SUMMARY
- UFC 200 took place on July 9, 2016, in which Amanda Nunes took on Miesha Tate to win the Bantamweight title.
- At UFC 200 Brock Lesnar made his returned to the organization.
It is hard to believe that UFC is almost 8 years from the day UFC 200 took place. The fateful night was July 9, 2016, when Amanda Nunes, the now-retired former UFC Champ took on Miesha Tate to win the Bantamweight title. A win that started a streak of 10 straight title defenses. They say time flies by when something good happens.
And for UFC fans, that statement holds true. It feels not that long ago when Brock Lesnar returned to the UFC to feature on the highly stacked card, i.e., UFC 200. It was the biggest and craziest card in UFC history by a mile. Only rivaled by maybe the UFC 100 main card.
But the biggest difference between the two and what set UFC 200 apart was the sheer volume of high-quality matchups throughout the card. Right from the early prelims, it gave the fans high-end action, with big names of that era matching up against similar heavy hitters. In the first fight of the early prelims, Jim Miller fought against Takanori Gomi.
#UFC200 BABY!!!!!!!! We are LIVE on Pay-Per-View! pic.twitter.com/GzipOrcCh5
— UFC (@ufc) July 10, 2016
That gives a faint idea of what must have followed; utter excitement and commotion. With MMA legends including Anderson Silva, Daniel Cormier, Brock Lesnar, Jose Aldo, and Amanda Nunes all featuring on the same card, UFC 200 was everything the fans hoped for and more. Another unusual thing that set the event apart from others was the color of the octagon mat.
The reason behind the unusual color of the octagon at UFC 200
UFC 200 was the most generational MMA event of its time. A lot of memorable things went down in the octagon that night. But perhaps one that fans would never forget, at least aesthetically, was the color of the mat in the octagon.
The mat was not the regular white; it was spotted with sponsor logos. For the first time in the history of the promotion, the mat was a different shade than white. It was a deep mustard yellow. Fans were bewildered by this change, and the innovation received mixed reactions from the MMA fanbase.
I asked Dana White why Octagon is yellow. He said it was his idea, gold theme of UFC 200, one time thing.
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) July 9, 2016
One famous ESPN reporter who goes by the name of Brett Okamoto claimed on X (formerly known as Twitter) that he knew the reason behind the unusual color. According to him, it was UFC CEO Dana White’s idea to have the octagon mat color be ‘Gold’. To remark on the special event that UFC 200 was.
It is safe to say that all Dana accomplished from the mat-coloring experiment was not a gold but rather a mustard hue. Which many fans did not appreciate at the time? While some understood the sentiment behind it, others on the internet were in favor of not fiddling with the traditional white octagon mat.
What’s so special about UFC 200?
UFC 200 was just about the most unique event that had happened in the organization’s history of almost two decades. The super-stacked fight card and the special color of the octagon mat are proof of its uniqueness.
The main event for UFC 200 is Brock Lesnar vs Mark Hunt. pic.twitter.com/RQU5ZcBRl9
— UFC (@ufc) July 7, 2016
Looking back on that night, several other factors made the event even more special. Firstly, the physical specimen, that is, Brock Lesnar, returned to the UFC after a hiatus of little more than four and a half years. His last fight in the organization was initially a decision win for the Beast Incarnate. But later on, the fight against Mark Hunt at UFC 200 was ruled a no-contest.
Secondly, up until the main event of the night, the UFC Women’s Bantamweight division had become somewhat of a passing-the-ball game. It had been some time since the belt had been with one owner for an extended period. The UFC 200 marked the end of this tradition. As Amanda Nunes secured the belt, it remained secure with her for the next few years. That’s until she retires from the UFC in 2023.
Another special thing about UFC 200 was its location. The event took place at the newly inaugurated T-Mobile Arena on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. It was the first UFC event that was held in the T-Mobile Arena.
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Ever since, it has somewhat been the UFC’s go-to spot for major events in Las Vegas. The story is slated to come to a beautiful full-circle moment in April 2023, when it houses the upcoming UFC 300 event.
But perhaps the most special thing about UFC 200 was the fact that it was the last UFC event under the ownership of the Fertitta brothers. Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta owned the company in 2001. And their relationship with the UFC on the ownership front came to an end after the momentous UFC 200.
Reportedly, fans would want something special surrounding UFC 300 as well. Only time will tell if UFC 300 can live up to the expectations set by the Fertitta brothers in UFC 200.