UFC brought us two events prior to UFC 200. Ultimate Fight Night 90 and The Ultimate Fighter Season 23 finale came your way in the days before the massive pay-per-view.
On Thursday, the UFC crowned a new lightweight champion when Eddie Alvarez ous…
UFC brought us two events prior to UFC 200. Ultimate Fight Night 90 and The Ultimate Fighter Season 23 finale came your way in the days before the massive pay-per-view.
On Thursday, the UFC crowned a new lightweight champion when Eddie Alvarez ousted Rafael dos Anjos inside the first round. The spectacular performance saw a dream realized for a young man from Philadelphia and helped to end the reign of the last remaining Brazilian champion.
Friday also had a title contest. Strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk bested rival Claudia Gadelha in a hard-fought five-round battle. The champion remains the shining star of the division.
The two weekday events were not light on action. Twenty-four combined fights took place between the two events, and there was a lot to break down. As with any event, the questions quickly shift to who the winners and losers should fight next. And that is exactly what we are here to pontificate about.
There is a bevy of options at the feet of the UFC matchmakers. Which way will they go? No one knows, but here are the matchups they should be eyeing as the 2016 campaign rolls forward. These are the matches to make for every winner and loser from the fight week’s first two events.
UFC brought us two events prior to UFC 200. Ultimate Fight Night 90 and The Ultimate Fighter Season 23 finale came your way in the days before the massive pay-per-view.
On Thursday, the UFC crowned a new lightweight champion when Eddie Alvarez ous…
UFC brought us two events prior to UFC 200. Ultimate Fight Night 90 and The Ultimate Fighter Season 23 finale came your way in the days before the massive pay-per-view.
On Thursday, the UFC crowned a new lightweight champion when Eddie Alvarez ousted Rafael dos Anjos inside the first round. The spectacular performance saw a dream realized for a young man from Philadelphia and helped to end the reign of the last remaining Brazilian champion.
Friday also had a title contest. Strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk bested rival Claudia Gadelha in a hard-fought five-round battle. The champion remains the shining star of the division.
The two weekday events were not light on action. Twenty-four combined fights took place between the two events, and there was a lot to break down. As with any event, the questions quickly shift to who the winners and losers should fight next. And that is exactly what we are here to pontificate about.
There is a bevy of options at the feet of the UFC matchmakers. Which way will they go? No one knows, but here are the matchups they should be eyeing as the 2016 campaign rolls forward. These are the matches to make for every winner and loser from the fight week’s first two events.
UFC 200 is on!
The new trend of early weigh-ins has been a success thus far, but UFC 200 is the gift that keeps giving. Although Dana White and company may not be wanting these kinds of gifts. The fighters were given a two-hour window between 8-10 a.m….
UFC 200 is on!
The new trend of early weigh-ins has been a success thus far, but UFC 200 is the gift that keeps giving. Although Dana White and company may not be wanting these kinds of gifts. The fighters were given a two-hour window between 8-10 a.m. PT to step on the scale and make their contracted weights.
The advantage of the early weigh-in process is that fighters have a few extra hours to rehydrate. It’s better for their health, and it’s better for the overall product in the cage.
Budding MMA star Sage Northcutt (156) was the first fighter on the scale, followed by Frankie Edgar (144.5). They were able to step on, step off and enjoy the rest of their day with food and drinks.
Two high-profile names that stepped on the scale early needed to be shielded by towels as they stripped all the way down to make weight. Jose Aldo (145) and Daniel Cormier (206) both made weight without issue. Cormier gets the extra pound as his fight with Anderson Silva is a three-round, non-title affair.
Brock Lesnar (265.5) had no intention of sticking around after he was officially set for the card.
As the window began to close, Miesha Tate, Kelvin Gastelum and Johny Hendricks had all yet to weigh in. Both Gastelum and Hendricks have had issues making weight in the past, so using all the time they had to step on the scale was not a surprise. But Tate really cut it close after being given the main event slot.
With less than five minutes to go, Hendricks stood on the scale at 171.25—a quarter-pound over weight. He was fined 20 percent of his purse. Gastelum made the contracted 171 pound limit for their fight right after Hendricks was finished.
Tate was the final person on the scale and right at the last minute. She weighed 134.5 pounds to make the main event official.
Given the drama of the final 10 minutes, there will be a lot of questions going into tomorrow night’s event.
Per the final tally, 23 of 24 fighters made weight within the given window. UFC 200 is set for all intents and purposes. At 6 p.m. ET, the fighters will return for a public weigh-in complete with staredowns. Bleacher Report will have a live blog going for the event on Friday evening.
The drama didn’t stop on Friday morning, and we can likely expect even more when the event kicks off Saturday.
UFC 200 Weigh-In Results
UFC Bantamweight Championship: Miesha Tate (134.5) vs. Amanda Nunes (135)
Mark Hunt (264.5) vs. Brock Lesnar (265.5)
Daniel Cormier (206) vs. Anderson Silva (198.5)
UFC Interim Featherweight Championship: Jose Aldo (145) vs. Frankie Edgar (144.5)
Travis Browne (244) vs. Cain Velasquez (242.5)
Julianna Pena (135.5) vs. Cat Zingano (135.5)
Kelvin Gastelum (171) vs. Johny Hendricks (171.25)
UFC 200 is on!
The new trend of early weigh-ins has been a success thus far, but UFC 200 is the gift that keeps giving. Although Dana White and company may not be wanting these kinds of gifts. The fighters were given a two-hour window between 8-10 a.m….
UFC 200 is on!
The new trend of early weigh-ins has been a success thus far, but UFC 200 is the gift that keeps giving. Although Dana White and company may not be wanting these kinds of gifts. The fighters were given a two-hour window between 8-10 a.m. PT to step on the scale and make their contracted weights.
The advantage of the early weigh-in process is that fighters have a few extra hours to rehydrate. It’s better for their health, and it’s better for the overall product in the cage.
Budding MMA star Sage Northcutt (156) was the first fighter on the scale, followed by Frankie Edgar (144.5). They were able to step on, step off and enjoy the rest of their day with food and drinks.
Two high-profile names that stepped on the scale early needed to be shielded by towels as they stripped all the way down to make weight. Jose Aldo (145) and Daniel Cormier (206) both made weight without issue. Cormier gets the extra pound as his fight with Anderson Silva is a three-round, non-title affair.
Brock Lesnar (265.5) had no intention of sticking around after he was officially set for the card.
As the window began to close, Miesha Tate, Kelvin Gastelum and Johny Hendricks had all yet to weigh in. Both Gastelum and Hendricks have had issues making weight in the past, so using all the time they had to step on the scale was not a surprise. But Tate really cut it close after being given the main event slot.
With less than five minutes to go, Hendricks stood on the scale at 171.25—a quarter-pound over weight. He was fined 20 percent of his purse. Gastelum made the contracted 171 pound limit for their fight right after Hendricks was finished.
Tate was the final person on the scale and right at the last minute. She weighed 134.5 pounds to make the main event official.
Given the drama of the final 10 minutes, there will be a lot of questions going into tomorrow night’s event.
Per the final tally, 23 of 24 fighters made weight within the given window. UFC 200 is set for all intents and purposes. At 6 p.m. ET, the fighters will return for a public weigh-in complete with staredowns. Bleacher Report will have a live blog going for the event on Friday evening.
The drama didn’t stop on Friday morning, and we can likely expect even more when the event kicks off Saturday.
UFC 200 Weigh-In Results
UFC Bantamweight Championship: Miesha Tate (134.5) vs. Amanda Nunes (135)
Mark Hunt (264.5) vs. Brock Lesnar (265.5)
Daniel Cormier (206) vs. Anderson Silva (198.5)
UFC Interim Featherweight Championship: Jose Aldo (145) vs. Frankie Edgar (144.5)
Travis Browne (244) vs. Cain Velasquez (242.5)
Julianna Pena (135.5) vs. Cat Zingano (135.5)
Kelvin Gastelum (171) vs. Johny Hendricks (171.25)
Derrick Lewis defeated Roy Nelson by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) at UFC Fight Night 90. It was a clash of styles, and the Las Vegas crowd was not a fan of the scorecards that were read.
We were promised heavy leather, and that’s what we…
Derrick Lewis defeated Roy Nelson by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) at UFC Fight Night 90. It was a clash of styles, and the Las Vegas crowd was not a fan of the scorecards that were read.
We were promised heavy leather, and that’s what we got – from Lewis. He landed more than 50 significant strikes and went for the finish at every opportunity granted to him. Nelson spent the majority of the evening grinding away. He only managed to land four significant strikes over the course of 15 minutes of action.
Nelson was able to score repeated takedowns, but he rarely was able to do anything with them. When Lewis wanted to stand, he stood. There wasn’t too much technique to his stand-ups either. He just did it.
Several times John McCarthy, the referee for the contest, had to separate them from the clinch due to inactivity from Nelson who was trying to wear down the charismatic fighter out of Houston.
The fight could have gone either way, but two of the three judges appeared to like Lewis’ significant striking edge than Nelson’s takedowns.
In the post-fight interview with Jon Anik, Lewis did something that was unexpected when asked who he wanted to fight next. He said Roy Nelson. Lewis explained that he guaranteed a finish, and that’s what he wanted to do in a rematch with the very man he just defeated.
Lewis also berated the booing crowd with explicit language. He said, “It is what it is” and that all Nelson wanted to do was “hug.” Typically responding to the crowd with vulgarities will not earn one new fans, but Lewis has a certain charm he brings to the table.
What’s next for both men is up in the air as the heavyweight division continues onward during International Fight Week with Cain Velasquez, Travis Browne, Mark Hunt and, yes, Brock Lesnar. Lewis will not likely get the rematch he asked for and instead will likely fight another top-10 ranked contender. Nelson will have to go back to the drawing board after another setback.
It wasn’t the knock-down, drag-out fight everyone expected, but it had its moments. Lewis picked up the W to continue his ascent up the ranks as one of the most exciting fighters in the UFC today.
In the midst of the craziness that is International Fight Week and UFC 200, the UFC will bring a lightweight title scrap to everyone on Thursday evening.
UFC Fight Night 90 is headlined by 155-pound kingpin Rafael dos Anjos defending the belt against E…
In the midst of the craziness that is International Fight Week and UFC 200, the UFC will bring a lightweight title scrap to everyone on Thursday evening.
UFC Fight Night 90 is headlined by 155-pound kingpin Rafael dos Anjos defending the belt against Eddie Alvarez in what is expected to be a hotly contested battle.
In the co-main event, Roy Nelson takes on Derrick Lewis in the heavyweight division.
The 12-fight event is exclusive to UFC Fight Pass (subscription required), and Bleacher Report will be following along from beginning to end. The first fight is scheduled to get underway at 6:30 p.m. ET. Check back for complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 90.
UFC Fight Night 90 Fight Card
UFC Lightweight Championship: Rafael dos Anjos vs. Eddie Alvarez
