Mixed martial arts fans witnessed the craziest year in the sport’s history in 2016 and it was capped off with Ronda Rousey’s return at UFC 207 Friday night.
The superstar hadn’t fought since being knocked out by Holly Holm at UFC 193 last November and her return did not go well at all.
Twitter reaction: Ronda Rousey embarrassed by Amanda Nunes at UFC 207
Rousey was stopped by Amanda Nunes in mere seconds–48 to be exact. Nunes landed right hand after right hand and Rousey had no answers.
Here’s what else happened at UFC 207:
Garbrandt stuns Cruz to become new champion
Dominick Cruz is almost always measured and calm but he was visibly amped up as he walked to the cage for his fight against upstart Cody Garbrandt and it appeared to affect him in their fight. The two bantamweights developed a fierce rivalry and flung insults at one another all throughout their training camps and fight week.
Cruz has perhaps the most unique style in all of MMA, pristine footwork and frequent stance changes, however Garbrandt mocked and taunted Cruz often in the opening round. He stuffed takedowns and even took Cruz to the ground once.
In the second, Cruz appeared to stun Garbrandt early with a winging left and Garbrandt’s pace slowed. Garbrandt, who smiled every time he hit Cruz or caused Cruz to miss, picked up the pace in round three and tagged Cruz several times early and again with a knee in the middle of the round that resulted in a deep gash on Cruz’s left eyebrow.
Garbrandt rocked Cruz again in the first minute of the fourth round but the longtime champion somehow recovered.
As the fight progressed it was Garbrandt who played the role of matador as Cruz chased him down. Cruz was dropped twice more in the last minute of the fourth and entered the fifth needing a finish.
It never came.
Cruz took the fifth round but Garbrandt earned a unanimous decision. He is your new bantamweight champion.
Dillashaw outclasses and punishes Lineker
John Lineker is a one-trick pony. Granted, that one trick–removing opponents from their senses with his fists–has worked for him throughout his UFC career, but T.J. Dillashaw is an elite mixed martial artist. We saw that for 15 minutes Friday night as Dillashaw put on a masterclass and strolled to a unanimous decision victory. Dillashaw used movement, distance control and well-timed takedowns to outclass Lineker on the feet and on the ground. He even attempted a calf slicer in the third round.
There’s no question Dillashaw, a former bantamweight champion, has done enough to warrant another title shot.
“If I don’t get the next title shot we all know this [expletive] is rigged,” Dillashaw said after the bout.
The Stun Gun edges out Saffiedine
This fight flew under the radar, and ultimately underwhelmed fans, but it served as an important matchup between welterweight contenders. The No. 12-ranked Tarec Saffiedine had been working with Firas Zahabi at Tristar Gym in Montreal and showed more tools than the No. 9-ranked Dong Hyun Kim early. The boo birds could be heard during an uneventful second round but the pair traded leather furiously as the third round began.
Kim was the fighter advancing for most of the bout and walked away with a split decision victory despite Saffiedine landing more significant strikes.
Borg overcomes ‘broken ankle’ to beat Smolka
Flyweights kicked off the main card with Ray Borg earning a unanimous decision over Louis Smolka. The most interesting aspect of the fight was when Borg, who missed weight and forfeited 30 per cent of his purse, told his corner in between the second and third round told his corner he thought broke his ankle.
Regardless of whether Borg’s ankle was broken or merely injured, it was an impressive showing. Borg has now won four of his last five.
Disappointing 2016 continues for Hendricks
Johny Hendricks’ 2016 was anything but ideal. The former 170-pound kingpin was finished by Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson in February then missed weight and lost a one-sided decision to Kelvin Gastelum in July at UFC 200. The 33-year-old missed weight again prior to his fight with Neil Magny and was on the wrong end of a controversial unanimous decision at UFC 207.
Hendricks went back to his wrestling roots an smothered Magny for the majority of the three-round affair however Magny attacked with triangle attempts and elbows from his back late in the first and third rounds. It turned out to be enough to get the decision.
Only Donald Cerrone has more UFC wins than Magny since 2013.
“I’m done fighting at welterweight,” Hendricks, who has lost five of his last seven, told MMAFighting several hours before his fight with Magny. “Unless they open up a 175-pound division, I’m moving up to middleweight.”
Carlos Junior edges out Vettori in grapple fest
Antonio Carlos Junior and Marvin Vettori spent the first two minutes of their middleweight contest unintentionally poking each other in the eyes as if their fight was an unfunny episode of The Three Stooges. Once the fouls ceased Carlos Junior controlled the remainder of the opening round with superior grappling. Vettori, a 23-year-old Italian, came out in the second with more energy, took Carlos Junior to the ground and punished him with elbows from the top. Carlos Junior, who won The Ultimate Fighter Brazil 3 as a heavyweight, took back the momentum in the final stanza and earned a unanimous decision victory.
Garcia knocks Pyle into next week
Tristar Gym’s Alex Garcia earned the biggest win of his career, knocking out veteran Mike Pyle in devastating fashion. Pyle had tagged Garcia with two knees to the body early in the opening round but Garcia didn’t let it happen a third time. The Dominican-Canadian timed an overhand right that turned out the lights. Pyle’s limp body fell to the canvas.
At age 41, Pyle has now been knocked out seven times in his MMA career. Two of those happened in 2016. Pyle is 2-5 in the last three years and has likely competed in the UFC for the last time.
Price makes impressive UFC debut
Niko Price is a welterweight to keep an eye on as we head into the new year. The 27-year-old Florida native improved to 9-0 as a pro, submitting Brandon Thatch with an arm triangle choke in less than five minutes.
Thatch fell to 11-5 with this loss, his fourth in a row. All of those losses have been by submission and two straight have come via arm triangle. Only five fighters in UFC history have more submission losses than Thatch.
Opening bout ends in controversy
Lightweights-turned-welterweights Alex Oliveira and Tim Means had the makings of a fun fight but their bout ended in controversy in the first round.
Shortly after Oliveira dropped means Means with a spinning kick to the body, Means recovered and had his opponent pinned against the cage.
As Oliveira had his left knee on the mat, Means landed two knees to his opponent’s head. Referee Dan Miragliotta called a stop to the action because it was an illegal knee to the head of a downed opponent. Oliveira was unable to continue and the fight was stopped. Miragliotta said it was an “unintentional” knee so the fight was ruled a No Contest.
“There’s no way that that’s illegal,” a confused Means kept repeating in the cage. “No way.”
Means, as well as commentator Joe Rogan, believed it was a legal strike because neither of Oliveira’s hands were on the mat simultaneously with his knee. An angry Means said after the fight the knees he threw were not “unintentional” as Miragliotta had ruled and added that he’d rather be disqualified than have it end in a No Contest. In all likelihood the Nevada State Athletic Commission will do exactly that.
Official UFC 207 results…
MAIN CARD
— Amanda Nunes def. Ronda Rousey by TKO
— Cody Garbrandt def. Dominick Cruz by unanimous decision
— T.J. Dillashaw def. John Lineker by unanimous decision
— Dong Hyun Kim def. Tarec Saffiedine by split decision
— Ray Borg def. Louis Smolka by unanimous decision
PRELIMINARY CARD
— Neil Magny def. Johny Hendricks by unanimous decision
— Antonio Carlos Junior def. Marvin Vettori by unanimous decision
— Alex Garcia def. Mike Pyle by KO
— Niko Price def. Brandon Thatch by Submission (arm triangle choke)
— Alex Oliveira vs. Tim Means ends in No Contest
