Which Japanese city hosted UFC Japan: Ultimate Japan in 1997?

UFC Japan: Ultimate Japan was held in Yokohama, Japan.

The event took place on December 21, 1997, at Yokohama Arena. It was one of the UFC’s earliest international events and was also known as UFC Ultimate Japan or UFC 15.5. At the time, staging an event outside the United States represented a significant step in the promotion’s international development.

The card featured a four-man heavyweight tournament, a heavyweight championship bout, a Superfight, and the first UFC Middleweight Championship bout. It also introduced Japanese audiences to future MMA legends Kazushi Sakuraba and Frank Shamrock. Sakuraba ultimately won the tournament after defeating Marcus Silveira in the final.

Saitama and Tokyo are understandable distractors because both are major Japanese combat-sports destinations and later hosted important UFC events. Osaka has also hosted large sporting cards. However, this particular 1997 event was held at Yokohama Arena, making Yokohama the specific city associated with UFC Japan: Ultimate Japan.