The card also featured former heavyweight champion Frank Mir against K-1 veteran Antoni Hardonk; The Ultimate Fighter 3's winner Kendall Grove; the UFC debut of PRIDE veteran Marcus Aurélio; The Ultimate Fighter 2 welterweight winner Joe Stevenson; and former light heavyweight challenger Renato Sobral.
The main event was anticipated to be Chuck Liddell versus Wanderlei Silva, a long-awaited match between the two popular former champions of the UFC and PRIDE, respectively; however, the main event featured a fight between former Light Heavyweight Champion Chuck Liddell and The Ultimate Fighter 2 alum Keith Jardine, with both fighters returning from knockout losses at UFC 71.
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On November 5, 2005, Stevenson defeated Luke Cummo by unanimous decision, winning The Ultimate Fighter 2 welterweight tournament and earning a six-figure contract with the UFC, UFC president Dana White said "that was Stephan Bonnar and Forrest Griffin, only on the ground".
Headlining the card were the two coaches from The Ultimate Fighter 2, Rich Franklin and Matt Hughes, scheduled to defend their middleweight and welterweight titles, respectively.
Liddell returned to the octagon at UFC 76 to face The Ultimate Fighter 2 alumni Keith Jardine where he was defeated via split decision in a closely contested contest.
After establishing himself as a top contender again, Liddell went on to face The Ultimate Fighter 2 winner Rashad Evans at UFC 88.