UFC 200 Results: The Real Winners and Losers from Brock Lesnar to Miesha Tate
It finally happened.
The milestone of UFC 200 arrived. The big show. The big tamale. Think of everything that happened to get us here.
Remember when Ronda Rousey was an assumed lock to headline? Remember when Brock Lesnar was still a pro wrestler, seemingly happy in retirement from his MMA career? Speaking of retirement, remember when Conor McGregor did so as a negotiating tactic and it blew up in his face, costing him his spot on this card?
No one needs reminding on the final, biggest blow, but for completeness we'll mention the Jon Jones debacle this week, wherein a U.S. Anti-Doping Association flag forced him out of the event. From out of nowhere, in stepped Anderson Silva—Anderson Silva!—to challenge Daniel Cormier and keep the light heavyweight champion from missing UFC 200 altogether.
As Saturday's historic event roiled and bucked and took large bites of itself, it gradually gave way to a new kind of history.
First and foremost, we had women's bantamweight champion Miesha Tate headlining the pay-per-view. Raise your hand if you thought that would happen anytime soon outside of Rousey.
And just think: Tate's bout against Amanda Nunes was the second women's headliner of the weekend, following Joanna Jedrzejczyk's thrilling title defense against a game Claudia Gadelha at Friday's The Ultimate Fighter 23 finale show.
But back to the big tamale. You also saw the return of Lesnar, who faced maybe the UFC's or anyone else's hardest hitter in Mark Hunt. Could The Beast Incarnate really be back?
Since checking off every interesting fight would mean checking off every fight, it's probably sufficient to note this was a stacked slate, from Fight Pass to finale. And as always, the final stat lines only reveal so much.
What follows are the real winners and losers from UFC 200. Sit back, relax, forget the sport's troubles and let this gem sparkle.
For the literal-minded among us, full card results appear on the final slide.
Winner: Amanda Nunes
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Whoa. Whoa!
After Amanda Nunes choked out Miesha Tate in the first round of their women's bantamweight title fight, everyone was stunned. Not only did she upset the champ, and not only was she a virtual unknown, but it all happened so fast.
It wasn't close. Nunes snapped off a brisk jab that bothered Tate from the get-go. The Lioness sensed it and slowly ratcheted up the aggression.
The previous knock on Nunes was her tendency to come out quickly and fade from there. Nunes seemed mindful of that as she controlled the ascent of her intensity. She hurt Tate, dropped and bloodied her, took her back and locked on the choke.
It may not be what UFC officials wanted. Nunes isn't well-known and is now the fourth woman to wear the UFC bantamweight belt in the past eight months.
She also made a little extra history, though, which is worth noting: Nunes became the first openly gay champion in UFC history.
What's next for Nunes? Holly Holm, who defeated Rousey to take the belt before losing it to Tate, makes a lot of sense.
What about Tate? After the fight, she told broadcaster Joe Rogan in the cage, "I got careless, and it cost me really big," before adding she's going on vacation in Ontario.
I wouldn't worry too much about Tate. She lost in a swarm and won't tumble far down the rankings. She also remains enormously popular. This one will sting for Cupcake, but she'll be back.
Loser: Brock Lesnar
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It wasn't pretty, but Brock Lesnar won Saturday, defeating Mark Hunt by unanimous decision.
So why is he listed as a loser here? Did you read the first sentence, bro? This wasn't pretty.
Lesnar was too cautious during the stand-up phase, throwing not much more than a flicker jab. Hunt also did a decent job of stuffing takedowns.
Eventually, though, Lesnar was just too big. That's why he won.
Lesnar hit takedowns and spent a lot of time lying heavy on Hunt's chest. Hunt wore down and never landed a punch of consequence.
Now, the loser tag is a little tongue-in-cheek. Lesnar was coming out of retirement after five years away from MMA. He looked shredded and huge. His cardio could have been worse, even if it wasn't amazing. He got the win and is welcome to return to the UFC anytime he wants for a big paycheck and another chance to test himself.
Or, he could just go back to cashing big checks from the WWE. Or, he could go back to his farm in Canada. It's Brock's world, really.
But, again. This wasn't a good fight. Sorry.
Lesnar got on the mic after the bout and shared some sentiments that seemed to draw attention.
"From one white boy to all nationalities, we gotta stand together, people," Lesnar said. He also thanked those "who protect and serve," which may have been a reference to the famous police motto.
Who knows? Also during the post-fight interview with Rogan, Lesnar seemed pleased with the result and more than a little relieved.
"It took me a little while to get acclimated," he said. "Words can't describe it. Thank you, everybody. ... I'm so happy to be in here."
Winner: Anderson Silva
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We shouldn't pretend like this was all just altruism on Anderson Silva's part. He surely took home a nice check for his troubles at UFC 200.
That doesn't make a difference when you remember that Silva, who is 41 years old, took the fight on two days' notice to face the champion one weight class up from his normal division and about two months removed from gall bladder surgery, no less.
Daniel Cormier played it safe. That's understandable, given that he, too, only found out he was fighting Silva two days ago. It's also worth noting Silva is still Silva—the million-time middleweight champion...the guy with the laser-guided limbs.
Much to the Vegas crowd's chagrin, Cormier maintained top and clinch control for most of the fight. It was the smart, correct move. Still, the boos rained down from a crowd that seemed to drift more toward the "Just Bleed" end of the pool.
Bottom line: Cormier did what he had to do; so did Silva. It was probably a little harder for the challenger than the champ, and the result showed that. But give the GOAT a W for just stepping in.
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Winner: Conor McGregor
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Jose Aldo beat Frankie Edgar going away to recapture a title, in this case the interim featherweight belt.
This unfolded in much the same way as their original fight. Edgar, unable to get Aldo to the ground, was forced to box with Aldo, darting in and out to land quick combinations. It's effective, but it gets you tired, especially against defense as good as Aldo's.
Every round was close, but it swung Aldo's way late as he began to pour on the power shots. He took a unanimous decision.
But the real winner here? That would be the man this card forgot—or at least tried to forget—Mr. Conor McGregor.
Why? First, check out this photo. Is that amazing, chilling and worth a million words or what?
McGregor (that's him glaring at Aldo and Edgar like the "Nattily Dressed Grim Reaper") ended up out of UFC 200 under some wild circumstances. He essentially talked his way out of this massive event.
But don't feel too bad for the featherweight champ. Aldo, who won the interim title Saturday, called him out after his win, pointing to McGregor and saying through a translator that "this guy" was next.
That's going to be good for business. I understand McGregor's into that sort of thing.
McGregor gets his rematch with Nate Diaz at UFC 202 on August 20. After that, it stands to reason that another big-money rematch lies back in the division where he holds the belt. Aldo, with a little help from that death stare, just started the fire. Conor can spend the next six months or so feeding it.
Winner: Cain Velasquez
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Welcome back, Cain Velasquez.
The former heavyweight champ had only competed once since 2013 before fighting Travis Browne on Saturday, and that one bout saw him lose the strap to Fabricio Werdum.
So it wasn't clear which Cain fans might see at UFC 200. Browne stands 6'7" and has 14 knockouts to his name, so that's a scary dude on the other side of the cage.
No problem for the Mexican-American.
The only thing not classically Velasquez about the TKO he administered to Browne was its quickness. Usually a few rounds elapse as Velasquez hits his stride and the other man flags. Velasquez didn't need that this time.
Browne landed a few heavy shots in the opening moments, but after that it was all Cain. A spinning wheel kick, of all things, led to a punching barrage, which led to more punching barrages, which led to Browne hitting the canvas.
Cain pounded from the top as he kept Browne from standing up. Browne turtled and waited for the horn to end the round, but it never came. The referee called off the bout with just three seconds remaining.
The heavyweight division is a better place with Velasquez in it. We'll all be better off if he can turn the page on his injury woes and put together some good efforts. Saturday was a big step in that direction.
Loser: Johny Hendricks
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It's possible Johny Hendricks is shot as a fighter.
It's possible he needs a new diet or weight class, based on the fact he missed weight after yet another difficult cut.
Whatever it was, Saturday was his worst performance in recent memory. He was lethargic and tentative throughout his unanimous-decision loss to Kelvin Gastelum.
Gastelum was the crisper, sharper, quicker and more powerful fighter for all 15 minutes. He landed his jab-cross combination almost at will. Sure, Hendricks eventually got that famous left hand working and racked up some riding time in the clinch. That may have salvaged some of his dignity, but it didn't have any meaningful effect on the fight.
Hendricks is only 32 years old, but 22 pro fights over a nine-year MMA career—and a full collegiate wrestling career before that—will take a lot out of anybody, especially if you take a cavalier approach to your health.
It has now been nearly four full years since Hendricks knocked anyone out. Let that sink in. What's more, as MMA Junkie's Chamatkar Sandhu noted on Twitter, "That’s the first time Johny Hendricks has suffered back to back losses in his career. He’s now lost 4 of his last 6."
Comedian Adam "MMA Roasted" Hunter put an even finer point on it, joking that "Johny Hendricks' corner just yelled out 'combos!' Hendricks said 'I'll take a Whopper and fries.'"
It's cold-blooded, but it doesn't seem far off. Whatever the questions, here's hoping the former welterweight champ figures out an answer that's best for him. It's clear that whatever he does now isn't working anymore.
Winner: UFC Fight Pass Subscribers
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Three fights on the Fight Pass portion of the undercard...three first-round knockouts. Not a bad way to kick things off.
It feels like I've been rather enthusiastic about the UFC's subscription streaming service of late, but hey, credit where it's due. It's looking better. It's easier to use. And, most importantly, the promotion is putting some crazy good scraps on there.
UFC 200 was the latest iteration. Jim Miller opened his bout by ground-and-pounding out a shot Takanori Gomi. Gegard Mousasi looked terrific in outgunning a gunner in Thiago Santos (one day he's going to win a big one in the UFC...one day).
The capper was the Fight Pass "main event," in which Joe Lauzon caught Diego Sanchez with a heavy one-two combination and swarmed for the finish. Sanchez was leaning against the fence and seemed out on his feet at one point.
It's possible referee Mark Smith didn't realize Sanchez was that out or that his vantage point was better than that of the TV cameras. Either way, it looked like a late stoppage to a one-sided affair many had pegged as more of a back-and-forth brawl.
I mean, Lauzon didn't bleed at all. What kind of hooey is that?
UFC 200 Full Card Results
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Main Card
- Amanda Nunes def. Miesha Tate by submission (rear-naked choke), 3:16, Round 1 (new UFC women's bantamweight champion)
- Brock Lesnar def. Mark Hunt by unanimous decision
- Daniel Cormier def. Anderson Silva by unanimous decision (non-title bout)
- Jose Aldo def. Frankie Edgar by unanimous decision (interim UFC featherweight championship)
- Cain Velasquez def. Travis Browne by TKO, 4:57, Round 1
Preliminary Card
- Julianna Pena def. Cat Zingano by unanimous decision
- Kelvin Gastelum def. Johny Hendricks by unanimous decision
- TJ Dillashaw def. Raphael Assuncao by unanimous decision
- Sage Northcutt def. Enrique Martin by unanimous decision
- Joe Lauzon def. Diego Sanchez by TKO, 1:26, Round 1
- Gegard Mousasi def. Thiago Santos by TKO, 4:32, Round 1
- Jim Miller def. Takanori Gomi by TKO, 2:18, Round 1
Scott Harris covers MMA for Bleacher Report. For more stuff like this, follow Scott on Twitter.
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