UFC 200 Proved MMA is the New Boxing
With UFC 200 coming to a close, we feasted our eyes on an event that featured electrifying matches, returning veterans, and surprising finishes that continue to breathe life and excitement into an already growing sport. People questioned just how entertaining the event would be with Jon Bones Jones disqualified due to a failed drug test, but overall, UFC 200 delivered as well as it could have. Of the 12 matches slated, 5 were decided by total knockout, with one of those TKO’s handed out to the former women’s Bantamweight champion, Miesha Tate.
Lesnar vs Hunt
The event everyone seemed to be most excited for was Brock Lesnar’s return to the ring to take on fellow heavyweight contender, Mark Hunt. From the start of the match, Mark Hunt was playing cautiously, keeping his distance to avoid the WWE star’s signature ground game. Unfortunately for him, this seemed to make him slightly disregard Lesnar’s reach, eventually making Hunt cave to a critical takedown in the 3rd round. An impressive and solid win now for the 39-year-old after a four year absence from the UFC.
Lauzon vs Sanchez
Joe Lauzon went into this fight as a favorite in the odds but no one predicted just how quickly and skillfully he would beat his seasoned opponent, Diego Sanchez. Lauzon opened strong with a few key punches that definitely left Sanchez shaken up for the rest of the short match. Winning by TKO in the first round, not only does this mark one of Lauzon’s quickest wins, but it was done against an opponent who’s known to be able to take the big punches and stay on his feet.
Nunes vs Tate
Women’s MMA is in a weird place ever since the monster, Ronda Rousey was dethroned by the equally as vicious Holly Holm. But the unpredictability factor really kicked into high-gear when Holm suffered a huge loss to the hands of Miesha Tate, a fighter who Rousey has beaten to a pulp not once, but twice. Well now we can add one more tick to the uncertainty board, because at UFC 200, Miesha Tate lost her title to the 28-year-old Brazilian fighter, Amanda Nunes. Right from the get-go, Nunes put Tate in a terrible position landing a massive punch and knee to the face within the first minute of the match. Tate, clearly rattled from the start, didn’t last long, as Nunes knew she could have her beat with a takedown, which is what put the match away via submission in the 1st round.
So between the Jon Jones debacle and the still exciting night, what does UFC 200 say about MMA in the US? Nothing but big things, really. The pay-per-view event still saw massive numbers despite the last minute main event change, Lesnar’s return spells future big bucks for potential title contentions at the heavyweight level, and people are certainly loving the unpredictable shit show that is the women’s bantamweight class. But if all this isn’t proof enough for you, the mega sports conglomerate, WWE-IMG just bought the UFC for $4 billion. Certainly, with the sun setting on boxing with Floyd Mayweather’s retirement, it’s great to see that there’ll still be plenty of glorious fights to come in the sport of mixed martial arts.