UFC 207 live: Ronda Rousey knocked out in 48 seconds by Amanda Nunes after Cody Garbrandt beats Dominick Cruz
Follow the latest from UFC 207 in the final event of 2016
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Your support makes all the difference.Ronda Rousey's long-awaited return to the UFC ended in just 48 seconds as she was brutally knocked out by reigning women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes. Cody Garbrandt added to the night of surprises as he delivered a Las Vegas masterclass to beat UFC icon Dominick Cruz and win the men's bantamweight title. Re-live the action here.
- Amanda Nunes knocks Ronda Rousey out in 48 seconds to retain the women's bantamweight title
- Rousey's return ends in disaster as retirement looms
- Cody Garbrandt wins the men’s bantamweight title by defeating Dominick Cruz by unanimous decision
- TJ Dillashaw beats John Lineker by unanimous decision
- Dong Hyun Kim beats Tarec Saffiedine by split decision, 27-30, 29-28, 29-28
- Ray Borg beats Louis Smolka by unanimous decision, 30-27, 30-26, 30-26
Follow the live action below...
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Everything you need to know
Ronda Rousey makes her long-awaited return to the UFC this week to take on reigning women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes at UFC 207 in her quest to get back the title she lost over a year ago in her only defeat in her career.
Rousey was brutally knocked out at UFC 193 in November 2015 by Holly Holm, having previously won all 12 of her MMA bouts by stoppage, and lost her undefeated streak in the process.
The devastating stand-up display from Holm exposed weaknesses in Rousey’s defence that had not been witnessed before, and ‘The Preacher’s Daughter’ was able to utilise this to deliver a stunning knockout, with Rousey wearing a number of punches and kicks that ended with a roundhouse kick to the neck.
Rousey has taken time out of the sport since the lost, starring in Hollywood films and working on her technique, while the bantamweight championship has failed to find a new home. Since Rousey lost the belt, Holm failed to defend it when she was choked unconscious by Miesha Tate at UFC 196, at Tate in turn tapped out to current champion Nunes at UFC 200.
Here’s everything you need to know about UFC 207, including the rest of the fight card, start times and full television information.
When is UFC 207?
UFC 207 takes place on Friday 30 December at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
What time does it start?
UFC 207 begins at 00:30 GMT [16:30 PT] with the early prelims, with the prelims getting underway from 01:00 GMT [17:00 PT] and the main card starting at 03:00 GMT [19:00 PT].
Where can I watch it?
Both the prelims and the main card for UFC 207 will be shown live on BT Sport 3 from 01:00 Saturday morning. The early prelims and prelims can also be watched on UFC Fight Pass around the country.
Why isn’t Cain Velasquez fighting Fabricio Verdum?
The rematch was supposed to go ahead at UFC 207, until former heavyweight champion Velasquez was pulled out of the fight by the Nevada State Athletic Commission [NSAC] without his knowledge. The decision was taken due to Velasquez being deemed in a condition that was unfit to fight, with his own admission that he plans to undergo surgery on a sciatic nerve injury five days after UFC 207raising alarm bells.
The pain was bad enough that Velasquez was seen using CBD oil to help ahead of the fight, and the UFC released a short statement to confirm the news: "Saturday afternoon, UFC was informed by the Nevada State Athletic Commission that Cain Velasquez is unfit to fight. As a result, the former two-time heavyweight champion has been removed from his Dec. 30 bout against Fabricio Werdum at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.”
Full fight card...
Main card:
Amanda Nunes vs Ronda Rousey (women’s bantamweight championship)
Dominick Cruz vs Cody Garbrandt (bantamweight championship)
TJ Dillashaw vs John Lineker (bantamweight)
Dong Hyun Kim vs Tarec Saffiedine (welterweight)
Louis Smolka vs Ray Borg (flyweight)
Prelims:
Johny Hendricks vs Neil Magny (welterweight)
Antonio Carlos Junior vs Marvin Vettori (middleweight)
Mike Pyle vs Alex Garcia (welterweight)
Brandon Thatch vs Niko Price (welterweight)
Early prelims:
Alex Oliveira vs Tim Means (welterweight)
Odds...
Amanda Nunes to win: 6/5
Ronda Rousey to win: 4/6
Dominick Cruz to win: 4/9
Cody Garbrandt to win: 7/4
John Lineker to win: 2/1
TJ Dillashaw to win: 2/5
Dominick Cruz vs Cody Garbrandt
Round one: No touch of gloves, let's get it on!
Garbrandt is landing here ... pointing at Dom after tagging him #UFC207
Dominick Cruz vs Cody Garbrandt
Round one: Garbrandt takes the middle of the ring, but that's only because Cruz is darting around him with his usual awkward style. Cruz teases Garbrandt by standing completely still with his hands down, put a nice combination wakes him up. Garbrandt keeps catching Cruz, three times in a row in fact, and he gets his attention with a leg kick. Garbrandt chases Cruz down and it takes some expert evasive moves to evade him from Cruz. Cruz gets the takedown, but Garbrandt sprawls quickly and manages to get out of it straight away and they're back in their feet. Now Garbrandt gets the takedown, and tries to take his back only for Cruz to stand up.
A brilliant round, and Garbrandt should have that one in the bag.
Dominick Cruz vs Cody Garbrandt
Round two: Garbrandt clips Cruz with a huge left, but Cruz responds with a right of his own that hurts Garbrandt and stops him in his tracks. Crus doesn't continue the attack though, and they're back to stalking each other as No Love recovers. Garbrandt tries an overhand right and follows with a counter right that connects, but he waves Cruz back into the middle of the Octagon and Cruz duly obliges. Cruz tries to end with a takedown, and when he starts swinging at Garbrandt as he gets back up, they tee off for the final five seconds before the hooter.
A very close round, but I'm giving that one to Cruz.
Dominick Cruz vs Cody Garbrandt
Round three: Cruz is cut early in the third! Garbrandt catches him with two big rights, but it was actually a head clash that caused the cut. Cruz gets caught again and now Garbrandt is talking trash to him instead of throwing punches. There's blood streaming down the left side of Cruz's face, and Garbrandt moves in for two more right hands against the fence. Garbrandt sends Cruz to the mat! A big right send him down, but Cruz recovers quickly and is back to his feet, and now Cody is trying to dodge all of Cruz's punches without throwing back. He soon lets go, but misses the target. Cruz ends with a good left hand, but that's Garbrandt's round for sure. 2-1 to the challenger.
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