UFC 250: Nunes vs. Spencer (6/6/2020) - Las Vegas, NV (UFC APEX)

[Elsalvajeloco]

UFC 250: Nunes vs. Spencer 
June 6, 2020
Las Vegas, NV (UFC APEX)

UFC Women's Featherweight Championship: Amanda Nunes © (145) vs. Felicia Spencer (144.5) (first defense) - Nunes, DEC (unanimous)
Raphael Assunção (136) vs. Cody Garbrandt (136) - Garbrandt, KO (punch), R2 (4:59)
Aljamain Sterling (136) vs. Cory Sandhagen (135.5) - Sterling, SUB (rear naked choke), R1 (1:28)
Neil Magny (171) vs. Tony Martin (170.5) - Magny, DEC (unanimous)
Eddie Wineland (136) vs. Sean O'Malley (136) - O'Malley, KO (punch), R1 (1:54)

ESPN/ESPN+ Preliminary Card:
Alex Caceres (146) vs. Chase Hooper (145.5) - Caceres, DEC (unanimous)
Ian Heinisch (185.5) vs. Gerald Meerschaert (185.5) - Heinisch, TKO (punches), R1 (1:14)
Cody Stamann (145.5) vs. Brian Kelleher (146) - Stamann, DEC (unanimous)
Charles Byrd (184.5) vs. Maki Pitolo (185.5) - Pitolo, TKO (punches), R2 (1:10)

Fight Pass/ESPN+ Preliminary Card:
Jussier Formiga (126) vs. Alex Perez (126) - Perez, TKO (low kicks), R1 (4:06)
Alonzo Menifield (205) vs. Devin Clark (205.5) - Clark, DEC (unanimous)
Evan Dunham (149.5) vs. Herbert Burns (149.5) - Burns, SUB (rear naked choke), R1 (1:20)

Event Bonuses ($50,000)
Performance of the Night: Alex Perez
Performance of the Night: Sean O'Malley
Performance of the Night: Aljamain Sterling
Performance of the Night: Cody Garbrandt

Edited June 7, 2020 by Elsalvajeloco

[Elsalvajeloco]

 

[Jiji]

Those late additions are nice and all but not anything that will save this from bombing, I imagine. They're all fights hardcores would enjoy but also expect as free fights on TV. It's missing a second big title fight or bigger name than Nunes. 

[MavsFan77]

31 minutes ago, Oyaji said:

Those late additions are nice and all but not anything that will save this from bombing, I imagine. They're all fights hardcores would enjoy but also expect as free fights on TV. It's missing a second big title fight or bigger name than Nunes. 

Yeah when you’re trying to pass good old No Chin as half of the co-main on a $65 card you’ve got a problem. Top it off with Nunes fighting someone that isn’t Bullet (the only opponent I think that would be a big draw with her at the moment), and I doubt they get 200,000 buys.

[J.T.]

1 hour ago, MavsFan77 said:

Yeah when you’re trying to pass good old No Chin as half of the co-main on a $65 card you’ve got a problem.

Assunção is on a two fight losing streak so he's no blazing star of achievement either.  I think that a redemption fight between these two guys is an interesting match up, but I wouldn't have made this the fucking co-main.

They are essentially making this a Top 10 ranking fight for the weight class since Assunção is the #5 Bantamweight and Cody is #9 and a former champion, but it is more impressive looking on paper.

Edited June 3, 2020 by J.T.

[Jiji]

I don't really like neck tattoos but Cody Garbrandt's has always bothered me particularly so. 

[AA484]

Not many fighters' stars have fallen as fast as Garbrandt's in the past couple years.  This is definitely a pivotal fight for him.

[MavsFan77]

1 hour ago, J.T. said:

Assunção is on a two fight losing streak so he's no exactly a blazing star of achievement either.  I think that a redemption fight between these two guys is an interesting match up, but I wouldn't have made this the fucking co-main.

They are essentially making this a Top 10 ranking fight for the weight class since Assunção is the #5 Bantamweight and Cody is #9 and a former champion, but it is more impressive looking on paper.

I think the smarter play would have been to have that fight as the Main Event on ESPN last weekend (as I do think Cody would’ve got some kind of rating on free tv since he’s still a name) and made Woodley-Burns the Co-Main here. Yes it would have got them two less rounds, but Burns didn’t need all five anyhow as it was a dominant decision win. Plus with it having been Woodley’s first fight back after losing the belt that would have made a stronger selling point for the PPV (even if it only added let’s say 25-50,000 buys).

[kenyabaxterZXW]

 

[The Natural]

1 hour ago, AA484 said:

Not many fighters' stars have fallen as fast as Garbrandt's in the past couple years.  This is definitely a pivotal fight for him.

Cody Garbrandt becomes UFC Bantamweight Championship as a undefeated fighter by defeating the Bantamweight GOAT, Dominick Cruz to losing his last three fights all by KO/TKO. Two to TJ Dillashaw and the other to Pedro Munhoz. Garbrandt rocked Dillashaw in their first fight and Munhoz too, he goes all in and gets hurt/finished. It's a must win really.

Edited June 3, 2020 by The Natural

[Elsalvajeloco]

It's kinda amazing how the worm has turned for Garbrandt if that's the right phrase to use. I mean I expecting some of his issues (from his amateur MMA days) to rear their head at some point in his UFC tenure. I was honestly surprised when he got past Thomas Almeida, but Almeida himself is barely hanging on by a string to stay in the UFC. It's possible for good fighters to have great nights. Garbrandt had two or three (defends on if you saw Mizugaki still as a stalwart from WEC at that time) in a row. It's not like he is totally physically shot. At 28 going on 29, it's very possible he can do it again. Mind you that a man that failed USADA tests and had to sit out two years because of it account for two of Garbrandt's UFC losses. Alistair Overeem has been knocked out a dozen times...still around and competing. And if you look at the current crop of bantamweights post-Cejudo retirement/sabbatical, not exactly murderers' row. Yeah, it won't be super easy for Garbrandt because he does have liabilities. However, I'm surprised he's getting treated like old news.

[TheVileOne]

Renan Barao had a pretty meteoric fall from grace. Including the title losses to Dillashaw, he went 2-8 in 10 fights. That was after being unbeaten for like 30+ fights over the course of nine years. 

[twiztor]

Barao is the poster child for careers falling off a cliff. lost his first fight, then went on a 31 fight win streak (9 in WEC/UFC), including winning the UFC BW title. Lost the belt. Had a couple losses, had some weight cutting issues. Wouldn't be ranked in anyone's top 20 at this point. All in like 5 years. 

i am sad we never got Barao vs. Moraes tho. i'd been looking forward to that bout since they were champs in UFC/WSOF. 

[The Natural]

@TheVileOne and @twiztor are right to bring up Renan Barao's fall from UFC Champion to where he is now.

Johny Hendricks ' needs mentioning. Hendricks lost the UFC Welterweight Championship on a split decision to Robbie Lawler with most scoring it for Johny, going 2-6 (three of those stoppages by strikes), missed weight THREE TIMES and is no longer in the UFC.

Edited June 4, 2020 by The Natural

[The Natural]

Amanda Nunes': The WMMA GOAT.

Amanda Nunes looks to defend the UFC Women's Featherweight Championship and extend her win streak, her last defeat in 2014 to Cat Zingano.

Edited June 4, 2020 by The Natural

[kenyabaxterZXW]

 

[The Natural]

Talking about fallen champions, Chris Weidman becomes the first person to ever KTFO Anderson Silva and beat him in the UFC for the UFC Middleweight Championship. Weidman loses 5 out of 6 fights, all by TKO/KOs.

Edited June 4, 2020 by The Natural

[RIPPA]

 

[TheVileOne]

15 hours ago, The Natural said:

Amanda Nunes': The WMMA GOAT.

Amanda Nunes looks to defend the UFC Women's Featherweight Championship and extend her win streak, her last defeat in 2014 to Cat Zingano.

Glad they have Amanda fighting this weekend. I think her fight with Spencer could be fun at least. 

[Jiji]

In like a George Foreman/George Chuvalo kind of way?

[Elsalvajeloco]

7 hours ago, RIPPA said:

 

Looks like the fight is back on. 

 

As for the WFW title fight, I mean Spencer has shown she can be tough as a two dollar steak but it's miracle submission or bust basically. 

[Elsalvajeloco]

 

[AxB]

If the UFC had their time over again, knowing then what they know now, would they have ever bothered with the Women's 145lb title? Created for Cris Cyborg (who they signed basically to make a superfight with Rousey, which didn't happen), first champion Germaine De Randamie) immediately vacated rather than defend against Cyborg, basically the entire division including the Champion consists of actual 135-ers, and Cyborg is out of the promotion on bad terms. How many of the challengers for the title were getting a title shot in either their company or weight class debut? Almost all of them, isn't it?

[Elsalvajeloco]

2 minutes ago, AxB said:

knowing then what they know now, would they have ever bothered with the Women's 145lb title? 

I think they would have because it gets you out of the dilemma of not having a title match on a card.

I remember having a heated discussion with I believe glfpunk or VileOne or somebody about the importance of title matches on a card and whether or not they draw better. Granted, that person probably didn't how much titles would be devalued as time passed. Also, I don't know if stuff like the BMF title is a great argument for or against title fights being the end all, be all for drawing power. However, the only utility you're getting from title fights now is a way to delineate which shows are PPVs and which ones are not. Even then, how special does a fight like Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Joseph Benavidez II feel if it goes to PPV versus some random card on ESPN? If it's a supporting act to another title fight that's basically just a fight, then it's just a lateral move at best. As much as Dana trashes boxing, the one thing boxing power brokers figured out (that no one else has figured out) when they created Boxing After Dark in 1996 is being able to package two action fights with lesser known talents that otherwise wouldn't mean anything thrown on some random TVKO PPV card and get over the fights as barnburners to make up for the lack of name value. You have to find different aspects to sell fights. The UFC is still on, "Well shit...it IS a title fight, ya know." So of course, they want as many titles as possible.

 

[Elsalvajeloco]