UFC 200: Tate vs. Nunes | Event Profile, Full Results & Legacy
- Conor McBragger
- 4 days ago
- 6 min read
Introduction
UFC 200: Tate vs. Nunes. July 9, 2016. T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas — the venue’s debut event. Amanda Nunes stopped Miesha Tate with a rear-naked choke 3:16 into round one to win the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship. Nunes became the first Brazilian female UFC champion and landed 40 significant strikes in the process of setting up the choke.
The event was supposed to be headlined by Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier 2 for the LHW Championship Unification. Three days before the event, on July 6, Jones was removed by USADA after testing positive for a banned substance (clomiphene and DHEA). Anderson Silva stepped in to fight Cormier on two days’ notice.
Brock Lesnar returned from a 4.5-year UFC absence to defeat Mark Hunt by UD (later overturned to a No Contest when Lesnar failed drug tests for clomiphene). Jose Aldo defeated Frankie Edgar by UD for the interim FW title. Attendance: 18,202; Gate: $10.7M; PPV: 1,009,000 buys.
Contents
Quick Stats
Date: July 9, 2016
Venue: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada (DEBUT EVENT of the venue)
Attendance: 18,202; Gate: $10,700,000; PPV: 1,009,000 buys
Original Main Event: Jon Jones (interim c) vs. Daniel Cormier (c) — LHW Unification; Jones removed July 6 by USADA (clomiphene + DHEA positive test)
Main Event: Miesha Tate (c) vs. Amanda Nunes — WBW Championship (Tate’s first title defence)
Result: Nunes def. Tate — Sub (RNC) R1, 3:16 — Nunes first Brazilian female UFC champion; 40 sig strikes before choke
Co-Main: Brock Lesnar def. Mark Hunt — UD (29-27 x3) — HW (later overturned to NC; Lesnar failed drug test for clomiphene)
Notable: Aldo def. Edgar UD for interim FW title; Cormier def. Anderson Silva UD (Silva on 2 days’ notice); Cain TKO Browne R1
Bonuses: POTN: Nunes + Cain Velasquez ($50k each); FOTN: Cormier/Silva ($50k each)
The Build-Up & Jones Removal
Jones vs. Cormier 2 had been the most anticipated LHW rematch in years. Jones had won their first meeting at UFC 182 (January 2015) by UD. He had been stripped of the title for the hit-and-run in April 2015, returned to win the interim title at UFC 197 over OSP in April 2016, and was set for unification. The UFC had built the July 9 event as a landmark occasion around it.
On July 6 — three days before the event — USADA notified the UFC that Jones had tested positive for clomiphene (an estrogen blocker also found in his USADA case from later in 2016) and DHEA. Jones was pulled from the card. Cormier remained on the card. Anderson Silva accepted a last-minute bout against Cormier on two days’ notice at light heavyweight — a weight class Silva had not regularly competed at.
Main Event
Miesha Tate (c) vs. Amanda Nunes — UFC WBW Championship
Nunes came out with explosive right hands. Tate was immediately on the back foot, trying to survive. Nunes landed 40 significant strikes, battering Tate’s face. Tate was desperate to close the distance and clinch. When Nunes took her to the ground, she transitioned to back control and locked in a rear-naked choke. Tate tapped at 3:16 of round one.
Amanda Nunes was the new UFC WBW Champion — and the first Brazilian female UFC champion in the promotion’s history. She would go on to become the first woman to hold two UFC title belts simultaneously (WBW + WFW).
Co-Main Event
Brock Lesnar vs. Mark Hunt — Heavyweight (later overturned to No Contest)
Lesnar returned from a 4.5-year UFC absence (his last fight: a KO loss to Alistair Overeem at UFC 141 in December 2011). He used his size and wrestling to control Hunt on the ground and dominated the final three rounds. All three judges scored 29-27 for Lesnar.
However: Lesnar subsequently failed USADA drug tests for clomiphene and DHEA and was given a one-year suspension. The result was overturned to a No Contest. Hunt’s frustration became one of the most publicised athlete-promotion disputes of 2016.
Full Results
Preliminary Card
Joe Lauzon def. Diego Sanchez — TKO (Punches) — R1, 1:26 — LW
Kelvin Gastelum def. Johny Hendricks — Decision (Unanimous) — R3 (29-28, 30-27, 30-27) — WW
T.J. Dillashaw def. Raphael Assuncao — Decision (Unanimous) — R3 (30-27 x3) — BW
Julianna Peña def. Cat Zingano — Decision (Unanimous) — R3 (29-28 x3) — WBW
Cain Velasquez def. Travis Browne — TKO (Punches) — R1, 4:57 — HW; POTN ($50k)
Main Card
Jose Aldo def. Frankie Edgar — Decision (Unanimous) — R5, 5:00 (49-46, 49-46, 48-47) — Interim FW Championship; their rematch (Edgar won in 2010 WEC; Aldo reigned since; now interim title bout)
Daniel Cormier def. Anderson Silva — Decision (Unanimous) — R3 (30-26 x3) — LHW; Silva on 2 days’ notice replacing Jones; FOTN ($50k each)
Brock Lesnar vs. Mark Hunt — No Contest (originally Lesnar UD 29-27 x3; overturned — Lesnar failed USADA test for clomiphene + DHEA) — HW; co-main
Amanda Nunes def. Miesha Tate — Sub (RNC) — R1, 3:16 — WBW Championship; first Brazilian female UFC champion; POTN ($50k)
Bonuses & Awards
Fight of the Night: Daniel Cormier vs. Anderson Silva — $50,000 to each fighter.
Performance of the Night: Amanda Nunes + Cain Velasquez — $50,000 each.
Records & Milestones
Amanda Nunes — first Brazilian female UFC champion. She went on to become the first woman to hold two UFC title belts simultaneously (WBW + WFW), defeating Cris Cyborg in December 2018 for the WFW title.
Jon Jones — became the first fighter in UFC history to be stripped of a title twice. Stripped again in November 2016 following this USADA positive test. The Lesnar/Hunt result and Jones’s removal cast a long shadow over the landmark 200th numbered event.
Brock Lesnar’s result vs. Mark Hunt was overturned to No Contest. Hunt became a vocal critic of USADA’s handling of the case and the UFC’s response to his concerns.
Jose Aldo def. Frankie Edgar for the interim FW title — their rematch (Edgar had won the WEC FW belt from Aldo’s predecessor Sean Sherk; this was a different era rematch). Aldo became interim champion with McGregor still holding the undisputed title.
Legacy & Impact
UFC 200 was supposed to be the promotion’s landmark occasion — the 200th numbered event, headlined by the sport’s biggest grudge match in Jones vs. Cormier 2. What it delivered instead was a symbol of the year’s recurring narrative: doping, short-notice replacements, and results that required asterisks.
Within the chaos, Nunes’s performance stands. The demolition of Tate announced a new era in women’s MMA — one where Nunes’s punching power and ground finishing ability made her the most dangerous WBW champion in the weight class’s short history. She would prove it again at UFC 207 in December 2016, stopping Ronda Rousey in 48 seconds on Rousey’s long-awaited return.
FAQ
Why was Jon Jones removed from UFC 200?
On July 6, 2016 — three days before the event — USADA notified the UFC that Jones had tested positive for clomiphene (an estrogen blocker) and DHEA in an out-of-competition test. He was pulled from his LHW title unification fight against Cormier. He was subsequently suspended for one year by USADA and stripped of the interim title in November 2016.
Who replaced Jon Jones at UFC 200?
Anderson Silva replaced Jones on two days’ notice. The fight against Cormier was changed from a LHW Championship bout to a non-title LHW fight. Cormier won by UD (30-26 x3) in a dominant performance.
Why was the Lesnar vs. Hunt result overturned?
Brock Lesnar tested positive for clomiphene and DHEA in USADA anti-doping tests conducted around UFC 200. He was given a one-year suspension retroactive to his test date, and the result of his fight against Hunt was overturned to a No Contest. Mark Hunt became a vocal critic of how the situation was handled by both USADA and the UFC.
Who was the main event of UFC 200 after Jones was pulled?
The women’s bantamweight title fight between champion Miesha Tate and challenger Amanda Nunes became the main event. Nunes won by RNC in round one, landing 40 significant strikes before finishing with the choke. She became the first Brazilian female UFC champion.
Did Jose Aldo become a champion again at UFC 200?
Yes, conditionally. Aldo defeated Frankie Edgar by UD to win the interim FW title at UFC 200. However, Conor McGregor still held the undisputed FW title at the time. Aldo and McGregor’s unification was not completed until McGregor moved to lightweight full-time, leaving Aldo to eventually become undisputed champion again.
References
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