One of the most memorable nights in MMA history took place a week after Independence Day in 2016. UFC 200 was a momentous occasion for both MMA and the Las Vegas area. T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas had just opened for business a few months prior to the show, making it the first UFC event held at the venue.
Subsequent to UFC 200 on July 9, 2016, the arena became the promotion’s de facto home in Vegas, succeeding the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Initially, the night’s card was to feature an incredible lineup.
Original UFC 200 Main Event Between McGregor and Diaz Scrapped in Spring
In the run-up to the card that summer, a few marquee fighters were bumped from the show. Conor McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC), just a few days before his 30th birthday, was to have met Nate Diaz (21-13 MMA, 16-11 UFC) for a rematch of their fight from that March in UFC 196, but the fight was called off in April of 2016 due to McGregor not satisfying pre-fight promotional requirements for what was to be the main event of the evening in the wake of retirement rumors.
McGregor and Diaz squared off in a rematch during UFC 202 in August of the same year. That night, “The Notorious” bested Diaz by decision after five rounds.
Jones vs. Cormier PPD During UFC 200 Fight Week
With McGregor vs. Diaz II out of the picture for UFC 200, the promotion turned its attention to a battle for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship between challenger Jon Jones (28-1, 1 NC MMA, 22-1, 1 NC UFC) and then-incumbent titleholder Daniel Cormier (22-3, 1 NC MMA, 11-3, 1 NC UFC) as its new main event. In the final days leading up to the card, however, everything changed.
Jon Jones was pulled from the show for a potential USADA violation. In the aftermath, he received a one-year suspension by USADA for the violation.
The violation stemmed from an out-of-competition sample provided from Jones a few weeks prior to UFC 200.
“It is important to note that under the UFC anti-doping policy, there’s a full, fair, legal-review process that is afforded to all athletes before any sanctions are imposed,” said Jeff Novitzky, then the UFC Vice President of Athlete Health and Performance of Jones’ positive drug test.
Jones and Cormier eventually met in July of 2017 during UFC 214, with the fight later being ruled a no-contest due to the former failing a drug test. Subsequently, Cormier had his light heavyweight championship restored after the no-contest.
As far as UFC 200 was concerned, Cormier scored a unanimous decision win over Anderson Silva (34-11, 1 NC MMA, 17-7, 1 NC UFC) in a nontitle affair on the main card.
Mark Hunt Takes on Brock Lesnar in UFC 200 Co-Main Event
The co-headliner of UFC 200 took place at heavyweight between Mark Hunt (13-14-1, 1 NC MMA, 8-8-1, 1 NC UFC) and Brock Lesnar (5-3, 1 NC MMA, 4-3, 1 NC UFC). At the time of the show, Lesnar was contracted to WWE and took time away from the sports entertainment promotion to appear in the UFC.
At first, Lesnar triumphed by way of unanimous decision, with all three judges returning 29-27 scorecards in his favor. After the fight, however, the result was reverted to a no-contest.
Brock Lesnar returned a positive drug test following his victory and was given a one-year suspension from competition.
Nunes Locks in Submission During UFC 200 Main Event
Ultimately, the main event of the evening at T-Mobile Arena was for the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship between Amanda Nunes (23-5 MMA, 16-2 UFC) and Miesha Tate (20-9 MMA, 7-6 UFC).
Amanda Nunes was hungry for the title that night, outpacing Miesha Tate in total strikes by a 40-3 margin before securing a rear-naked choke inside the first round. Nunes would retain the belt until the spring of 2020, when she moved up to featherweight.
Final Thoughts
UFC 200 will be remembered for both the chaos leading up to the card as well as the fights themselves. What are your memories from this event?