Tag: UFC 200

UFC 200: Tate vs Nunes 7/9/16

DATE: July 9, 2016
LOCATION: Las Vegas Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada

Main Card

WOMEN’S BANTAMWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
Miesha Tate (c) vs. Amanda Nunes (#4)

Brock Lesnar vs. Mark Hunt (#8)

Daniel Cormier vs Anderson Silva (#5)

INTERIM FEATHERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
Jose Aldo (#1) vs. Frankie Edgar (#2)

Cain Velasquez (#1) vs. Travis Browne (#7)

 

PRELIMINARY CARD (FOX SPORTS 1)

Cat Zingano (#3) vs. Julianna Pena (#5)

Johny Hendricks (#5) vs. Kelvin Gastelum (#12)

T.J. Dillashaw vs. Raphael Assunção

Sage Northcutt vs. Enrique Marín

 

PRELIMINARY CARD (UFC FIGHT PASS)

Diego Sanchez vs. Joe Lauzon

Gegard Mousasi vs. Thiago Santos

Jim Miller vs. Takanori Gomi

Miesha Tate vs. Amanda Nunes Promoted To Main Event At UFC 200

Source: Fox Sports

The women’s bantamweight title fight between Miesha Tate and Amanda Nunes has been promoted to the main event slot at UFC 200 and will headline the historic event on Saturday night in Las Vegas.

The new bout order for the card was announced on Thursday night following the addition of a light heavyweight special attraction, as Anderson Silva now faces Daniel Cormier in a non-title bout.

Tate and Nunes will headline the card with Brock Lesnar vs. Mark Hunt set as the co-main event of the evening. UFC president Dana White confirmed the move on Thursday night.

Tate and Nunes take the marquee spot less than a day after White announced that Lesnar vs. Hunt would be the new main event. According to White, after examining the card, the UFC decided that the women’s title fight deserved to be in the headline spot.

“Miesha is the woman who beat the woman who beat the woman. She’s the champ,” White said. “What she accomplished a few fights ago, you can’t disrespect that. She should be the main event. She deserves that.”

Typically, a title fight always would headline over a non-title fight on a UFC card, and the promotion decided to make that move after a hectic 24 hours.

The card shifted dramatically on Wednesday night after interim light heavyweight champion Jon Jones was pulled from his main event bout against Cormier following a potential doping violation from a drug test administered on June 16.

With Jones off the card, the UFC started making immediate changes, but the bout order was only finalized on Thursday after Silva was confirmed as a new opponent for Cormier.

Anderson Silva replaces Jon Jones for UFC 200 bout against Daniel Cormier – DC issues statement On Silva

Source: TheGuardian.com

The UFC was able to salvage its signature event on Saturday by matching Daniel Cormier with the former middleweight champion Anderson Silva on Thursday evening. Silva replaces Jon Jones, whose light heavyweight fight with Cormier was suppose to headline UFC 200 until Jones was pulled from the card because of a failed drug test suspected to be for a performance-enhancing substance.

The fight will be three rounds and is not a title bout.

Silva gives the card a legitimate bout despite the face he is 41. In fact, a Silva-Cormier fight might actually be more interesting than Jones-Cormier. Jones looked sluggish in his return to the octagon this spring after a year’s absence due to a 2015 suspension following a hit-and-run incident. Silva lost a non-title fight to Michael Bisping in February in London and a 2015 victory over Nick Diaz was wiped out following a positive PED test.

Silva has always fought well when he has moved up to light heavyweight, but he is older now and has not been training for this bout. His last heavyweight victory was against Stephan Bonnar in a 2012 first-round knockout.

Earlier on Thursday, Jones tearfully apologized for his positive test in a press conference and said he did not knowingly take a banned substance. One of the card’s other top names, Brock Lesnar, called Jones’s positive test “unprofessional”. Nick Diaz’s brother Nate, when asked about the Jones suspension, said: “Everybody is on steroids.” Jones denies any wrongdoing.

Jones-Cormier was supposed to be the top fight of UFC 200, a continuation of their 2015 bout that Jones won in a unanimous decision. The two fighters have sniped at each other publicly. Silva-Cormier will not bring the same kind of rage, especially given the way Silva is saving the card by agreeing to fight.

Silva has not trained seriously for a fight in the two months since he had his gallbladder removed in the spring, which raises some concerns about the kind of fight he will have with Cormier and whether he should be fighting at all.

Miesha Tate v Amanda Nunes has now been promoted to the main event slot, while Lesnar is making his heavyweight comeback against Mark Hunt.

 

Cormier comments on facing Silva at UFC 200:

“I am honored to share the Octagon with the one of the greatest fighters of all time,” Cormier said in an exclusive statement to MMA Fighting. “This is a very tough fight for me, and I have to fight smart and to do my best in order to win this fight. Thank you Anderson for stepping up, and thanks to Dana White and the UFC for making this happen. Now let’s go do this.”

 

 

Jon Jones Comments On His Removal From UFC 200 For Possible Failed Drug Test

Source: WrestlingINC

Jones made his first public appearance Thursday, addressing his removal from UFC 200 due to a possible failed drug test. The USADA informed the interim light heavyweight champion that his June 16 test came back for a violation of the policy.

Despite his past, this failed drug test was not due to recreational drug use, as it was an out-of-competition one that does not fall under the recreational banner.

Jones was asked by Chael Sonnen during the press conference in Las Vegas about the test in question, stating, “I would never take anything that would enhance my game. I wouldn’t cheat.”

A possible two-year ban from MMA stands in front of Jones if he is found guilty of using a banned substance. He stated that he would return to fighting even if given the suspension.

Mark Hunt Reacts To What He Thinks Is A USADA Excemption For Brock Lesnar – Lesnar Tested By USADA Ahead Of UFC 200

Source: MSN SB Nation

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar will make his mixed martial arts (MMA) return against Mark Hunt in the UFC 200 pay-per-view (PPV) co-main event, which is scheduled for the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Sat., July 9, 2016.

Thanks to a special exemption from Untied States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), which allowed the WWE superstar to bypass the four-month window for all mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters choosing to come out of retirement for one (or more) fights.

Hunt told FOX Sports Australia it’s a big pile of BS:

“I think he’s juiced to the gills, and I still think I’m going to knock him out. I don’t think [USADA exemption is] fair. I think it’s load of bulls–t, I think it’s rubbish. I don’t think anyone should be exempt from testing. If they’re trying to clean the sport up, mixed martial arts, this is a bad way to do it. I don’t care who you are. It’s ridiculous. I’ve already voiced my opinion to Dana about it but apparently he (Lesnar) has been getting tested but he’s probably been off a couple of cycles anyway. I don’t think it’s an even playing field. But it doesn’t mean you’re not going to get knocked out. Frank Mir was juicing and he got knocked out. The same thing’s going to happen with Brock Lesnar.”

Lesnar (5-3) hasn’t stepped foot inside the Octagon since suffering back-to-back technical knockout losses to Cain Velasquez (UFC 121) and Alistair Overeem (UFC 141), but never failed a blood or urine test during his time as a pro fighter.

The eye test?

That’s another story, according to Hunt.

 

Source: WrestlingINC 

WrestlingINC.com mentioned in a report this week that Brock Lesnar received a USADA exemption for his return to MMA, but the U.S. Anti Doping Association wasted no time in testing Lesnar when he became eligible.

According to Yahoo’s Kevin Iole, Lesnar was tested by USADA Wednesday. The results should show up on the agency’s official website next week. This comes after Lesnar’s opponent Mark Hunt did an interview (seen above) saying that Lesnar was ‘juiced to the gills.’

It’s worth noting that a first time failure of USADA’s policies can result in a two-year ban from the sport.

 

Brock Lesnar On Vince McMahon’s Reaction To UFC 200

Source: WrestlingINC

Brock Lesnar made the media rounds on ESPN yesterday to promote his upcoming fight against Mark Hunt at UFC 200. During an interview on ESPN’s SportsCenter, which you can watch below, Lesnar was asked about how Vince McMahon reacted when approached about the upcoming fight.

“I said, ‘Listen, old man, we can do this the hard way or the easy way,'” Lesnar recalled. “I said, ‘Do you wanna arm-wrestle for it?’ He was like, ‘Aw yeah, what the hell.’ So, I ended up beating him and here we are.”

Lesnar said that McMahon had no hesitation allowing Lesnar to do the fight.

“Who would you [have any hesitation]?,” Lesnar asked. “I believe that in the WWE brand, I’m a legit athlete in that brand, and I bring lots to the company. For me to get back in the Octagon legitimizes why the WWE has me in their company. It’s a win-win for all of us. It’s a win for me, it’s a win for WWE and it’s a win for the UFC.”

Lesnar again wouldn’t reveal how much he is making for the fight, but said that it was “lots of money” and stated that he was a prizefighter.

“You don’t get in the cage for nothing,” Lesnar noted. “It’s a lot of money… I’m not gonna relay how much money I’m making on it, I wouldn’t do that to either one of the companies.”

Brock Lesnar’s UFC 200 Opponent Revealed; Lesnar Talks SummerSlam, UFC Return, More

Source: WrestlingINC

Brock Lesnar’s return to the UFC is set, and so is his opponent. As announced this morning on ESPN SportsCenter, Lesnar will take on Mark Hunt in his return.

Lesnar last fought in 2011, taking on Alistair Overeem. Lesnar battled diverticulitis throughout his career, missing long stretches of action. Last year, Lesnar re-signed with the WWE for three years, and said that he closed the door on a UFC return.

“I couldn’t live with that decision, that decision has haunted me for the last 15 months,” Lesnar said. “I’m a big believer in facing your fears and facing the reality of not sitting 20 years ago saying ‘Son, you should have done that.’ I was on UFC 100, so why not UFC 200?,” Lesnar said.

Lesnar said that this was his idea, and he immediately regretted not making a return to the Octagon.

“I lost to diverticulitis, that’s who beat me. My performance was because of the illness. I feel a thousand percent, I wouldn’t step in the Octagon if I didn’t. I’m not faking it, this is for real,” Lesnar said.

When Lesnar announced that Mark Hunt would take him on, he noted that he’s never turned down a fight in the UFC. “Why not (Mark Hunt), I don’t care,” Lesnar said.

“It’s taken some time for things to play out, but I said ‘What are the chances of having Brock Lesnar at UFC 200?,” Lesnar said. “I’m a crossover athlete, I’m the modern day Bo Jackson, and I couldn’t be more excited that both companies have the faith in Brock Lesnar to return to the Octagon.”

Lesnar said that he spoke to Vince McMahon about the idea and hashed it out. He said that he doesn’t know what the plans for SummerSlam are, but isn’t sure what the plans are for him on the card.

Interviewer Hannah Storm asked about the UFC banning Ariel Helwani over breaking the story of Lesnar’s return, but Lesnar said that he’s not on Twitter and isn’t familiar with Helwani. Lesnar was also asked about the late Muhammad Ali, and said the two shared a handshake and said he felt something powerful in Ali.

Lesnar closes the interview by saying he isn’t sure what any of this means for his legacy, but has to do what’s best for himself and his family.

Cormier VS Jones To Headline UFC 200

Source: MMA Fighting

The rematch is once again official.

Jon Jones will fight Daniel Cormier in a light heavyweight unification title bout at UFC 200, as first reported during a telecast of Good Morning America on Wednesday. The fight will headline the July 9 card in Las Vegas, at the brand new T-Mobile Arena.

“UFC 200 has been, uh, interesting to say the least, putting this thing together,” UFC president Dana White said on the show. “There’s been some crazy things that have gone on. Some ups and downs. Jon Jones just fought on Saturday night and won his fight against OSP. He’s been out for 15 months, and now he’s back, and he wants his light heavyweight UFC title back. So the main event will be Daniel Cormier versus Jon Jones.”

Jones was originally slated to face Cormier at UFC 197 this past Saturday, yet the current 205-pound champion had to withdraw due to an injury. He was replaced by Ovince Saint Preux, who lost a unanimous decision to Jones. The fight was contested for an interim title.

The Jones-Cormier rematch had been rumored for the big UFC 200 card, yet Jones was nursing a sore foot after his fight with Saint Preux. Though he has yet to have an x-ray taken, he tweeted out on Tuesday evening that he was walking around and the foot was fine.

“I just want to get back to my original plan and dominate Daniel Cormier again,” said Jones on the show.

The bad blood between Cormier and Jones extends back to UFC 178, where the two were booked to meet for Jones’ light heavyweight title. During a press conference for the fight, the two engaged in a brawl. Jones had to pull out of the fight with a leg injury, but they finally met at UFC 182 in early-2015.

Jones won the first fight via unanimous decision.

He was stripped of his title just a few months later after a hit-and-run incident in Albuquerque. Before then Jones had eight title defenses. In his absence Cormier defeated Anthony Johnson for the vacant belt at UFC 187, and later defended it againstAlexander Gustafsson at UFC 192 in Houston.

UFC 200 will feature a women’s bantamweight title fight between Miesha Tate andAmanda Nunes, as well as an interim featherweight title fight between Jose Aldo and Frankie Edgar.

Dana White Says Conor McGregor Isn’t Back On UFC 200

Source: WrestlingINC

A little earlier we mentioned that UFC Featherweight Champion Conor McGregor posted on Twitter that he’s back on the UFC 200 card. 

UFC President Dana white says that it’s not true:

“It’s not true. We haven’t talked to Conor or his manager since the press conference. I don’t know why he would tweet that,” White told TMZ on Monday.

White is adamant that the UFC and McGregor are not pulling a publicity stunt in order to gain attention for the landmark UFC 200 event.

“All the media keeps asking me that. I feel like the scene in ‘Step Brothers’ when they ask if they can build the bunk beds. I don’t know how many more times I can say the fight is off or how many more press conferences I can have saying the fight is off for people to believe it’s off,” said White.

UFC is hoping for a Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier rematch for the UFC 200 main event, although the health of both fighters will determine if that happens.

Conor McGregor Says He’s Back On UFC 200

UFC Featherweight Champion Conor McGregor posted on  Twitter early Monday morning announcing that he was added back to UFC 200 after being removed from the show last week for not fulfilling media obligations.