Mark your calendars: July 9th, 2016 is a day you won’t want to miss. The T-Mobile Arena in Vegas will play host to UFC 200, with the hotly anticipated Jones vs. Cormier rematch. This match is bound to be a celebratory event with some big names on board. Here’s a quick rundown of what we know already.
A Blockbuster Event
The Ultimate Fighting Championship is the swiftest growing sports organisation in the world, growing rapidly in popularity since its inception in 1993. Today it’s the biggest MMA promoter, with premier sell-out events that are only growing in scope. This summer’s UFC 200 is going to be a true blockbuster, taking place as part of International Fight week beginning on July 4th. In addition to UFC 200, there will be two additional fight cards taking place that week including UFC Fight Night on July 7th as well as the UFC TUF 24 finale taking place on the 8th.
The venue should help add to the excitement. The T-Mobile Arena is located right on the Vegas Strip, and is a new venue capable of holding up to 20,000 UFC fans. The UFC has promised to make this their most exciting fight card ever, with a number of titles up for grabs. UFC 100 was a huge event in the organisation’s history, but UFC 200 should take it to the next level. So who’s on the fight card so far?
- Jones vs. Cormier
The original headlining event on this show-stopping fight card is the rematch between current featherweight champion Conor McGregor and challenger Nate Diaz. Conor McGregor is widely seen as the UFC’s biggest star, but was pulled out after failing to attend a press conference in Vegas.
Fortunately, UFC has not failed to disappoint, setting a new headlining act between Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier. With Jones out for 15 months, he’s keen to regain his light heavyweight UFC title. The two were originally squared to face off at UFC 197, but Cormier had to pull out at the last minute due to injury and was replaced by Ovince Saint Preux. Cormier and Jones have a long history, with the two booked for UFC 178. They brawled during the press conference tour, and though this fight never happened they got to finally meet during UFC 182 at the start of 2015. Jones was the winner of this and eight title defences, before getting his title stripped after a hit-and-run accident. Cormier was able to gain the title in his win against Anthony Johnson at UFC 187, later defending it at UFC 192 against contender Alexander Gustafsson. So who’s expected to take the title this time? Both of these Americans weigh in at 205 pounds, but Jones is a good 5 inches taller. Jones is heavily favoured by Betsafe and other bookies, as he was during their earlier face-offs.
- Tate vs Nunes
Another big match on the lineup this summer will be Miesha Tate’s first defence of her title as female bantamweight (135 pounds) champion. She’ll be taking on Amanda Nunes from Brazil, who has won five out of six UFC fights. Her only loss in the Octagon was in 2014, to Cat Zingano, and she’s won three in a row since then. Tate is currently on a winning streak, having won five in a row including the most recent March victory against Holly Holm. She’s also won over Sara McMann, Rin Nakai, Jessica Eye, and Liz Carmouche. Will Nunes be able to break this streak? The odds favour Miesha Tate, who is opening as a strong favourite against Nunes’s -250 odds. This is due not only to Tate’s winning record, but also her ability to last longer in a fight. Nunes tends to come in with a strong opening, but Tate can stretch the fight out as long as needed to tire out her opponent.
- Velasquez vs Browne
In the heavyweight category we have Cain Velasquez up against Travis Browne. Velasquez has only competed six times in the past five years, having suffered several injuries. He’s won the heavyweight champion title twice already against Brock Lesnar in 2010 and Junior dos Santos in 2012. Velasquez was expected to go for it again in February in a rematch against Fabricio Werdum until he was put out of commission by a back injury. Despite his injuries, Velasquez is still the No. 1 ranked heavyweight according to UFC’s rankings.
Browne should give him a good run for his money, having defeated Matt Mitrione at the UFC Fight Night 81 as well as Brendan Schaub. He’s got the advantage in terms of height and weight, being 79 inches tall to Velasquez’s 73 and weighing in at 255, 15 pounds heavier than Velasquez. But with Browne or ‘Hapa’ ranked as the #7 UFC heavyweight, having experienced devastating defeats at the hands of Andrei Arlovski and Werdrum, Velasquez still faces better odds. According to the latest figures, Velasquez’s odds are 1.3 in comparison to 3.5 for Browne.
This summer’s UFC 200 is an event that no MMA fan will want to miss. The rematch between Jones and Cormier could pan out to be even more exciting than their first fight, and the fight card is padded out with a series of epic face-offs.