UFC 59: Reality Check was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on April 15, 2006 at Arrowhead Pond, in Anaheim, California, and broadcast live on pay-per-view in the United States and Canada.

This was the first-ever UFC event held in California after the state's legalization of mixed martial arts contests. It was a sold-out show, and was one of the fastest sell outs in UFC history.

According to the California State Athletic Commission, there were 13,060 tickets sold, with a live gate of $2,191,450. The disclosed fighter payroll for the event was $539,000.

Tito Ortiz: $200,000

Andrei Arlovski: $90,000

Tim Sylvia: $90,000

Evan Tanner: $40,000

Karo Parisyan: $16,000

Sean Sherk: $16,000

Forrest Griffin: $16,000

David Terrell: $12,000

Nick Diaz: $10,000

Jeff Monson: $10,000

Jason Lambert: $8,000

Thiago Alves: $8,000

Justin Levens: $5,000

Nick Thompson: $5,000

Marcio Cruz: $5,000

Derrick Noble: $3,000

Scott Smith: $3,000

Terry Martin: $2,000

Total Fighter Payouts: $539,000

Thiago Alves d'Araujo (Portuguese pronunciation: [tʃiˈaɡu ˈawvis]; born October 3, 1983) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist currently competing as a welterweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He started training in Muay Thai when he was 15 and mixed martial arts at 17. He is a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and has been described as a "Muay Thai wrecking machine".

After beginning his fight training at the age of 14, Alves won his first professional bout at just 15 years old, defeating a 25-year-old by unanimous decision. At 19, Thiago relocated from Brazil to Coconut Creek, Florida to train full-time at the prestigious American Top Team camp.

After beginning his career in smaller organizations such as the Ironheart Crown, Absolute Fighting Championships and King of the Cage, Alves, with a record of 8–3, received an invitation to make his UFC debut at Ultimate Fight Night 2 against fellow UFC newcomer Spencer Fisher, The fight would take place on Alves' twenty-second birthday.

Derrick Noble is an American professional mixed martial artist from Cuba, Illinois.

Derrick began martial arts training at the age of 13 in Taekwondo, and he eventually earned a Black Belt in Hapkido from Master Bob Long. He attended Eastern Illinois University where he earned a Masters Degree in Sport Management. At the age of 18, he joined the U.S. Marine Corps and spent four years in the infantry. After the Marines he began training mixed martial arts with Bob and Phil Johns out of the Silverbacks MMA. He also studied Muay Thai and fought professionally for Ryan Blackorby and the Peoria Athletic Club. He has additionally trained with renowned trainer and UFC veteran Dave Strasser at the Freestyle Academy in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

He has earned wins over Thiago Alves, Carlo Prater, and Jake Ellenberger. He is currently part of Team X-Factor out of the Minnesota Martial Arts Academy home of former UFC lightweight champion Sean Sherk, former bodogFight welterweight champion Nick Thompson, and former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar.

Forrest Griffin (born July 1, 1979) is an American mixed martial artist. Since 2005, he has been signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship where he is a former UFC light heavyweight champion.

Griffin, a former Georgia police officer, first rose to prominence after winning the first season of The Ultimate Fighter. In the tournament finals, he fought and defeated Stephan Bonnar in an exciting brawl that is widely credited as sparking the current success of the UFC. He went on to serve as a coach on the 7th season of the reality series opposite Quinton Jackson, whom he later defeated at UFC 86 to become the Undisputed UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. He and Rashad Evans are the only fighters to go from winning The Ultimate Fighter to winning the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship.

Griffin graduated from Evans High School in Evans, Georgia, a suburb of Augusta. He then graduated with an A.B. in Political Science from the University of Georgia. While attending school, Griffin served as a law enforcement officer for the Richmond County Sheriff's Office in Augusta, Georgia. He also served as a patrol officer with the University of Georgia Police.

Miesha Tate (pronounced /ˈmiːʃə/; born August 18, 1986) is a professional mixed martial artist. She is the former Strikeforce Women's Bantamweight Champion and the current Freestyle Cage Fighting Women's Bantamweight Champion. She has also competed and won a silver medal in the FILA Grappling Championships.

Tate is currently the #6-ranked pound-for-pound female MMA fighter in the world by MMARising.com and the #3-ranked 135-pound female fighter according to the Unified Women's MMA Rankings.

Tate wrestled on the boys' wrestling team in high school. In 2005, she won the high school women's state championship and went on to win nationals at the World Team Trials in the 158 lb division.

While attending Central Washington University Miesha's colleague, Rosalia Watson, encouraged her to attend the mixed martial arts club with her. Soon after attending, Tate officially joined the mixed martial arts sport club at Central Washington University that was run by her current boyfriend and trainer, Bryan Caraway. She amassed a 5-1 amateur record in MMA before turning pro.