UFC 200
JULY 9, 2016
LIVE FROM LAS VEGAS, NEVADA
The UFC’s third event in three nights finally comes to pay-per-view tonight after a tumultuous week, and one of the most stacked cards ever will play out from the brand new T-Mobile Arena. With the magnitude of this event, we’ll have a full round by round report for the entirety of tonight’s event, beginning with the UFC Fight Pass Prelims at 6:30PM ET. Make sure to follow along with us start to finish for all the action!
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=====UFC Fight Pass Prelims=====
-And here. We. Go! It’s here. UFC 200 is underway, and we’ve got 12 ridiculously good fights for one card about to go down! After a nice exterior aerial shot of the new T-Mobile Arena, we get our first fight video package for what has to be the biggest opening fight from a name value standpoint ever.
-We’ve got a gold canvas tonight from the UFC to keep with the color scheme (though it kind of comes off a bit like mustard yellow on camera). Interesting touch. Can’t wait to see what else they’ve got planned. Also of note, new color trunks in play for the first time from Reebok, as Miller comes out in blue and black with Gomi sporting some red and black shorts.
PRELIM FIGHT ONE: JIM MILLER VS. TAKANORI GOMI (LIGHTWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Miller connected on a short left early. Both tried to judge the range early on. Gomi stepped in and Miller landed a nice left hand. Miller caught a kick and took Gomi to the ground. He quickly got Gomi’s back. Gomi tried to stand to shake Miller off, but Miller attacked for an arm to hold position and attack for a choke. Gomi defended as Miller locked on a body triangle. Gomi tried to roll over but Miller flattened him out with the body triangle and started dropping bombs. The referee warned Gomi to fight back as he simply covered his head; he didn’t, and the ref stepped in. Great work from Miller to open up this card.
WINNER: Miller via TKO at 2:18 of the first round
STAR RATING: (**+) That was the best Miller’s looked in a while. Really good performance. Gomi offered up little on the ground, and on that end it’s a bit sad the trajectory his career’s had in the UFC, but this was a really good start to the night from Miller.
-The house mic wasn’t working for Joe Rogan, leading to a few awkward but funny moments until they brought a new one into the cage for him. Miller said his plan was to get the fight to the ground, and he knew once he had position he had plenty of time to work.
-With time to kill they show more shots of the plaza outside of T-Mobile Arena, and the facade of the building is impressive. Looks like an excellent venue from all accounts.
PRELIM FIGHT TWO: GEGARD MOUSASI VS. THIAGO SANTOS (MIDDLEWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Mousasi decided he needed no color; still rocking the black and white trunks. How very Mousasi of him. Tentative opening as Mousasi slowly looked to walk Santos down to the cage. He landed the first combination, but Santos backed him off. Santos connected on a hard left hand, but Mousasi held position. He tossed out a high kick that was blocked. They traded leg kicks. Mousasi landed a decent jab, but the action certainly slowed for a bit. Santos tagged Mousasi, but that just made Mousasi angry. He rocked Santos with a big combination and took him down to the ground. Mousasi stepped over with a hook in and tried to sneak behind to take his back. Santos worked to his feet but ate a big knee. Mousasi then took him down into side control off a body lock. Nice work there. Mousasi tried to step over to mount but got caught in half guard. Mousasi stayed busy from the top and tried to advance to mount. Santos defended well and got Mousasi into full guard. Mousasi stood up, and Santos tried to get to his feet when Mousasi knocked him out with an uppercut on the way up! Dammit that was beautiful. Just perfectly timed as Santos tried to get to his feet, and he finished it with a couple more strikes on the ground. So good.
WINNER: Mousasi via KO at 4:32 of the first round
STAR RATING: (***) Seriously, just so good. Mousasi was doing very well on the ground, and then timed that uppercut so damned well. Awesome highlight reel KO and a very big win for Mousasi. Excellent night already.
According to Kevin Iole on Twitter, Brock Lesnar’s fight purse tonight is $2.5 million.
-Diego Sanchez rocks the original Yes! chant on his way out to the cage.
PRELIM FIGHT THREE: DIEGO SANCHEZ VS. JOE LAUZON (LIGHTWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Lauzon backed up early and let Sanchez move towards him. Sanchez landed a nice kick to the body. He tossed out a short combination that was partly blocked. Lauzon tried to turn momentum at Sanchez. He rocked him on the cage at the tail end of a big combination! He dropped him a second time as Sanchez tried to work up. Sanchez got back to his feet. Lauzon stayed on him and rocked him badly with even more strikes! This is ridiculous! Sanchez wouldn’t go down and Lauzon just looked at the ref asking him to stop it. He wouldn’t, so Lauzon kept throwing and hurting Sanchez with strike after strike until the ref couldn’t ignore it. Some of these guys are stepping up huge tonight. What a performance from Lauzon.
WINNER: Lauzon via TKO at 1:26 of the first round
STAR RATING: (**+) More great work to start off this card. That was an excellent performance from Lauzon, and probably should have been stopped a lot sooner. Extremely fun fight card already, and we’ve still got nine fights to go!
-Time for a 20 minute break until the prelims start on Fox Sports 1.
=====Fox Sports 1 Prelims=====
-Because of a MLB game between the Yankees and Indians still going on in extra innings, the prelims are starting on Fox Sports 2. A channel not available here. We’ll have results of any of the fights we miss as they’re made available and will resume our round by round report and commentary as soon as the MLB game has concluded.
-Sage Northcutt def. Enrique Marin via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
NOTE: Underwhelming fight on all ends. Northcutt edged it by defending takedowns and getting top position a couple times. Not much else to see here outside of him escaping a nasty looking armbar in the second. Marin had a case for the decision as well, so while this gets Northcutt back in the win column, he’s still got a long way to go.
-The prelims are now back on FS1, so we’ll resume our round by round report for the remainder of the event!
PRELIM FIGHT FIVE: T.J. DILLASHAW VS. RAPHAEL ASSUNCAO (BANTAMWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Assuncao missed an early right hand. Dillashaw tried to work in some foot movement to throw Assuncao off. Assuncao landed a body kick. He missed a winging right hand. Dillashaw was testing out his range early on. Dillashaw landed a hard kick. He got in with a nice right hand that hit the mark. They traded strikes in the center. Dillashaw missed a big overhand right, but connected in close as Assuncao tried to clinch. Dillashaw landed a nice right hand, then an inside leg kick. He got in another kick as Assuncao fired back to the body. Some boos from the crowd at the pace. Assuncao went for a spinning kick. Dillashaw pawed out a few strikes that didn’t quite hit. Dillashaw landed a hard kick, it was caught, and Assuncao got in high with a knee. Dillashaw cracked Assuncao with a head kick and a right hand behind it. Assuncao kind of caught it and connected on a right hand as he tried to trip Dillashaw up. Dillashaw shot in but got stuffed at the cage. They traded short strikes in the clinch before separating. Dillashaw went high with a kick again that was partially blocked. Assuncao got in a side kick to the body and a jab behind it. Dillashaw fired a response. He landed a hard right hand late. He got up high with the kick. He blocked one from Assuncao and scored a couple strikes before the horn. Good first round despite some crowd protestations.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Dillashaw. He was more active and effective overall, but Assuncao’s still got power to threaten with here.
ROUND TWO: Dillashaw popped in with a nice right hand after Assuncao missed a strike. Assuncao landed a kick. Dillashaw landed another couple strikes. He shot in and almost got Assuncao down, but they both got back up to their feet. Assuncao was bleeding from the face. Dillashaw landed a hard right hand and Assuncao acknowledged it with a thumbs up. Dillashaw landed a nice kick to the body. Dillashaw landed another big right hand to the jaw. He got in an inside leg kick. Assuncao telegraphed a spinning kick and missed. Dillashaw landed a solid combination. He landed another hard right hand. He blocked a kick from Assuncao. They traded punches in the center. Dillashaw landed another right hand. Assuncao connected on a right hand after Dillashaw missed. Both barely missed on a few strikes. Dillashaw tried to close in with a combo but didn’t land much. He connected again on a right hand and blocked a kick. Dillashaw went high with a kick that was partially blocked again. Assuncao timed a takedown well, but Dillashaw immediately popped up. Assuncao got in a punch. Then a knee. Dillashaw busted him up with a few strikes. The ref called a stop late to bring the doctor in to check something. That was… odd, and not good. They restarted right after. Dillashaw knocked Assuncao off balance and got some strikes in on the ground. He went for a choke but Assuncao got to his feet. He landed a couple more strikes on the way up. Dillashaw landed a nice right hand late. He got in a body kick at the horn.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Dillashaw. Much more effective on the feet, and he’s not taking much damage himself. Should be up 2-0 on the scorecards here easy.
ROUND THREE: Dillashaw was smiling as the round started. He pressed in and landed a couple strikes. He continued to mix up his footwork, his punches, and his kicks well. They traded kicks to the body, Assuncao getting the better of that exchange. Assuncao tossed out another body kick. They traded leg kicks. Dillashaw landed a right hand, then a hard left. They traded kicks. Dillashaw landed again with a left. They traded again, Assuncao landing a couple punches. Dillashaw tried to walk him to the cage and he landed a nice left hand. He landed the right hand again. Dillashaw rushed in for a takedown attempt but Assuncao defended well. Dillashaw landed a body kick. Assuncao missed a couple kicks. Dillashaw connected to the body, then lead leg with a couple kicks. He again got in to the body. He landed a decent combination. Nice punch to the body landed by Dillashaw. Assuncao threw a high kick that was blocked. Dillashaw landed a combination as Assuncao missed. Dillashaw landed a right hand. Assuncao shot in to no avail after eating a hard kick. Dillashaw landed a nice right hand after feinting a shot. He landed another as Assuncao threw a couple kicks. Assuncao got in a counter. Dillashaw again landed the right hand. Dillashaw timed a takedown late and held Assuncao down in half guard. He landed a few strikes before Assuncao scrambled back to his feet. Dillashaw smiled again. Neither threw another strike before the horn.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Dillashaw. This was his fight. He was better through all 15 minutes, didn’t get into too much trouble, and showed significant improvements from their first matchup. Not his most thrilling fight, but should still put him back into a rematch with Dominick Cruz.
WINNER: Dillashaw via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
STAR RATING: (**) Decent fight that never really kicked into another gear. Dillashaw was better start to finish, with superior footwork, speed, and striking output, but Assuncao kept him honest throughout the fight with some well times strikes. Assuncao likely to be better if he can stay healthy and get some momentum, but this was a tough draw after 19 months out of the cage.
PRELIM FIGHT SIX: JOHNY HENDRICKS VS. KELVIN GASTELUM (WELTERWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Gastelum got in a couple of early strikes, though Hendricks backed him up from there. Gastelum landed a nice left hand. Hendricks tried to duck away and circle out from another advance. Gastelum landed a couple of hard leg kicks. Hendricks landed a jab. Gastelum fired off two more hard leg kicks to the lead leg. Gastelum landed the left hand again. Then again. Gastelum connected on a solid jab. He landed another strike. Hendricks landed a right hand, then a body kick, but Gastelum backed him off with a couple more strikes. Gastelum landed a couple more hard strikes. Gastelum again connected on a few strikes in combination. Hendricks landed an uppercut. He missed a winging left. Gastelum landed the jab. Gastelum mixed a few strikes up nicely in combination. He rocked Hendricks with several big punches in a couple of different combinations. He hurt him badly again. He got him to the cage with a huge combination and hand him reeling. Hendricks clinched up to slow things down. Gastelum tried to fire off knees and to get some space. He finally backed him off and pressed ahead. Gastelum landed another hard leg kick. Hendricks clipped him with a left hand. Gastelum landed the jab again. Hendricks landed a hard right hand. Gastelum landed another right hand. He avoided a few shots from Hendricks, then rocked him again. Hendricks fired back. Gastelum landed back himself, then ate a body kick before the horn.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Gastelum. Very nice output from the younger fighter here. Close to a 10-8 with the disparity in offense. Now he has to keep it up.
ROUND TWO: Gastelum came out firing with a leg kick. Hendricks connected on a left hand. Gastelum popped his head back with a couple jabs. Hendricks landed with a left and a leg kick. Hendricks landed a hard strike after a feigned takedown. Gastelum walked him down with a strike but ate a punch. Hendricks landed a couple more left hands. Gastelum got back in to the body with a kick, but Hendricks caught it and drove him to the cage in the clinch. He dropped down for a takedown attempt. He briefly had Gastelum down, then took his back standing. Gastelum turned into him and separated, then came right back ahead. Gastelum barely missed an uppercut, then landed a hard knee to the body as they clinched again. Hendricks got in some knees, then separated with an uppercut. Gastelum landed a hard left hand after separating. Hendricks connected on a couple strikes. Gastelum connected with a body kick. Both missed a couple strikes. Hendricks landed a short elbow in the center. Gastelum landed a few strikes in combination himself. He followed with another jab. He threw a spinning kick to the body. Hendricks backed him up to the cage and landed a solid combination before clinching again. Gastelum broke free again. Gastelum missed a few punches and ate a couple strikes himself. Gastelum clinched up. He got in a knee and a few more strikes on the cage as he let it up. He got in to the body and to the head again. Both swung and missed on a few strikes. Gastelum landed again. Hendricks returned. Both missed and then clinched up again. Gastelum avoided a couple strikes and landed his counters. Both missed again in an exchange. Gastelum landed a hard leg kick.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Hendricks? He was effective early and throughout the round, but Gastelum had a lot of offense connect himself. Really close round. Wouldn’t argue 10-9 Gastelum. 10-10 also ok. Very close frame.
ROUND THREE: Gastelum landed the first good combo of the round. Hendricks missed and ate a couple more strikes. Very aggressive work from Gastelum early, and he landed a lot of strikes as he pressed Hendricks around the cage. Hendricks stumbled as he stepped on the cage. They traded and Gastelum landed more strikes. He landed a hard inside leg kick. Gastelum got in another hard leg kick. Hendricks looked slow and like he had not much left. He drove in and missed a few more strikes before clinching. Gastelum landed a combo. Hendricks finally got in a solid combination of his own more than two minutes into the round. Gastelum landed a hard strike to the body. Hendricks landed a combo, then got tagged by a big left hand. He tried to walk him down but got pressed back with a strike. He pushed back ahead once again. They traded punches at the cage. Gastelum got in a kick to the body. Hendricks landed a hard kick to the body. Gastelum landed a left again. Hendricks went for a takedown, got stuffed, then landed a couple strikes as he tried to complete one. He briefly got it down, but Gastelum quickly got up and started landing hard elbows to the body. Hendricks got in a strike on the break. They traded again. Hendricks shot in and again got stuffed. Gastelum landed a strike, then went for a takedown of his own. He got stuffed and landed a knee. He slipped but popped up and pressed Hendricks back. They traded strikes late, both connecting with several to the horn. Good competitive fight.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Gastelum. Hendricks got in some offense, but Gastelum was more effective for more of the round. He deserves the decision here even with some interpretation on the second round.
WINNER: Gastelum via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
STAR RATING: (***) They got that right. Really good fight. Hendricks is clearly declining, and that played into it, but there was a lot of effort and output from both fighters in this one. Not everything landed, it was a bit sloppy at times, and clearly Hendricks isn’t the fighter who took GSP to the limit anymore, but it was a good, entertaining fight. Big win for Gastelum.
-Rushing on time to close out the prelims broadcast here. UFC has to be hoping for a quick finish.
PRELIM FIGHT SEVEN: CAT ZINGANO VS. JULIANNA PENA (WOMEN’S BANTAMWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Zingano threw several strikes to close distance to get the clinch. She pulled off a nice sweep right into side control, though Pena tried to immediately curl into her. Nice scramble from Pena got her back to her feet. They worked in the clinch, then Zingano scored a second takedown by powering Pena to the ground. Pena again scrambled to escape and get up, though she ate a hard knee to the chest. Pena then scored her own takedown into half guard out of the clinch. Zingano nicely swept to get top position. Pena landed a ton of palm strikes from the bottom with Zingano in her guard. Zingano postured up with an elbow. Pena continued to work from the bottom, mostly shutting Zingano’s offense down. Zingano postured up with a couple strikes, but Pena continued to throw while on her back. She went for an armbar and ate a big strike. She scrambled back to her feet and they traded strikes. Pena landed a right hand at the horn.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Zingano? There’s an argument for Pena here off the bottom, but she spent so much time on her back she’s probably not going to get the nod without a real sub attempt there.
ROUND TWO: Zingano landed a nice body kick then pulled off a good head and arm throw to take Pena down. Zingano threw an elbow, but Pena continued to work and defend well in her guard. Zingano stood and let Pena get back to her feet. She grabbed a body lock and scored a straight up belly to belly suplex right into side control. That was excellent. Pena tried to scramble out to top position and Zingano wound up on her back. Zingano tried to set up some type of choke from the bottom, but she lost it and Pena took position. Pena went for a choke, then took Zingano’s back. She didn’t have any hooks in, so Zingano tried to defend. Pena tried to get a hook in. She failed initially, but then she got one in and went for a a body triangle. Zingano tried to defend. Pena went for a choke but had it on Zingano’s face. Zingano continued to defend well, but Pena held position to the horn.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Pena. Good work from Pena after reversing position on the ground. Very close fight here into the final round.
ROUND THREE: They grappled early, and it was Pena scoring the takedown. Zingano tried to kick Pena off but was held on her back. Pena passed to half guard in that brief scramble. Pena landed a couple hard elbows from the top. Pena landed some elbows to the head and body and continued to work from top position. More hard elbows from Pena. Zingano tried to throw out a couple kicks but Pena moved into side control. Zingano tried to scramble out midway through the round. Pena held back mount though she had no hooks in. Zingano tried to reverse, but wound up with Pena on her back. Pena eventually worked to the choke, but Zingano got her head free. Pena held position on Zingano’s back. She went for the choke again late, lost it, and threw down some strikes instead. She landed several strikes while controlling one of Zingano’s arms. Zingano finally reversed position late to get on top, but it was too little too late.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Pena. Very good round for Pena. Gritty performance against a very good fighter. This is going to be an impressive win even if the fight wasn’t the most thrilling start to finish.
WINNER: Pena via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
STAR RATING: (**) Solid fight, impressive performance from Pena, and moves her up a notch in the division.
=====Pay-Per-View Main Card=====
-As the broadcast opened, they went in arena where they had the video opening projected on sheets hanging down across the Octagon. Interesting. Then they ruined it by going to “Face the Pain.” Can’t move on even at 200, UFC?
MAIN CARD FIGHT ONE: CAIN VELASQUEZ VS. TRAVIS BROWNE (HEAVYWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Velasquez took the center and moved in. He landed a strike, then ate a hard right hand. Velasquez landed a few inside leg kicks. He pressed Browne back and landed a couple jabs at the cage. He went back to the outside leg kick. He rocked Browne with a few precise jabs. Browne got in a hard knee to the body. Velasquez shot in, got stuffed, then landed a knee to the body. He held Browne on the cage in the clinch. Velasquez landed a few strikes and backed off. He landed another inside leg kick. Another ineffectual shot from Velasquez and he just barely avoided a kick from Browne. Velasquez landed a hard outside leg kick. Back to the inside as he walked Browne down. He landed a solid combination and drove the fight to the cage again. He backed out again. Velasquez threw a spinning wheel kick to the head! He followed up with a bunch of strikes at the cage then backed off. He dropped Browne with a right hand! Browne did a solid job trying to lock him down as Velasquez got on top. Velasquez landed some solid punches from half guard. Browne covered up well and then tried to scramble. Velasquez went for a neck crank, then stood up. Browne tried to work to his feet and Velasquez dragged him back down. Browne got back up to his feet and tried to turn into Velasquez. The former champ then backed out. Browne landed a left but got rocked. Velasquez missed another spinning wheel kick but landed a couple hard punches after. Browne just went down off a clinch after missing a strike. Velasquez landed several strikes late, and the ref mercifully stepped in as Browne stopped fighting back. Very good performance from Velasquez.
WINNER: Velasquez via TKO at 4:57 of the first round
STAR RATING: (**+) Really good, dominant performance from Velasquez reminiscent of his title reign prior to the lengthy injury layoff. Perfect fight from him.
MAIN CARD FIGHT TWO: JOSE ALDO VS. FRANKIE EDGAR (INTERIM UFC FEATHERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP)
ROUND ONE: Edgar landed a hard leg kick to open the offense. They traded punches in the center. Aldo got in a left and Edgar tossed out a leg kick. Edgar landed a nice jab as they traded again. Aldo connected with a jab and the crowd started cheering for Edgar. Both were still in a bit of a feeling out period early. Aldo pawed out a couple strikes before Edgar rushed in with a combination ending in a leg kick. Edgar ducked under a strike and shot in but got stuffed. Aldo landed a strike but ate a couple more strikes from Edgar. They traded punches in the center. Edgar landed a nice combination again. Edgar landed a solid right hand. They both spun for kicks but Aldo landed the better one. Aldo then popped Edgar back with a big two-punch combo. Aldo landed another big left hand. Edgar pressed in with a body strike. Aldo landed a hard knee late. Edgar tried to chase him down to no avail. Aldo went for another jumping knee. He landed a hard kick to the body and a couple more strikes by the horn.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Aldo. He took it over late after some good early offense from Edgar. Very competitive right now, but Aldo had the more effective offense late.
ROUND TWO: Edgar landed a hard leg kick early. They traded a few strikes. Aldo landed a hard knee. Edgar shot in but got shaken off. Aldo landed another hard kick. Little was happening in the early going, though Edgar was cut above the right eye. Edgar landed a huge right hand. He connected on another. Edgar still very much in the fight. Aldo avoided a couple of rushes. Edgar peppered out a couple jabs. Aldo fired off a few hard right hands of his own. They traded in the center. Edgar pressed in and got in a kick to the body. Aldo landed a couple hard jabs. Edgar returned with a kick. Aldo landed a hard knee late and just shoved Edgar aside. Edgar missed a few strikes as he tried to come back in.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Aldo. More effective so far overall. Edgar’s getting in some offense, but it’s not enough right now.
ROUND THREE: Edgar landed a couple of hard leg kicks early. Aldo landed a couple strikes. Edgar got in with a nice combination. He connected again. He shot in, but Aldo easily defended. Edgar got in another right hand. He shot in again, eating a knee in the clinch. Things slowed down as Edgar was stalled, but he backed out nicely with a couple of punches. Aldo busted up Edgar with those knees in the clinch and he was bleeding out of the nose. Edgar landed a big strike in a nice exchange in the center. He tried to close distance and Aldo moved out nicely. Edgar grazed Aldo with a couple of strikes and missed a follow up kick. Aldo landed a nice right hand, then Edgar returned fire. Aldo landed a hard knee as Edgar shot in. Edgar worked for a single leg takedown up against the cage. Edgar separated with a strike. Edgar landed another hard right hand. They traded strikes again in the center. Edgar tried to press in late but Aldo backed away. Aldo got in with the knee again. He landed a hard leg kick before the horn.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Edgar? Very close round, but I think Edgar had more overall output and was quite effective with it. Aldo’s still doing damage, but Edgar’s still in this fight.
ROUND FOUR: Edgar tried to press in early again, though neither delivered much in the way of offense early. Aldo got in a couple hard punches while eating body kicks. Edgar feigned a shot and landed a right hand. They traded strikes in the center. They traded strikes in the center again with neither really getting an edge. Aldo started bleeding from the nose. Edgar landed a solid left hook. He landed another left, then got in a high kick behind it. Aldo landed a hard right hand. Edgar fired back. They traded in the center with Aldo getting the better of the exchange. He landed another big right hand as Edgar fired at him. Edgar tried to play the aggressor but missed a few strikes. Aldo popped Edgar’s head back with a couple strikes. Edgar missed another big right hand. Aldo tagged him with a left. He landed a knee then a right hand. Edgar landed a right hand before the horn.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Aldo. He’s just much more effective in what he throws, while Edgar hasn’t had nearly enough land to win this fight.
ROUND FIVE: Aldo landed a hard leg kick to start the round. He missed a strike as Edgar pressed ahead. Aldo did well circling around, and he landed a huge left hand that cracked Edgar. Aldo landed a really nice high kick that hurt even as it was blocked. Edgar missed as he rushed in. Aldo landed a solid jab, again stopping Edgar as he came in. Edgar landed a nice left hand. Edgar landed a good right hand but got hit by one himself as he landed. Aldo covered up as Edgar moved in. Aldo landed another big right hand. Edgar tried to rush but Aldo easily avoided the rush. Aldo landed a nice elbow to avoid a rush. Aldo landed another jab. Edgar went high with a kick that was easily blocked. Aldo landed two hard strikes. They traded again. Aldo landed a few more strikes as Edgar advanced, side-stepping as Edgar tried to return fire. They traded again as the crowd cheered in the final 40 seconds. Edgar missed a spinning kick and just couldn’t close distance on Aldo late. Aldo circled out and avoided a jumping kick at the horn.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Aldo. Just a really good performance from Aldo. Edgar couldn’t close that distance enough, he wasn’t fast enough to deal with the movement, and his run towards the top comes to a definitive end here.
WINNER: Aldo via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 48-47)
STAR RATING: (***+) Really good, competitive title fight. Aldo had a resurgent performance to shake off the loss to Conor McGregor, and he beat a very, very good fighter in Frankie Edgar here tonight, a fighter who had been great for the last couple of years. Aldo stepped up when he needed to step up, and McGregor-Aldo II in NYC sounds like a pretty damn good idea to me.
-They aired in arena on the sheets draped down a great video package highlighting big moments throughout the history of the UFC. Very cool.
-For the Cormier-Silva video package, they detail the downfall of Jon Jones this week and all that led to this new fight between DC and Anderson Silva.
MAIN CARD FIGHT THREE: DANIEL CORMIER VS. ANDERSON SILVA (LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Silva circled around the outside as Cormier tried to walk him down. Cormier missed a head kick. Silva landed an outside leg kick. Cormier backed him up to the cage and easily scored a takedown. Cormier landed some hard strikes to the body as Silva tried to work from guard. He threw his legs up but Cormier kept him pinned and landed a few strikes. Silva tried to escape but Cormier held position and landed some more strikes. He postured up and tried stack up at the cage. Silva avoided damage, but Cormier passed to half guard and landed some big strikes. He got in a hard elbow. The crowd booed the methodical ground work. He landed some strikes to the body, and mixed it up a little bit when Silva tried to block the body. The crowd started chanting for Silva. Cormier landed a bunch more strikes from top position, peppering Silva’s body and occasionally landing with head strikes. Silva tried to lock him down to get a stand up, but Cormier did enough to keep position. Cormier postured up to land a big strike. He landed a hard elbow. He continued to ride out the round on top in the half guard, ending the round on top.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-8 Cormier. Silva got no offense in there that round, and can’t get taken down like that if he hopes to have any success here. Still, not the least bit unexpected given everything surrounding this fight happening.
ROUND TWO: Silva went high with a couple kicks. Cormier landed a right hand. Silva landed another kick and Cormier smiled. He caught a kick and brought Silva to the ground and the crowd booed the hell out of him. Not at all what they wanted to watch. Silva again just tried to lock him up in half guard, avoiding too much legitimate damage. Unfortunately it left him no option to escape, so Cormier could continue landing intermittently to hold position. Silva was trying to escape, but Cormier landed a few more strikes to stay on top. Another round of boos rain down on Cormier. Cormier tried to get up higher to landed a few elbows. Silva again tried to escape to no avail. Cormier got in a few strikes from the top. They were finally stood up with a minute and a half left. Ok then. Cormier tried to close distance immediately and landed a jab. Silva threw a superman punch that was blocked. Cormier landed a right hand. Silva circled out and connected on a knee. He landed a left hand. Cormier missed and Silva returned fire. They traded body kicks. Cormier backed him up and landed a strike. Silva got in an elbow and Cormier clinched. More loud boos to Cormier. Things stalled out to the horn.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Cormier. Wasn’t pretty, and the crowd hates it, but he’s doing what he has to do to win. If he plays with fire on the feet as he did late he could very well get caught. Barring that, he should cruise to a decision.
ROUND THREE: They hug to start the final round and reset. Silva landed a hard body kick, then a jumping kick to the body. He tossed out a jab. Cormier landed a hard right hand. Silva missed a back elbow. Cormier then ducked in and took him down. The crowd hates Daniel Cormier tonight. Cormier did nothing in half guard for several moments. He intermittently tossed out some elbows, but he was content simply staying on top with a minimal amount of offense. The crowd loudly, in unison, chanted “Stand them up.” Cormier postured up and threw some strikes down to keep that from happening, then “Big” John McCarthy complied with two minutes left. Silva tried to shake himself out, but nothing happened in the first 40 seconds after being stood up. Cormier got in a short strike, then a couple leg kicks. Silva landed a jab. The crowd chanted for Silva, who wasn’t engaging either. He tried to rush Cormier late and landed a right hand. He landed a hard kick to the body that hurt Cormier. He threw a jumping knee but got clinched and stuffed on the cage. Too little too late. The fight ended there.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Cormier. Silva’s coach lifted him up on his shoulders and the crowd cheered, but he’s going to lose the fight. Cormier got his payday, nothing more. Silva was never really going to win this fight, so he got a payday and earned a ton of goodwill with the UFC.
WINNER: Cormier via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)
STAR RATING: (*-) It was ugly, with only a few moments of compelling action, but Cormier got his payday and didn’t risk anything to lose to a guy from a lower weight class on two days notice who was coming off of surgery.
Cormier: “The fight went the way it had to go… I did what I had to do. It’s very difficult to switch opponents on a few days.”
-Ahead of Lesnar’s fight, the UFC aired an epic-looking promo video on his match with Randy Orton on WWE’s Summerslam next month. There’s your reciprocation. They also then had Chuck Liddell painfully read off a promo of Lesnar in WWE 2k17 as the cover athlete.
-Nate Diaz stumbled through a cageside interview with Joe Rogan, but he got his point across regarding UFC 202.
MAIN CARD FIGHT FOUR: BROCK LESNAR VS. MARK HUNT (HEAVYWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: They touched gloves and Lesnar circled around. Lesnar definitely not eager to get hit by Hunt here. Very cautious in the early going. Lesnar pawed out a jab but flinched away from a counter. Almost no action in the first minute. Lesnar landed a hard leg kick and kept his hands up as Hunt went for a strike. Hunt missed an overhand right as Lesnar missed a right hand. Lesnar landed another hard leg kick. Lesnar finally shot in. Hunt held himself up by holding the fence, but Lesnar had a double leg and easily took Hunt down. Hunt got to his feet, but Lesnar stayed heavy on him. Hunt landed a few strikes as Lesnar tried to drag him back down. Things stalled out in the clinch and the crowd booed a bit. Lesnar then picked him up and took him down into side control. Good work on that takedown. Lesnar landed a few short strikes as he tried to patiently work. Hunt turned and got to his knees. Lesnar stayed on him and landed some hard strikes. Hunt covered up but ate some more. Lesnar landed a nice knee to the body and more punches. He was doing significant damage. Hunt worked up to his feet, but Lesnar shot in and took him down. He got into mount with only 15 seconds left in the round. Lesnar ended on top but the round ended. Good first round for Lesnar.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Lesnar. Confidence building round for Lesnar. Really good work on the ground given his time out of the cage.
ROUND TWO: Hunt tried to walk Lesnar down to start. Lesnar got backed up a bit, but stayed cautious waiting for Hunt to make a move. Hunt threw the overhand right but Lesnar blocked it. He landed a jab. Very tentative minute and a half again. Lesnar blocked a left. Hunt got through with one and Lesnar moved around a bit. The crowd got a bit restless. Lesnar shot in but Hunt sprawled. Lesnar again tried to shoot in to no avail. Hunt now looked to stalk as Lesnar seemed very hesitant. Hunt threw a couple strikes that again were partially blocked. Almost nothing happening in the round outside of Hunt stalking. Lesnar ducked a strike and shot but Hunt easily escaped and came back in. Lesnar missed a strike and they reset. Lesnar looks a little gassed. Hunt got in a short strike in close. Hunt threw a couple strikes but didn’t hit the mark. Hunt landed a right hand. He missed another. Lesnar pawed out a jab. Hunt missed a strike. Lesnar shot in and Hunt held it off on the cage. Lesnar stayed heavy on him and landed a couple knees. Hunt continued to hold it off and the round stalled out in the clinch as Hunt avoided the takedown.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Hunt. Arguably 10-10. Hunt at least attempted to advance. Lesnar did nothing. He had zero confidence that round and he needs to do a lot more to secure the win here.
ROUND THREE: Both were warned essentially to fight or a point would be taken away. Hunt landed a big right hand off a combination. Lesnar shot in for a single leg, drove Hunt to the cage, and scored the takedown. Lesnar stayed heavy and landed some strikes. He was content to throw short strikes as he tried to move to mount slowly. Hunt covered up and tried to throw strikes while grounded, but Lesnar continued scoring with strikes of his own. Hunt pulled him back to half guard, but he was flattened and stuck against the cage. The crowd booed a little and Lesnar landed some strikes. He landed a big series of left hands and then moved to full mount. Lesnar tried to set up an arm triangle but Hunt defended. He landed some big, heavy strikes. He continued landing heavy strikes as he stayed heavy in the mount. Lesnar continued trying to work to set up the arm triangle, moving to strikes when it wasn’t opening up. Hunt got it back to half guard, but Lesnar landed more short strikes and continued to work his ground and pound game. He kept it up to the horn and he’ll get a win in his return.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Lesnar. Wasn’t the prettiest, but it was effective, and Brock Lesnar’s about to get his first UFC win in six years.
WINNER: Lesnar via unanimous decision (29-27, 29-27, 29-27)
STAR RATING: (**) It was impossible to know what to expect from Lesnar after so much time out of the cage, but that was almost as good as he could have possibly looked in this fight. Really smart, patient performance from Lesnar, and the door’s open for him to continue from here.
Lesnar: “It took me a little while to get acclimated. Words can’t describe it. Thank you everybody, thank you very much… One day at a time.”
Lesnar then gave a shout out to all those in uniform and sent out a call for unity: “From one white boy to all nationalities, we gotta stand together people.”
MAIN EVENT FIGHT FIVE: MIESHA TATE VS. AMANDA NUNES (UFC WOMEN’S BANTAMWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP)
ROUND ONE: Nunes got in a kick early. Tate was content circling and testing range. They traded right hands in the center, both taking it well. Tate shot in and scored a takedown, but Nunes quickly worked to her feet in a nice escape. Tate clinched up but Nunes held it off. She shot in again, got reversed, and nearly ate a big knee. Nunes landed a hard jab. She connected again and Tate was backed up to the cage. She landed a couple big combinations and Tate was in a bad spot. Tate got rocked by a big right hand. She covered up and tried to hold onto Nunes. Tate’s face was a bloody mess. She shot in out of desperation and Nunes took her back. Nunes locked on a rear naked choke, rolled it over, and forced the tap. Exactly what Tate needed to survive and she couldn’t.
WINNER: Nunes via submission (rear naked choke) at 3:16 of the first round
STAR RATING: (***) Wonderful performance from Nunes. Absolute perfection. This was always something she was capable of pulling off, the question was whether or not Tate was going to be able to withstand the assault in the first round to take over from there. She wasn’t, and we have a new champion because of it. Massive moment for Nunes on one of the UFC’s biggest ever cards.
-Thanks for joining us here tonight! We’ll have plenty of reaction to this weekend’s events as we move forward, and we’re right back to fight coverage on Wednesday night for UFC Fight Night 91!
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