If someone told you, four months ago, that Miesha Tate and Amanda Nunes would be the main event of UFC 200, you would have had serious doubts about their state of mind.
And yet there it is – Tate’s bantamweight title bout with Nunes will close out the promotion’s showpiece event at the T-Mobile Arena.
UFC 200 was supposed to be headlined by Conor McGregor’s rematch with Nate Diaz. Once the Dubliner got pulled from the card, Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier were drafted in for the second instalment in their grudge match.
Jones’ failed drug test saw that fight binned and, for 24 hours, Brock Lesnar’s UFC comeback against Mark Hunt elevated to the prime slot. That all changed overnight.
UFC 200 will now be closed out by Tate’s title defence against the Brazilian:
#UFC200 main event@MieshaTate vs @Amanda_Leoa
Followed by
Lesnar-Hunt
Cormier-Silva
Aldo-Edgar
Velasquez-Browne pic.twitter.com/a1GUACLrrq— UFC (@ufc) July 8, 2016
Daniel Cormier’s newly arranged fight, against Anderson Silva, will now be third on the main card with Lesnar vs. Hunt following.
Tate’s journey over the past year has been remarkable. This time last year, she was preparing for a UFC on FOX appearance against Jessica Eye. Having lost twice to Ronda Rousey – in Strikeforce and the UFC – the 29-year-old appeared to be well down the field when it came to title contenders.
Holly Holm then shocked Rousey at UFC 193 before being outclassed, and put to sleep, by Tate at this March’s UFC 196. In confirming the card shuffle, Dana White said:
“Miesha is the woman who beat the woman who beat the woman. She’s the champ. What she accomplished a few fights ago, you can’t disrespect that. She should be the main event. She deserves that.”
The reaction to Tate’s elevation was generally positive:
UFC makes Miesha Tate vs. Amanda Nunes the new UFC 200 main event. Which is, of course, the right thing to do.
— Ben Fowlkes (@benfowlkesMMA) July 8, 2016
https://twitter.com/JonesJacob46/status/751314247293005824
https://twitter.com/AbzMehdi/status/751313538799534080
This lad reckons he knows the score… Ronda Rousey in Row A
https://twitter.com/hurleyisgod/status/751267105891168256
