the first UFC on ESPN event in 2019; he’s been dabbling in pro wrestling instead, working in the WWE with Lesnar and with the AAA lucha libre promotion in Mexico. Let’s hope he stays healthy and happy.
We know what you’re thinking: Where’s Chael Sonnen? He was already successful before appearing for Bodog Fight in between stints with the UFC, although Sonnen did have a much better second run after going 4-0 with us. Same goes for Roy Nelson and Jake Shields, and for Jake Ellenberger to some extent.
We also wish we had more time to talk about future WSOF Women’s Strawweight champion and UFC competitor Jessica Aguilar. But for now, the best way to honour all of these fine athletes is to go back and watch Bodog Fight, then hit the MMA odds board at Bodog Sportsbook to see the latest lines for the current crop of stars and aspiring stars.