Jon Jones’ removal from the card will cast a big shadow over UFC 200, but the event still promises to be one of the biggest of the year.
UFC announced late Wednesday night that Jones wouldn’t be fighting Daniel Cormier on Saturday after the United States Anti-Doping Agency flagged a potential violation for one of Jones’ samples.
The company then confirmed late Thursday night Anderson Silva would be taking Jones’ place. According to Dave Sholler, UFC’s vice president of media relations, Cormier vs. Silva will be the third fight on the main card.
Even with Jones vs. Cormier 2 no longer a possibility, UFC fans will have more than enough to keep them glued to their seats Saturday night.
Here’s a look at the full card, followed by predictions for the four main-draw fights.
UFC 200 Card
UFC 200 Main Card Predictions
Cain Velasquez vs. Travis Browne
The odds for this fight illustrate the gulf between Cain Velasquez and Travis Browne. Velasquez is the stronger fighter, and he should prove as much Saturday.
Hunger and desperation could combine to bring out the best in Browne. At 33 years old, this fight may be his last shot at proving he’s worthy of getting a heavyweight title shot down the road.
“This is my championship fight,” he said, per MMAjunkie’s Mike Bohn and Ken Hathaway. “I feel like he’s the toughest matchup for me in the division. So yes, I believe I get a shot after this one.”
And perhaps Velasquez’s decline is more pronounced than anybody knew, and his injury history is now too significant to overcome.
Still, Velasquez should have enough left in the tank to finish off Browne, who will struggle to deal with his opponent’s movement around the Octagon. Velasquez will be able to stay just out of Browne’s reach in the first two rounds and then finish off the fight in the third.
Prediction: Velasquez wins via Round 3 TKO
Jose Aldo vs. Frankie Edgar
Thirteen seconds doesn’t erase all of the good work Jose Aldo had done prior to his knockout at the hands of Conor McGregor. That loss proved absolutely nothing against the 29-year-old Brazilian.
It would’ve been one thing if McGregor had completely outclassed Aldo over multiple rounds en route to a win. Instead, McGregor caught Aldo flush with one punch, and that was all she wrote. Beyond solidifying for some that Aldo has a weak chin, the fight didn’t demonstrate he’s clearly a worse fighter than he was after beating Chad Mendes in October 2014.
One question, though, is Aldo’s mindset. As Frankie Edgar argued, his opponent could be carrying some mental scars, per FoxSports.com’s Damon Martin:
It has to mess with you. Close losses mess with you, never mind getting knocked out with one punch. Especially to a guy like Conor, who is going to relish in it the way he does and talk about it the way he does, no one’s better than him with that. I don’t want to say it was embarrassing because it can happen to anybody, but for Aldo, I think it was a little embarrassing. To be on top for so long and then have it happen like that to that guy. That’s definitely got to mess with him.
Aldo could be his own worst enemy.
As long as he’s focused on the task at hand, Aldo should come away with the victory. He’s a superior fighter to Edgar, and he’s equipped to fend off Edgar’s takedown attempts. In the event this fight comes down to striking, Aldo gets the edge.
Prediction: Aldo wins via unanimous decision
Daniel Cormier vs. Anderson Silva
Silva is one of the greatest pound-for-pound fighters in mixed martial arts history, but time waits for no man. In his last four bouts, he’s lost twice to Chris Weidman, fell to Michael Bisping and had his victory against Nick Diaz wiped out.
Cormier, on the other hand, is much closer to the prime of his career. Jones is the only guy to beat him in his professional MMA career.
The short preparation time could be an equalizer. Cormier has spent months planning to fight Jones, and just two days before UFC 200, he has to turn around and start prepping for Silva, who is a far different stylistic fighter.
Cormier is far too smart to get himself in a tricky situation, though. He’ll respect Silva’s ability, even if Spider’s last win came in 2012.
While it would be great to see Silva pull off the upset, the light heavyweight champion is too good and too strong.
Prediction: Cormier wins via Round 2 TKO
Brock Lesnar vs. Mark Hunt
Even at 42 years old, Hunt still has impressive knockout power. Both of his wins against Frank Mir and Antonio Silva were over in the first round.
In that sense, this matchup creates major problems for Lesnar. Even in his prime, he didn’t absorb strikes well. Velasquez and Alistair Overeem put Lesnar to the sword with blows to his head and body.
Lesnar may be fully recovered from diverticulitis, but he’s a 38-year-old whose last MMA bout was in 2011. It’s fair to wonder how he’ll react if Hunt can land a significant strike or two early in the fight.
Of course, the longer the fight goes on, the better off Lesnar will be. Those who have followed his recent exploits in WWE know his conditioning isn’t an issue. In the later rounds, Lesnar should be able to secure a high enough volume of takedowns to impress the judges.
As long as he can keep Hunt at Bay in the first and second rounds, Lesnar will earn a hard-fought victory.
Prediction: Lesnar wins via unanimous decision
Miesha Tate vs. Amanda Nunes
This fight has the biggest chance to provide an upset at UFC 200.
Amanda Nunes is a good striker, with nine of her 12 wins coming via knockout. Bleacher Report’s Nathan McCarter argued why that could be troublesome for Miesha Tate:
The champion has been rocked and finished with strikes in the past. She is a tough woman, but it is not as if we have never seen her laid out on the canvas before. Nunes has the type of raw power to land crushing blows. Tate will need to be more cautious than normal.
Nunes is also not as tactical as [Holly] Holm. Nunes has a blistering aggression to her striking that Tate will need to combat. She can compete on the feet, but she needs to have a tightened-up defensive strategy for this fight.
The fight is similar to Lesnar vs. Hunt. Nunes‘ window for success comes in the first couple of rounds. She looked spent in the third round of her 2014 defeat to Cat Zingano. She has little hope to overcome Tate if the bout reaches the fourth or fifth round.
Unlike Hunt, Nunes‘ aggressive approach will pay off in a big way. Tate will struggle to deal with the early onslaught, and the women’s title will change hands for the third time in less than a year.
Prediction: Nunes wins via Round 1 knockout
Note: Fight odds are courtesy of Odds Shark.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com