A Look Back At The UFC 200 Disappointment; Explained

As the UFC 300 PPV is on the horizon, it’s worth looking back at the historic UFC 200 PPV in mid-2016, in which there was a lot of controversy surrounding the lead-up to that very PPV. Despite UFC 200 doing big business for the UFC, pulling one million buys on PPV and breaking the record of $10.7 million in total gates, UFC 200 could’ve been a critically acclaimed event if the initial plans for the main card were to take place.

Although the initial plan for the main event of UFC 200 was a rematch between Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz, the match got canceled, and the UFC soon pushed for the highly-anticipated rematch between Daniel Cormier and Jon Jones for the Undisputed Light Heavyweight Championship. It’s also worth mentioning that because of Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier’s rivalry being one of the most heated rivalries in sports during the mid-2010s, a rematch between the two at a historic event like UFC 200 was sure to generate massive business, even possibly more than the $10.7 million.

And with former box-office draw Brock Lesnar returning for one fight against Mark Hunt on the same card featuring Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier, UFC 200 could’ve been an event that people looked back on as among the best cards in MMA history. However, all that changed when Jon Jones got taken out of the event after failing a drug test, with Amanda Nunes vs. Meisha Tate taking his and Daniel Cormier’s place in the main event. Daniel Cormier instead got scheduled to face UFC legend Anderson Silva at the PPV, even though the match was somewhat of a mismatch, considering that Anderson Silva was out of his prime in mid-2016.

In a card that could’ve been much more, UFC 200 featured a one-sided fight between Daniel Cormier and Anderson Silva and a tainted win for Brock Lesnar over Mark Hunt when Brock Lesnar’s failed drug test reversed his fight decision into a No Contest. But despite all the controversy, it’s worth looking at the positives, as UFC 200 did help launch Amanda Nunes into legendary stardom when she defeated Meisha Tate for the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship.