My fantasy fights for UFC 200
An all-too-early exploration of this summer’s octagon extravaganza in Las Vegas
Even though it’s still 187 days away, the hype for UFC 200 has already started.
Scheduled for July 9 at the Las Vegas Arena — the new 20,000-seat venue being built between the Monte Carlo and New York New York on The Strip — the UFC dropped the social media equivalent of a ‘Save the Date’ about the show before the calendar turned to 2016, and speculation about who will headline the event started in earnest last July.
A lot of different names have been bandied about over the last six months. Every passing pay-per-view seems to alter the card’s hypothetical composition as the potential for big fights present themselves and questions about how big the UFC is going to want to go with its annual summer blockbuster and 200th pay-per-view event. (Note: it’s actually the 205th PPV event, but who’s counting?)
Before getting to my hypothetical fight card, a couple caveats: first, there are tons of moving parts at play here, with health and how some of the other events to start the year play out having a significant impact on the composition of this card; and second, these are just my picks and ideas — they’re not rumours I’ve heard or set in stone, so please season liberally before consuming.
With that out of the way, here’s how I would book UFC 200:
DANIEL CORMIER VS. JON JONES — FOR THE UFC LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE
I know the UFC is holding out hope they can get into New York and have this rematch take place at UFC 198 — the event that has been pencilled in at Madison Square Garden — but history tells us New York isn’t going to work out and I think building to this rematch over the next six months makes it an even bigger fight than if you do it four months from now in NYC.
These two are terrific rivals and the stakes are high on both sides — Jones wants to win back the belt he never officially lost and Cormier wants redemption and to retain the title he captured during Jones’ absence — and you know they’ll do championship work promoting it in the media.
HOLLY HOLM VS. RONDA ROUSEY — FOR THE UFC WOMEN’S BANTAMWEIGHT TITLE
This one is a no-brainer to me, even if I think Rousey needs more time off to regroup and prepare for what Holm brings to the table. Given the massive attention the first fight generated, the rematch is going to be a blockbuster whenever it takes place, and positioning it as the penultimate fight of the biggest show of the year is an easy fit.
There is the potential of this being Rousey’s final bout; if she loses again, I can’t see her sticking around to play second fiddle when she can go make Expendables movies every couple of years. If she wins, we’re all set for a trilogy fight at the end of the year. Either way, it’s huge and, barring injury, this fight will almost assuredly take place here.
JOHNY HENDRICKS VS. RORY MACDONALD
Hendricks must get through Stephen Thompson in February and MacDonald must come back and get a victory when he does, but this is one of the few fresh matchups at the top of the welterweight division that has enough star power to serve as the swing fight on a card of this magnitude.
Provided both are coming off victories, it could potentially serve as a No. 1 contender bout as well, with the winner moving on to challenge for the title later in the year. Big names and big stakes — perfect for a card like this.
CM PUNK VS. A DEBUTING WELTERWEIGHT FIGHTER
It’s been a year since the former WWE superstar was signed and announced his intentions to compete in the Octagon, and if this were going to happen, UFC 200 would be the perfect spot to roll him out for the first time.
Injuries have stalled his progress and his team is rightfully being cautious, but we’re closing in on ‘This Needs to Happen’ territory with Punk, who was front and centre for his first six months under contract and gets closer to being viewed as a guy who was brought in simply to gin up some crossover attention with each month that passes without him stepping into the cage.
UFC President Dana White has said he’s scouting for Punk’s first opponent on his new web show, Looking for a Fight, which airs on Fight Pass, so it sounds like it will happen, but who knows at this point. However, if it does, this is where it should take place.
THOMAS ALMEIDA VS. THE JOHN LINEKER/CODY GARBRANDT WINNER
You always want to kick off a payper-view with something electric and regardless of who wins the February pairing between Lineker and ‘No Love,’ putting them in the cage with Almeida would ensure fireworks to start the show.
The 24-year-old Almeida is 20-0 with 19 finishes, including three straight in the UFC, while Lineker and Garbrandt are both happy to step into the pocket and sling. Doing something like this also showcases two emerging contenders in a division that needs a little more love and while the bigger names would garner the lion’s share of the attention heading into the event, this guaranteed action encounter would have people talking post-fight for sure.
In addition to having these five fights on the main card, I would ward against injuries decimating the event by having Joanna Jedrzejczyk scheduled to defend her strawweight title against Claudia Gadelha the night before and schedule top contenders bouts in the light heavyweight and women’s bantamweight divisions on or around this event as well, similar to how the UFC had Frankie Edgar and Chad Mendes fighting the night before Conor McGregor and Jose Aldo took the cage at UFC 194.
My guess is the UFC will roll out another three-events-in-three-nights blueprint like we had in December, so there should be a ton of emerging talent, established names and important fights on the calendar that can be shifted up a day or two, if necessary, thereby keeping UFC 200 as star-studded and mustsee as possible.
July can’t get here soon enough.