UFC 200 was surrounded by chaos.

The first major twist came when Conor McGregor was removed from his highly anticipated rematch with Nate Diaz in the card’s main event. The next step was the hotly contested feud between Daniel Cormier and Jon Jones filling the open slot atop the card—that was until Jones was pulled from the bout due to a potential USADA violation.

The final straw came at the 11th hour when former middleweight king Anderson Silva stepped up on two day’s notice and decided to give Cormier a run for his money. You throw the arrival of former heavyweight champion and WWE superstar Brock Lesnar in the mix and women’s bantamweight queen Miesha Tate seeing her bout with Amanda Nunes move into the top spot, and you have an absolutely crazy event to top off International Fight week.

And while there were plenty of other action-packed tilts on the lineup, the fights on the elite portion of the cards were the ones that captivated the attention of fight fans.

Let’s take a look at the good, bad and strange from UFC 200

The Good

Nunes claims gold 

Coming into UFC 200, very few people gave Amanda Nunes a shot at defeating Miesha Tate.

The scrappy Brazilian had offed a strong list of opponents to earn her way into title contention, which gave her a full head of steam heading into the biggest fight of her career. With Tate just finishing Holly Holm in her last outing, many figured Nunes to be just another victim. They were wrong.

From the opening bell, Nunes came out guns blazing and forced Tate to retreat as she unleashed a barrage of heavy shots. Tate was in clear trouble against the cage, and with Nunes smelling blood, fans in the T-Mobile Arena began to sense something drastic was about to happen. Sure enough, Nunes took her back, and moments later Tate tapped to a neck crank.

The arena went berserk and a new champion was crowned. It was a surreal moment for Nunes, as she went from underdog to the official women's bantamweight champion of the UFC.

The BEAST returns

After nearly five years away from the Octagon, Brock Lesnar returned to the realm he once dominated. Standing across the cage was Mark Hunt—a notorious knockout artist who had leveled a wide collection of names during his time in the UFC.

Would Hunt be able to knock Lesnar out before the takedown came, or would the former WWE superstar put Hunt on his back and pound out the victory? Although the latter was the case, there would be no stoppage on Saturday night. Lesnar ducked several huge bombs from Hunt in the opening stages before the remainder of the tilt played out on the canvas.

And while Lesnar won a clear-cut decision after a lengthy stint away from the UFC, the real question is whether or not it will be the last time he competes.

High-stakes at 145

The interim featherweight title—and much more—was on the line when Jose Aldo stepped in against Frankie Edgar at UFC 200. 

Both men traveled drastically different paths coming into their rematch on Saturday, with Edgar riding a lengthy winning streak, and the former divisional king coming off a 13-second knockout at the hands of Conor McGregor. It seemed to be anyone's game going into the pay-per-view portion of Saturday night's card, and both men came out looking to impose their will.

While Edgar connected with ease and precision in the opening round, it was Aldo who swung the momentum back in the second. In typical Aldo vs. Edgar fashion, the tides turned on a regular basis, and the end result was the former long-reigning featherweight regaining his crown (sort of). Whether McGregor comes back to unify the titles or Max Holloway finally gets his shot, the 145-pound fold should be rocking for quite some time.

Cain Velasquez is a bad man.

The former heavyweight champion has been on a mission to regain the crown he once held, and his bout against Travis Browne at UFC 200 was the first step. Browne presented some stylistic challenges in the height and range department, but Velasquez wasted no time eliminating the distance. 

Velasquez traded big punches with Browne in the early goings but used combinations to put his opponent against the cage. Once Velasquez had him where he wanted him, Browne plunged into deep waters with the most vicious shark in the division. Velasquez began to unload huge shots that snapped Browne's head back, and it wasn't long before the fight was stopped.

With the win, Velasquez put himself back in the race for the title he once held and could very well find himself the next challenger after champion Stipe Miocic and Alistair Overeem handle their business in September.

Lauzon excites—as always

 

What can be said about Joe Lauzon that hasn’t been said before? He simply comes to fight.

The biggest difference on Saturday night is he faced the durable Diego Sanchez—a man who had survived a plethora of wars. Many figured Lauzon’s only hope was to take Sanchez down and submit him, but that wasn't the route the Massachusetts native wanted to travel.



Lauzon came out from the opening bell lacing Sanchez with crisp punches that took the original TUF winner off his feet against the cage. The natural grit of Sanchez kept him conscious and got him upright just as Lauzon poured on the second wave.

Sanchez’s head snapped back at every touch until the referee jumped in to wave off the action. It was a brutal and impressive performance, as he put away an opponent nobody had truly knocked out or submitted until then. 

The Mousasi Mystery grows 

Gegard Mousasi is an enigma in MMA.

The Dutch–Armenian is nothing short of emotionless during his walk to the cage, but once the Octagon closes, a special brand of violence ensues. The most important element to note is Mousasi’s approach isn’t wild, bar-room-brawl crazy aggression. It's calculated and precise.

Even though Mousasi faced a litany of potential opponents in the lead up to UFC 200, Thiago Santos wound up being the unfortunate soul. Once the bell sounded, Mousasi came out like a man on mission and a crisp flurry brought an end to the beat down in Round 1. 

The next bantamweight title contender?

T.J. Dillashaw and Raphael Assucao stepped into the cage at UFC 200 to determine the next bantamweight contender. And while Dillashaw ultimately won the battle, it was an awesome, back-and-forth, 15-minute affair. It was a flat-out scrap and had to be mentioned in this category. 

Stayin' alive, stayin' alive 

Perhaps no fighter came into UFC 200 needing a win more than Jim Miller. The lightweight-division staple came into the T-Mobile arena on Saturday with his back firmly against the wall, and Takanori Gomi paid the price.

In the opening stages of the fight, Miller put Gomi on the ground, and after working his way into a dominant position began to unload on the former Pride champion. Gomi had no answer for the barrage, and the referee stepped in to end the fight.



Miller rose to celebrate, and for good reason. The victory over Gomi snaps a two-fight losing streak and will guarantee his relevance in a stacked division is secure.

Another bantamweight title contender? 

Julianna Pena has been on a tear since winning The Ultimate Fighter.

The fiery Washington state native has scrapped her way up the women's bantamweight ranks, and the only thing standing between her and a shot at championship gold was an opponent. She got just that on Saturday night when she squared off with former title challenger Cat Zingano. While some assumed "Alpha Cat" may have been out of Pena's league, the ​TUF winner silenced her doubters by controlling the action from start to finish.

The end result was a unanimous decision finish for Pena, and the win will absolutely make her a fixture in the women's 135-pound title picture.

The Bad 

Gomi's gone 

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Takanori Gomi’s days in the UFC have come to an end.

After years of speculation of how much damage Gomi could do in the United States, the Japanese legend has failed to live up to his potential. Gomi came into UFC 200 having lost two of his past three, and the setback suffered against Miller will make it three-straight losses inside the Octagon.



The former Pride superstar looked lackluster throughout, and once Miller unloaded with a barrage of shots, it was all over. While Gomi will certainly hold reverence for his time spent competing in his native country, his time slinging leather on the sport’s biggest stage certainly came to a lackluster end on Saturday night.

Hendricks at a crossroads 

Life as an MMA fighter just isn't pleasant for Johny Hendricks right now.

The former welterweight champion was on top of the world just a short while ago, but since being dethroned by Robbie Lawler at UFC 181 in late 2014, the former two-time NCAA Division-I champion has been stuck in a rough patch, scoring only one victory in his past four showings—the most recent defeat of which came against Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 200 on Saturday night.

Throw his inability to make the 170-pound weight limit into the equation, and it would appear as if the Hendricks we once knew has suddenly vanished. The devastating left hand he used to crumple fools with has lost its pop, and that won't bode well for him when the UFC forces Hendricks to make the move up to middleweight for his next go. Either way you cut the situation, Hendricks has fallen from grace, and the end result to what could've been an amazing career may be ugly.

Bad news Browne 

Speaking of things taking a sour turn, Travis Browne won't be enjoying life all too much after Saturday night.

The rangy Hawaiian has been entrenched in a media storm for most of the past year, as he's dealt with turmoil over an alleged domestic issue (which was debunked after investigation) and the shell-shocked aftermath of his significant other Ronda Rousey, who was handed the first loss of her professional career. None of those things bode well when an athlete is training for a fight, much less when that scrap's against a cardio machine such as former heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez.

The two titans met on Saturday night in Las Vegas, and it was all Velasquez. The American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) staple pressed forward from the jump and smashed Browne with huge shots until the big man toppled over. Nevertheless, Browne did his best to hang in, but Velasquez was too much, and an unanswered flurry forced the referee to step in and call off the fight.

With the loss, Browne has now been turned back in three of his past five, and the events of UFC 200 will greatly hinder his future as a contender in the heavyweight division. 

The Strange

Cormier wins, receives boos

Daniel Cormier just can't seem to win with fight fans.

The light heavyweight champion had a tumultuous week, as his rival Jon Jones was forced out of their main-event scrap due to a potential USADA violation. Still, Cormier accepted an extremely short notice bout against Anderson Silva. As for the fight...there really isn't much to write about. Every single fan in MMA understood why Cormier did what he did, but in the process of doing so,  the light heavyweight king won zero fans because of his performance.



Then again, it was the worst week ever for the champion, so he shall get a pass.

And in closing, I personally loved the yellow canvas. How strange is that?