Preview: UFC 200

The most anticipated fight card since well, UFC 100, is finally here this Saturday when UFC 200 tops off ‘International Fight Week’.

Unfortunately for Dom, I’ve let him down massively by posting this days after it was submitted. More importantly, days after Jon Jones was pulled from the card. As a result, we’re an entire paragraph short, and the bit about Tate and Nunes doesn’t entirely make sense. Blame me, not Dom. Basically, I’ve ruined everything – JJ Saddington (Editor)

He’s baaaaaaack! Former heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar is returning from a four year hiatus from MMA to face Mark ‘Hunto’ Hunt in a highly anticipated striker v grappler contest. Lesnar is a freak of nature, with the athleticism of a lightweight packed in to his 280lbs frame and high caliber wrestling skills, however he has been known to react badly to being punched in the face, something that Mark Hunt excels in better than any other heavyweight. On paper this should be an easy fight to pick a winner; Lesnar should win this fight but Hunt has improved his takedown defence since his debut in the UFC and has the most highlight reel walk off KO’s in UFC history, so it’s not exactly a walkover for Lesnar on his return to MMA so don’t be surprised if Hunt adds another highlight to the aforementioned reel.

For some reason, a women’s bantamweight title fight has been shifted to the middle of this card despite it featuring one of its three genuine stars defending their belt. Miesha Tate makes the first defence of her belt against Amanda Nunes, in a fight that whilst Nunes has earned it, it’s not the fight anyone expected to see at this event prior to its announcement. Tate comes in to this fight as the favourite, which is unsurprising considering her submission win over Holly Holm to capture the belt and it’d be surprising to see her lose her belt in this fight. That’s not to say Nunes isn’t a good fighter but she’s not an elite 135lber but coming in to this fight on the back of a three fight win streak isn’t to be sniffed at, and as Tate and Holm have shown in the last two bantamweight title fights, the underdog shouldn’t be written off so easily.

Another rematch between two of the very best featherweights in the world take place on this card, with Frankie Edgar and Jose Aldo fighting for the interim featherweight title in a rematch of their championship fight from 2013 that Aldo convincingly won despite Edgar’s best efforts. Since then fortunes have changed for both fighters, with Aldo the victim of the freight train of Conor McGregor in his last fight, suffering his first loss in ten years at the hands of the Irishman and in under fifteen seconds too. Edgar however has been on a tear at 145lbs winning five straight to set up this title fight, and doing so in impressive fashion. The difficulty in this fight will be what the effect the KO Aldo suffered at the hands of McGregor will have on him physically and mentally coming in to this fight because you can be sure Frankie Edgar will be doing everything in his power to exploit any weakness shown by Aldo, and following his KO of Chad Mendes in his last fight it looks like Edgar is finding his power and some form just at the right time.

Former Heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez returns from yet another injury for his fight against Travis ‘Boyfriend of Ronda Rousey’ Browne in the opening fight of the main card. Velasquez’s last fight was a submission loss at the hands of Fabricio Werdum that saw Velasquez lose his title in surprising fashion. Browne however enters this fight after defeating Bellator heavyweight, Matt Mitrione via TKO back in January and a win over Velasquez could push Browne in to title contention in a shallow heavyweight division. The true test for Velasquez will be how he’s holding up after another injury suffered in training, and if he can turn up close to 100% she should breeze past Browne and back in to title contention.

Fights to watch on the undercard; TJ Dillashaw vs. Raphael Assuncao, Joe Lauzon vs. Diego Sanchez and Cat Zingano vs. Julianna Pena…although this card is stacked so every fight will be worth tuning in for.