With the victory, Nunes also became the first openly gay champion in UFC history and that fact was not lost on her in the post-fight press conference.
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Almost five years removed from his last bout, former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar (6-3) made a successful return to the Octagon on Saturday, defeating the highly ranked Mark Hunt via unanimous decision. Her legs gave out and Nunes pounced on her as soon as she fell to the canvas.
“This is awesome”, Nunes said. Oh, my god, the greatest moment of my life. “She helps me every day … and I love her”.
Then it was time for Miesha Tate to defend her bantamweight title against the relatively unknown Amanda Nunes.
“It is incredible!” Nunes said with a huge smile when asked about the accomplishment during the UFC 200 post-event press conference.
The next bout was a UFC interim featherweight title fight between Jose Aldo and Frankie Edgar.
To recap, there have now been four champions in the women’s bantamweight division ever.
Nunes quickly took Tate’s back and put her Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt to use.
LAS VEGAS So much for that trilogy fight between Miesha Tate and Ronda Rousey.
Tate last only a few seconds in the choke hold before tapping out with her right hand. Tate almost put this fight into jeopardy when she almost missed weight after using an improperly calibrated scale during training. The former two-time UFC heavyweight champion did so in impressive fashion.
Brock Lesnar vs. Mark Hunt: This fight is a UFC first: A contracted WWE performer gets a chance at a real, unscripted battle.
The original main event was meant to be a meeting between Daniel Cormier (18-1) and Jon Jones (22-1) in a light heavyweight title unification bout.
“Just as it takes courage to step into the Octagon, it takes courage to stand for what you believe in – and we’re proud to stand with members of the LGBTQ community in their fight for equality”, UFC senior executive vice president and COO Lawrence Epstein said in a statement. “I can and will be better because I respect the community and equality matters!”
The first three fights at UFC 200 ended with first-round stoppage victories for UFC veterans Joe Lauzon, Jim Miller and Gegard Mousasi. Pena could be the next fight for Nunes, who said she would welcome any challenger for her belt. “That’s the most important thing”.
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Could the woman who just beat the unstoppable force really lose in her first defense? Nunes’ fierce fighting style and engaging personality could do the same for her.
