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
Antonio Carlos Junior vs Marvin Vettori
Round three: Vettori is quick on his feet and has the hands to boot as he blocks a high head kick before throwing a powerful body kick of his own. He threatens a superman punch before clinching, and loses hi back that allows Carlos to take him down in half guard. Vettori fights out of it, but he's trailing and has two minutes to do something to win this round. Vettori takes a spill when he attempts a high knee but Carlos can't take advantage of it, and that might prove costly and Carlos comes in again for another takedown.
The final hooter goes, and I've got Carlos Junior winning that one 29-28. We go to the judges...
Antonio Carlos Junior vs Marvin Vettori
Antonio Carlos Junior beats Marvin Vettori by a unanimous 29-28 points decision.
It wasn't a classic, but what it does mean is that we've come to the main event of the prelims as Johny Hendricks takes on Neil Many at welterweight. Hendricks has his eyes on champion Tyron Woodley, but he endured an embarrassing Thursday night as he missed weight and gave up 20 per cent of his fight purse.
Antonio Carlos Junior vs Marvin Vettori will not go down in the history books...
I can't even picture Johny fighting the likes of Weidman or Romero et al....
Johny Hendricks vs Neil Magny
Round one: Henricks is looking to close down Magby and is throwing isolated shots rather than combinations. He gets Magny up against the fence early, but Magny replies with three kicks that checks Hendricks. Hendricks gets a double-leg takedown but Magny is straight down into full guard, and Hendricks goes to work in trying to convert the dominant position into success. After two minutes on top, Hendricks has done little of note, and Magny is doing a good job of disrupting Hendricks. He tries an arm triangle from the bottom, but can't get the submission before the end of the round.
A touch one, that probably goes to Hendricks just on the dominance front.
Johny Hendricks vs Neil Magny
Round two: Hendricks immediately gets a takedown end ends up on top once more, so let's see if he can do anything of note this time around. Magny scrambles up to his feet but they remain in the clinch and Hendricks gets another takedown, this time taking the back, delivering three knees to the thigh with the last one making Magny grimace. Hendricks gets a third takedown of the round, and after a minute on the floor Magny is able to stand up against the fence.
Another poor round in terms of action, but that definitely goes to Hendricks.
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