UFC 200: Brock Lesnar smothers Mark Hunt to win UFC return
The UFC 200 clash between Brock Lesnar and Mark Hunt was a clash of epic proportions; gigantic men on a gigantic stage. While there were many question marks over Lesnar’s return, his physically dominant showing went a long way to silence any of his doubters, winning two of the three rounds on all three judges’ scorecards.
Lesnar said that he felt it took him “a little while to get acclimated” back in the octagon, and while he won two rounds comfortably, the third round truly showed the reemergence of the ‘Beast’ of old.
The bout started with a brief feeling out period, before Lesnar successfully shot for a takedown. Hunt was able to get up to his feet but was unable to land any significant strikes as Lesnar rained down his lunchbox sized fists from several dominant positions.
The second round saw Hunt successfully defend all of Lesnar’s take down attempts, and while he didn’t land any of his usual night ending strikes, he controlled the majority of the action.
Lesnar rallied in the third and was able to land a takedown and continually smash Hunt from half guard, using his athletic prowess to control the fading striker. The win will propel Lesnar into the top ten of the UFC heavyweight rankings, but if and when he will fight again is unclear, with the star stating he was taking things ‘one day at a time’ with regards to another fight.
Elsewhere on the card Miesha Tate was starched in the first round by Amanda Nunes. Nunes put the pressure on early landing several huge punches that visibly rocked Tate before taking her back and forcing the tap via rear naked choke.
A reinvigorated Jose Aldo was able to successfully secure a unanimous decision victory against Frankie Edgar highlighted by his improved defense and evasion.
The victory puts Aldo in line for another fight against Connor McGregor who was ringside at the event.
Daniel Cormier was able to deal with the ever dangerous Anderson Silva in their three round fight. Silva had patches of brilliance, appearing to hurt Cormier with a body-shot late in the third round. However Cormier was able to repeatedly take Silva down and effectively control him from top position.
In the first bout of the main card Cain Velasquez took a trip down memory lane and poured on a barrage of strikes and pressure to finish Travis Browne in the first round. While the bout was a truly vintage Velasquez performance the performance was highlighted by the addition of an impressive spinning heel kick from the former champ.
The event took place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada with the main card being broadcast live in Australia on Mainevent PPV.
Main Card (PPV):
- Amanda Nunes def. Miesha Tate via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke), Rd 1, 3:16 – UFC women’s bantamweight title
- Brock Lesnar def. Mark Hunt Decision (Unanimous)
- Daniel Cormier def. Anderson Silva via Decision (Unanimous)
- Jose Aldo def Frankie Edgar via Decision (Unanimous) – UFC interim featherweight title
- Cain Velasquez def. Travis Browne via TKO (Punches), Rd 1, 4:57
Preliminary Card (Fox Sports):
- Julilanna Pena def Cat Zingano via Decision (Unanimous)
- Kelvin Gastelu def. Johny Hendricks via Decision (Unanimous)
- T.J. Dillashaw def. Raphael Assuncao via Decision (Unanimous)
- Sage Northcutt def Enrique Marin via Decision (Unanimous)
Preliminary Card (UFC Fight Pass):
- Joe Lauzon def. Diego Sanchez via TKO (Punches), Rd 1, 1:26
- Gegard Mousasi def Thiago Santos via KO (Punches), Rd 1, 4:32
- Jim Miller def. Takanori Gomi via TKO (Punches), Rd 1, 2:18
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