10 fighters that fought on UFC 200 main card

Highlights

• With UFC 300 right around the corner, another huge milestone event in the history of the company, we’re looking back at the 10 fighters who fought on the main card of UFC 200.
• UFC 200 took place back in 2016, eight years ago now, and it featured a whole host of stacked names, such as; Anderson Silva, Brock Lesnar, Jose Aldo, Daniel Cormier, and Amanda Nunes.
• So what happened to all the main-card fighters after UFC 200 and beyond their careers in the UFC?

UFC 200 was one of the biggest events in MMA history for many reasons. We got the huge surprise of Brock Lesnar returning to the fight game as well as several high-profile title fights. Looking back, the entire card top to bottom was stacked with name value and was a great way for the company – that changed the trajectory of MMA forever – to showcase some of their best talent.

A lot has changed in the fighting world since 2016, which was when UFC 200 took place, on the 9th of July to be precise. Almost all the fighters listed below are out of the UFC. With another milestone event in the company right around the corner in UFC 300, let’s take a peak at what the results were of the UFC 200 main card fights and what has happened to the main card fighters since.

Travis Browne

MMA record: 18-7-1 (14 KOs, 2 SUBs), UFC wins: 9, best win: Alistair Overeem

In the fights leading up to his bout against Cain Velasquez, Travis Browne, a very tall heavyweight, was a dangerous challenge for any opponent in the division. At 6”7’, Browne smartly used his rangy limps to teep kick and jab from the outside, but when he met former UFC heavyweight champion Velasquez at UFC 200, he met a former champion who would give one more spectacular performance before the natural decline would set in. Browne was forced to swim in deep waters against Velasquez, as the former collegiate wrestling standout put his signature pace on the Hawaiian fighter. Velasquez, who was once again returning from injury, looked incredible and had his way with Browne throughout the fight.

The loss to Velasquez was the first of four straight losses to close out the MMA career for Travis Browne. Once considered a scary foe, Browne moved on to being a supportive husband and partner to global superstar Ronda Rousey. The two have been a power couple since 2015, and the former UFC heavyweight is in full support of Rousey’s ascending WWE career.

Cain Velasquez

MMA record: 14-3 (12 KOs), UFC wins: 12, best win: Junior dos Santos x 2

Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez is widely considered one of the greatest heavyweights of all time as he brought a crazy high workrate to the division with his countless strikes and pressure in what was an anomaly for the division. When Velasquez returned to UFC 200 to face Travis Browne, it was his first fight since losing the heavyweight title to Fabricio Werdum and a chance to get back into the win column. Cain looked phenomenal, to say the least. His wrestling and ground control were dominant, but what stood out was his improved striking. At one point, the large man threw a spinning wheel kick that zoomed by Browne’s head. Velasquez looked great, and fight fans were thinking that this could be a new chapter for the former champ.

Following the Browne fight, Velasquez had to once again deal with a slew of injuries that caused major setbacks that stunted his momentum. The next fight for Velasquez would be the last fight of his career, and it came against none other than the heavy-handed Francis Ngannou. Almost three years after fighting at UFC 200, Velasquez was now dealing with the most dangerous man in the sport. It wasn’t Cain’s night, and Ngannou ended the fight in under 30 seconds. Following his MMA career, and like Rousey, Velasquez went on to appear in pro-wrestling.

Frankie Edgar

MMA record: 24-11-1 (7 KOs), UFC wins: 18, best win: BJ Penn x 2

Heading into UFC 200, former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar was on a five-fight winning streak and once again entered the featherweight title picture with Conor McGregor exiting the division for bigger paydays. With Jose Aldo losing his first fight in a decade to McGregor, and with Edgar on a hot streak, the UFC booked the fight to reset the division’s championship status. Coming off the McGregor 13-second KO loss, Aldo was much more tentative in his fight against Edgar, using a lot of distance and boxing to outpoint the New Jersey native. Edgar could never really get going and lost for a second straight time to Aldo via decision.

Edgar would stay in contention over the next few years following UFC 200, knocking off big-time prospects like Yair Rodriguez and getting another title shot, this time against Max Holloway. Edgar’s career didn’t end on an up note, though, as he faced several knockout defeats in a row, but he will always be recognised as one of the toughest fighters to ever grace the Octagon because of his legendary battles and comeback victories.

Jose Aldo

MMA record: 31-8 (16 KOs), UFC wins: 13, best win: Frankie Edgar x 2

Jose Aldo is a man of few words, but has written novels about his work inside the UFC cage. The Brazilian champion is highly-respected for his ability to brush off the massively viewed loss to McGregor at UFC 194, and continue to evolve as an elite mixed martial artist. Though we didn’t get the action-packed fight between Aldo and Edgar that we expected at such a prestigious event, Aldo showed fans that the McGregor loss was simply a one-off and that he would learn from the loss. He heavily used his jab to keep Edgar at bay and shook off any takedown attempts. It wasn’t the most entertaining fight of Aldo’s career, but he intelligently stuck to the game plan to get his hand raised and get back to winning ways.

Aldo has fought the best fighters the sport has to offer over many years. His drive to stay among the top featherweights and bantamweights in the world was truly commendable. Even in the last fight of his career, where he faced top 135lb contender Merab Dvalishvili, and was able to go the distance against the talented Georgian fighter who is next to challenge for the title. Aldo will always be known as a fighter’s fighter and has achieved tremendous heights during his career. His love for fighting is admirable. Aldo surprisingly rematched UFC vet Jeremy Stephens in a boxing match, but did not get the win like their first fight in the UFC.

Anderson Silva

MMA record: 31-8 (23 KOs, 3 SUBs), UFC wins: 17, best win: Vitor Belfort

Anderson Silva, one of the greatest fighters of all time, had a rather unique entry onto the UFC 200 card. With Jon Jones falling out of the fight, Daniel Cormier needed an opponent. Silva stepped up on less than 48 hours notice to take on a primed and ready “DC”. Silva had competed in the UFC light heavyweight division several times before UFC 200, but in those fights, Silva had a full training camp. “The Spider” was able to get off a devastating teep kick to the midsection of Cormier, but the former Olympic wrestler had enough of that and wrestled Silva for the rest of the fight.

Silva’s loss to Cormier was one of seven losses that the Brazilian suffered after losing his middleweight title. Though his final act under the UFC banner was subpar, his peak years were record-setting that still hold up over a decade later. Since leaving the sport of MMA, Silva has had three boxing fights, defeating Julio Cesar Chavez Jr and Tito Ortiz, before losing to Jake Paul.

Daniel Cormier

MMA record: 22-3 (10 KOs, 5 SUBs), UFC wins: 11, best win: Stipe Miocic

Daniel Cormier walked into UFC 200 thinking he was going to rematch longtime rival Jon Jones in a five-round title fight, but instead, he fought former middleweight champ Anderson Silva on short notice. Cormier, one of the greatest UFC light heavyweight fighters of all time, forced his high-calibre wrestling to dominate the fight from horn-to-horn to keep his three-fight win streak alive and unlock an eventual clash against Jones.

Since 200, Cormier has become a household name in the UFC. He put in his time and hard work as a fighter to become one of only nine double-champs in UFC history. Cormier was also part of one of the greatest trilogies in UFC history against Stipe Miocic. Cormier had some very memorable performances throughout his career, and has transitioned nicely to his next medium. Switching from athlete to commentator and podcaster, DC’s leadership and personality have helped the next generation of fight fans understand the sport on a common level.

Mark Hunt

MMA record: 13-14-1 (10 KOs), UFC wins: 8, best win: Frank Mir

Mark Hunt, who was a powerful striker that could take any man’s punch, stepped into UFC 200 looking to capitalise on the opportunity that came with a Brock Lesnar fight. Hunt was on the heels of back-to-back knockout victories over prominent heavyweights and was looking to do the same against Lesnar, the former UFC heavyweight champion. The game plan for Hunt was simple; keep the fight standing and try to take his head off. But, easier said than done, as Lesnar wanted no part of a kickboxing match and swooped in for takedown after takedown to get the judges’ nod. Fortunately for Hunt, the decision loss was overturned to a no contest after Lesnar popped for PEDs.

After testing his might at UFC 200, Hunt struggled to stay consistently on the winning side of things, collecting a record of 1-4 in his final five UFC fights. The Australian fighter will always be known for his hard-hitting ways and his unreal ability to take a punch. He and Antonio Silva put on one of the greatest fights in UFC history when they fought to a five-round draw in 2011. The fight was absolutely epic and has a lot of replayability.

Brock Lesnar

MMA record: 5-3 (3 KOs, 1 SUB), UFC wins: 4, best win: Shane Carwin

After a five-year hiatus from fighting, Brock Lesnar made a sudden and dramatic comeback to MMA when the UFC unveiled the former heavyweight champ’s return at the milestone event. The pure shock and awe factor at the time was palpable and set the stage for a huge viewership directly due to Lesnar’s global reach. Though Lesnar’s performance wasn’t as spectacular as his announcement, his grind-it-out grappling match was impressive because of the long layoff.

We haven’t seen this massive human being fight since UFC 200, but Lesnar stays in phenomenal shape year-round, and it wouldn’t be surprising if we got to see him put on the four-ounce gloves for one last time. Many forget that the former UFC heavyweight champion has an elite wrestling background where he won national titles for the University of Minnesota. So, ya never know…

Amanda Nunes

MMA record: 23-5 (13 KOs, 4 SUBs), UFC wins: 16, best win: Cris Cyborg

Amanda Nunes, the greatest women’s MMA fighter of all time, earned her title shot at UFC 200 by putting together three-straight victories. The confident Brazilian showed the world that she had entered another level of skill as she used her crisp boxing and efficient jiu-jitsu to knockdown and submit the UFC bantamweight champ Miesha Tate. Nunes does most of her talking with her fists and put the entire division on notice with this career-changing victory.

Nunes didn’t stop with one dominant victory against a top contender, though, as the talented fighter would go on to win eight consecutive title fights. Her lone loss from 2015-2023 came against fierce title-challenger Julianna Pena, who jumped on the opportunity to beat an over-confident Nunes. The longtime champ was able to reinvigorate her drive and motivation and put forth a unanimous decision in their rematch. While Nunes has checked off all the boxes as a great champion, she has recently flirted with the idea of returning to action. Right now, the GOAT is resting and recovering her body and mind from what was one of the greatest title runs in UFC history.

Miesha Tate

MMA record: 20-9 (4 KOs, 8 SUBs), UFC wins: 7, best win: Holly Holm

The year 2016 was a wild one for Miesha Tate. The former UFC bantamweight champion had one of the craziest comebacks in UFC history at UFC 196, where she choked out Holly Holm in the final round to win the belt. Tate’s championship status, however, was short-lived as she had to face number one contender Amanda Nunes next. While Tate is competent in all areas of martial arts, she was facing a determined Nunes at UFC 200, who was not going to be denied her opportunity at greatness.

Amazingly, Tate is the only main card fighter from UFC 200 that is still on the UFC’s active roster. This is most likely due to the fact that she prematurely retired at UFC 205. But, after a five-year reset, the former champ is back, and she is still competing and winning at a high level. With a few more wins in a row, “Cupcake” could be looking at a title shot to potentially become a two-time UFC champion, something that is a rarity in MMA.