2011 in sports

2011 in sports will describe the year's events in world sport.

Centuries: 20th century · 21st century · 22nd century
Decades: 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s 2030s 2040s
Years: 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

Alpine skiing

American football

Aquatics

Association football

Athletics

Basketball

Beach Soccer

Beach volleyball

Boxing

  • January 29 – Timothy Bradley defeats Devon Alexander by a tenth round technical decision. The fight was stopped due to a cut Alexander had received from an accidental headbutt in the third round, which was made worse by two more headbutts in the eighth round and an final fourth headbutt in the tenth round. Both fighters came in with undefeated records and the fight was initially praised as one of the few good match-ups between two top ranked Americans in recent years. With the win, Bradley unified the light welterweight titles by defending his WBO title and winning Alexander's WBC title.
  • February 19 – Nonito Donaire defeats Fernando Montiel by technical knockout in the second round to unify the WBO and WBC bantamweight titles. Donaire started the fight strong by controlling most of the first round, landing a left hook that briefly stunned Montiel. In the second round Donaire started landing a few combinations before finishing Montiel with a solid hook that knocked out his opponent.
  • March 12 – Sergio Gabriel Martínez knocks out undefeated Sergiy Dzindziruk in the eighth round to win the vacant WBC diamond belt middleweight championship.
  • March 12 – Miguel Cotto knocks out Ricardo Mayorga in the twelfth round to retain his WBA world light middleweight title.
  • March 19 – Vitali Klitschko knocks out Odlanier Solís in the first round to retain his WBC heavyweight title for the sixth time. The knockout came as a surprise after Solís appeared to have sustained serious knee injury. Initially following the stoppage, Vitali Klitschko was angry at Solís and felt he took a dive. However following the fight Solís was taken to a hospital, where a scan revealed tears to his anterior cruciate ligament and external meniscus, as well as cartilage damage in his right knee.[1]
  • April 2 – Giovanni Segura knocks out Iván Calderón in the third round in a repeat of 2010's fight of the year.
  • May 7 – Manny Pacquiao easily defeats Shane Mosley, retaining his WBO welterweight title by unanimous decision.
  • July 2 — Wladimir Klitschko defeats David Haye by unanimous decision, adding Haye's WBA heavyweight title to the four he already held.

Canadian football

Canoeing

Cheerleading

Cheerleading Worlds

28 April- 2 May – The Walt Disney World Resort, Orlando, Florida, USA

Australian calendar

Australian Challenge (regional championships)
April
May
June
July
August
Australian Cheer for a Cure (regional championships)
September
Australian Showdown (state championships)
August
September
Australian Grand (national championships)

September 24-25, Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre, New South Wales

Cricket

Curling

2010–11 curling season

Season of Champions
Grand Slams
World Championships

2011–12 curling season

Season of Champions
Grand Slams

Fencing

Figure skating

Gymnastics

Golf

Handball

Horse racing

Steeplechases
Flat races
  • Luis Contreras becomes the first jockey to win the Canadian Triple Crown aboard two different horses in the same year.

Ice hockey

Ice sledge hockey

Mixed martial arts

The following is a list of major noteworthy MMA events during 2011 in chronological order.

Date Event Alternate Name/s Location Attendance PPV Buyrate Notes
January 1 UFC 125: Resolution N/A   Las Vegas, Nevada, USA 12,874 270,000 N/A
January 7 Strikeforce Challengers: Woodley vs. Saffiedine ShoMMA 13: Woodley vs. Saffiedine   Nashville, Tennessee, USA 2,631 N/A N/A
January 22 UFC: Fight For The Troops 2 UFC Fight Night 23   Killeen, Texas, USA 3,200 N/A N/A
January 29 Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Cyborg N/A   San Jose, California, USA 9,059 N/A N/A
February 5 UFC 126: Silva vs. Belfort N/A   Las Vegas, Nevada, USA 10,893 725,000 N/A
February 12 Strikeforce / M-1 Global: Fedor vs. Silva Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Silva   East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA 11,287 N/A Quarterfinals to 2011 Strikeforce Heavyweight GP tournament.
Fedor Emelianenko suffers his second legitimate loss in a row and speculates retirement.
Gina Carano announces a return to MMA after being inactive for 18 months.
February 18 Strikeforce Challengers: Beerbohm vs. Healy ShoMMA 14: Beerbohm vs Healy   Cedar Park, Texas, USA N/A N/A N/A
February 25 MFC 28: Supremacy N/A   Edmonton, Alberta, Canada N/A N/A N/A
February 26 UFC 127: Penn vs. Fitch N/A   Sydney, Australia 18,186 260,000 N/A
February 26 BAMMA 5: Daley vs. Shirai N/A   Manchester, England N/A N/A N/A
March 3 UFC Live: Sanchez vs. Kampmann N/A   Louisville, Kentucky, USA 8,319 N/A N/A
March 5 Strikeforce: Feijao vs. Henderson Strikeforce: Columbus   Columbus, Ohio, USA 7,123 N/A N/A
March 5 Bellator XXXV N/A   Lemoore, California, USA N/A N/A Start of Bellator Season 4.
March 11 ADFC: Round 3 N/A   Abu Dhabi, UAE N/A N/A N/A
March 12 Bellator XXXVI N/A   Shreveport, Louisiana, USA N/A N/A N/A
March 19 Bellator XXXVII N/A   Concho, Oklahoma, USA N/A N/A N/A
March 19 UFC 128: Shogun vs. Jones N/A   Newark, New Jersey, USA 12,619 445,000 N/A
March 19 KSW XV: Contemporary Gladiators N/A   Warsaw, Poland N/A N/A N/A
March 26 Bellator XXXVIII N/A   Tunica, Mississippi, USA N/A N/A N/A
March 26 UFC Fight Night: Nogueira vs. Davis UFC Fight Night 24

UFC Fight Night: Seattle

  Seattle, Washington, USA 13,741 N/A N/A
April 1 Strikeforce Challengers: Wilcox vs. Damm ShoMMA 15: Wilcox vs. Damm   Stockton, California, USA N/A N/A First Strikeforce event under Zuffa ownership.
April 2 Bellator XXXIX N/A   Uncasville, Connecticut, USA N/A N/A N/A
April 8 MFC 29: Conquer N/A   Windsor, Ontario, Canada N/A N/A N/A
April 9 Bellator XL N/A   Newkirk, Oklahoma, USA N/A N/A N/A
April 9 Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley N/A   San Diego, California, USA N/A N/A N/A
April 16 Bellator XLI N/A   Yuma, Arizona, USA N/A N/A N/A
April 23 Bellator XLII N/A   Concho, Oklahoma, USA N/A N/A N/A
April 30 UFC 129: St-Pierre vs. Shields N/A   Toronto, Ontario, Canada 55,724 800,000 (Min.)
900,000 (Max.)
Randy Couture announces his retirement after nearly 14 years of competition.
April 30 Superior Challenge 7 N/A   Stockholm, Sweden N/A N/A N/A
May 6 Tachi Palace Fights 9 N/A   Lemoore, California, USA N/A N/A N/A
May 7 Bellator XLIII N/A   Newkirk, Oklahoma, USA N/A N/A N/A
May 14 Bellator XLIV N/A   Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA N/A N/A N/A
May 21 Bellator XLV N/A   Lake Charles, Louisiana, USA N/A N/A End of Bellator season 4.
May 21 BAMMA 6: Watson vs. Ninja N/A   London, England N/A N/A Murilo Rua announces his retirement after 11 years of competition.
May 21 KSW XVI N/A   Gdańsk, Poland N/A N/A N/A
May 28 UFC 130: Rampage vs. Hamill N/A   Las Vegas, Nevada, USA 12,753 300,000 (Min.)
325,000 (Max.)
N/A
May 28 United Glory 14: 2010-2011 World Series Finals N/A   Moscow, Russia N/A N/A N/A
May 29 Dream: Fight for Japan! Dream Japan GP - 2011 Bantamweight Japan Tournament   Saitama, Japan 6,522 N/A N/A
June 4 The Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale N/A   Las Vegas, Nevada, USA N/A N/A N/A
June 10 MFC 30: Up Close and Personal N/A   Edmonton, Alberta, Canada N/A N/A N/A
June 11 UFC 131: dos Santos vs. Carwin N/A   Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada 14,685 325,000 (Min.)
335,000 (Max.)
N/A
June 18 Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum Strikeforce: Dallas   Dallas, Texas, USA N/A N/A The event will feature the first women's bouts ever held by Zuffa.
June 24 Strikeforce Challengers: Fodor vs. Terry Strikeforce Challengers 16: Fodor vs. Terry   Kent, Washington, USA N/A N/A N/A
June 25 Bellator XLVI N/A   Hollywood, Florida, USA N/A N/A Start of Bellator 2011 Summer Series.
June 26 UFC Live: Kongo vs. Barry N/A   Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA 7,792 N/A N/A
July 2 UFC 132: Cruz vs. Faber 2 N/A   Las Vegas, Nevada, USA 13,109 350,000 (Min.)
375,000 (Max.)
N/A
July 16 Dream: Japan GP Final N/A   Tokyo, Japan 8,142 N/A N/A
July 22 Strikeforce Challengers: Voelker vs. Bowling III Strikeforce Challengers 17   Las Vegas, Nevada, USA N/A N/A N/A
July 23 Bellator XLVII N/A   Rama, Ontario, Canada N/A N/A N/A
July 30 Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson N/A   Hoffman Estates, Illinois, USA N/A N/A N/A
August 6 UFC 133: Evans vs. Ortiz 2 N/A   Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA 11,583 N/A N/A
August 12 Strikeforce Challengers: Gurgel vs. Duarte ShoMMA 18   Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA N/A N/A N/A
August 14 UFC Live: Hardy vs. Lytle N/A   Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA 6,751 N/A N/A
August 20 Bellator XLVIII N/A   Uncasville, Connecticut, USA N/A N/A End of Bellator 2011 Summer Series.
August 27 UFC 134: Silva vs. Okami UFC: Rio   Rio de Janeiro, Brazil N/A N/A N/A
September 3 ONE FC: Champion vs. Champion N/A   Kallang, Singapore N/A N/A N/A
September 10 Strikeforce: Heavyweight Grand Prix Semifinals N/A   Cincinnati, Ohio, USA N/A N/A N/A
September 10 Bellator XLIX N/A   Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA N/A N/A Start of Bellator Season 5
September 10 BAMMA 7 N/A   Birmingham, England N/A N/A N/A
September 17 UFC Fight Night: Battle on the Bayou UFC Fight Night 25   New Orleans, Louisiana, USA N/A N/A N/A
September 17 Bellator L N/A   Hollywood, Florida, USA N/A N/A N/A
September 23 Strikeforce Challengers 19 N/A   Las Vegas, Nevada, USA N/A N/A N/A
September 24 Dream 17 N/A   Saitama, Japan N/A N/A N/A
September 24 Bellator LI N/A   Canton, Ohio, USA N/A N/A N/A
September 24 UFC 135 N/A   Denver, Colorado, USA N/A N/A N/A
October 1 UFC on Versus 6 N/A   Washington, D.C., USA N/A N/A N/A
October 1 Bellator LII N/A   Lake Charles, Louisiana, USA N/A N/A N/A
October 8 UFC 136: Edgar vs. Maynard III N/A   Houston, Texas, USA N/A N/A N/A
October 8 Bellator LIII N/A   USA N/A N/A N/A
October 15 Bellator LIV N/A   Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA N/A N/A N/A
October 29 UFC 137: St-Pierre vs. Diaz N/A   Las Vegas, Nevada, USA N/A N/A N/A
November 5 UFC 138: Leben vs. Muñoz N/A   Birmingham, England N/A N/A The main event will be the first five round non-title fight in the history of the UFC.
November 19 UFC 139: Velasquez vs. Dos Santos N/A   San Jose, California, USA N/A N/A N/A
November 19 Bellator Event N/A   Hollywood, Florida, USA N/A N/A End of Bellator Season 5.
December 3 The Ultimate Fighter 14 Finale N/A   Las Vegas, Nevada USA N/A N/A N/A
December 10 UFC 140 N/A   Toronto, Ontario, Canada N/A N/A N/A

Motor racing

Formula One
NASCAR
IndyCar
World Rally Championship
World Touring Car Championship

Multi-sport events

Netball

2011 April 15th – 20th National Netball Championships 17/U & 19/U

June 9th Diamonds v Silver Ferns, Palmerston North

12th Diamonds v Silver Ferns, Auckland

July 3rd – 10th World Netball Championships 2011

12th – 17th National Netball Championships 21/U

30th Jul – 18th Sep Australian Netball League 2011

September 8th – 11th NetFest 2011 – Netball on the Gold Coast

October 9th Diamonds v England, Newcastle

12th Diamonds v England, Canberra

16th Diamonds v England, Sydney

23rd Diamonds v Silver Ferns, Perth

26th Diamonds v Silver Ferns, Adelaide

30th Diamonds v Silver Ferns, Melbourne

Nordic Skiing

Rink Hockey

Road bicycle racing

Rowing

Rugby league

Rugby union

Domestic competitions
Other major events
  • 26 February: During the England–France match in the Six Nations, England's Jonny Wilkinson retakes the all-time lead for career Test points from New Zealand's Dan Carter.
  • 27 February: During the Scotland–Ireland match in the Six Nations, Ireland's Ronan O'Gara retakes the all-time lead for career points in the Championship from Wilkinson.
  • 19 March: During the Ireland–England Six Nations match, two Irish players reach major career milestones in the Championship:
  • 30 July: During New Zealand's Tri Nations opener at home to South Africa, Carter reclaims the all-time lead for career Test points from Wilkinson.

Tennis

Volleyball

References

  1. "Solis' knee torn up after defeat vs. Klitschko". ESPN.com. 20 March 2011.
  2. NHL awards Carolina 2011 all-star game. Associated Press. 2010-04-08. http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/story/2010/04/08/sp-nhl-allstar-carolina.html. 

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