Background
The fight card was headlined by a bout between Vitor Belfort and Chuck Liddell, with the winner getting a shot at the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship. UFC 37.5 was the first UFC event to feature Joe Rogan as a color commentator, but he would leave again to host Fear Factor, and return at UFC 40. Joe made several UFC appearances prior to UFC 37.5 as the behind-the-scenes interviewer starting at UFC 12.
UFC 37.5 was a last-minute event specifically held to promote the UFC on Fox Sports Net's The Best Damn Sports Show Period, where the "best fight" of the night was to air during the BDSSP's "All Star Summer" celebration in June 2002. The fight aired was Steve Berger vs Robbie Lawler, which has the distinction of being the first mixed martial arts fight to be aired on US cable television.
The event featured only six fights, which is a much smaller card than others under the UFC banner at the time, and was the first event since UFC Japan not to be broadcast live on pay-per-view. The event was later broadcast on pay-per-view in its entirety. The number 37.5 was used because UFC 38 had already been announced and marketed in England, where the UFC was making their debut just three weeks later.
Read more about this topic: UFC 37.5
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