Why UFC 200 is one MMA event you can't afford to miss

These words will ring in your ears when mixed martial arts becomes a staple in global sports

 

 

The funny thing about history is that when it's in the making — when it's happening right in front of our eyes — we tend to ignore it. It’s through the annals, rather than our eyes, that the ignoramus within us prefers to notice some of the most significant events in human history.

The same will probably be the case tomorrow, when most Pakistanis spend the last of their extended Eid holidays slumbering till noon. By the time they wake up, sporting history would have been made; the kind we don't care about just yet.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship's landmark 200th event has been two years in the making, and its showrunners have spent the better part of a year hyping it up. As the most important event of the fastest growing sport in the world, UFC 200 is expected to break all viewership and revenue records ever set in the budding sport of mixed martial arts.

But more than the money, it's the talent on the fight card that makes the difference. UFC 200's main card is literally stacked with one mega fight after another. Even after a massive setback of losing its greatest champion, Jon "Bones" Jones, to a failed dope test just days before fight night, UFC 200 still boasts the who's who of cage fighting.

Even the most casual of fight fans have heard the name of Brock Lesnar — thanks to his WWE background. ‘The Beast Incarnate’ is returning to UFC's famous octagon ring after a five-year hiatus. It could very well be the final time Lesnar is seen fighting a real fight instead of faking it. Those who miss this may never get a second chance.

It is often said in combat sports that styles make fights. And this age-old adage couldn't be truer in this case because Lesnar's opponent, Mark Hunt, has a completely different approach to fighting.

While the American is an acclaimed wrestler and a takedown specialist, kiwi Hunt is a former kickboxer who can send his opponents to sleep every time he touches them. A grappler versus a striker, a workhorse versus a stallion, a strategist versus a dazzler — it is practically impossible to put together a more intriguing fight, style-wise, than this.

The card also features light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier take on the legendary Anderson Silva, whose wide array of kicks, as well as a gruesome leg break a few years ago, has brought his sport a lot of notoriety.

Like that wasn't enough, the fight night will also see former featherweight champion Jose Aldo renew his rivalry with fellow sure-shot Hall-of-Famer Frankie Edgar. Former heavyweight belt holder Cain Velasquez will also be in action against the 6’ 7” Travis Browne, who is the UFC's version of The Mountain.

The women's bantamweight title, of Ronda Rousey fame, will also be on the line when its current holder Miesha Tate defends it against Brazil's feisty Amanda Nunes.

Even the UFC 200's undercard, which usually has journeymen and up-and-coming fighters, has notable names such as TJ Dillashaw, Sage Northcutt, Cat Zingano and Gegard Mousasi.

Of course, this would most likely fell on deaf ears in our part of the world, but half a decade down the road, when mixed martial arts becomes a staple in global sports and its fighters household names, these words will ring in your ears.