It was announced Wednesday (July 6) that “Bones” had failed a drug test and was to be removed from the landmark #200 pay-per-view card. Still, the huge event has a lot of very exciting fights, including the bout between Miesha Tate and Amanda Nunes for the UFC Women’s Bantamweight title which has become the new main event. She persevered for several years as the second-best fighter in her emerging sport, twice failing to stop Rousey’s remarkable rise to stardom. She just had surgery yesterday on her knee – nothing serious, just get in there and scope it, clean it out a little bit.
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What time does the main event start? “I want to go out there and I want to defend my belt, and I want to make a statement that women’s MMA is awesome”.
Former long-time middleweight champion Anderson Silva has stepped in on two days notice as the late replacement for Jon Jones. Nine current or former UFC champions are on the biggest pay-per-view show of the summer. Though José Aldo versus Frankie Edgar is expected to be entertaining, there should be no need for an interim title. UFC President Dana White said he wanted to show respect to Tate, the only undisputed champion risking her belt. I don’t know exactly what I’m going to do, but I know I am the strongest that I have ever been.
Tate returned just before mere moments before the deadline and with the help of some branded shielding, she came in just half a pound under the required 135 weight. After a few hours to hydrate, Tate was reinvigorated by the thought of fighting Nunes (12-4). With this being a five-round title fight, the edge should go to Tate, but will the hard weight cut affect her?
Luckily she arrived under the championship weight limit, making 134.5 lbs, and the fight will go ahead as planned and her head coach Robert Follis has since detailed where the delay came from. She seemed stuck – unable to beat the biggest star in the sport, but better than just about everybody else. That clash of personalities made for good hype, and the clash of styles made for a thrilling fight in which momentum swung back and forth between challenger and champion for five bruising rounds. “The Preacher’s Daughter” is a world class boxer and kickboxer, and Tate was able to avoid the devastating power and choke Holm out cold at UFC 195.
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The champion’s Instagram post the night was little to be concerned with as “the cupcake” is well-known for her ability to play the game as close to the wire as possible. Yet she also turns down many more opportunities, including chances to add to her fledgling acting credits after appearing in a recent film.
