UFC 196 Results: All Supermen have kryptonite
UFC 196 was crazy. Crazy, perhaps is not the perfect adjective to describe the night, but in a situation where an MMA fan runs out of words, it would fill in the void. The main card of UFC boasted five fights, with the main event and the co-main event being the highlight bouts.
Holly Holm, who did the unthinkable when she defeated Ronda Rousey a few months back, had a date with Miesha Tate with the Bantamweight Championship on the line. Without any debates, Holly's win over Ronda was what sold this match. Everyone wanted to see how Holly would fair after the Ronda win.
Meanwhile, the man who called himself as a business, Conor McGregor made his debut in the Welterweight division against Nate Diaz. The hype train of Conor reminded us about how Ronda came into her match against Holly Holm and this made matter more intriguing. Here are the results for UFC 196, which will definitely go into the history books as one of the craziest UFC pay-per-views.
Amanda Nunes vs. Valentina Shevchenko
The main card of UFC 196 started with a delicious bout between Amanda Nunes and Valentina Shevchenko. Nunes had the upper hand in the first two rounds and seemed like she was going to win the match without much troubles. However, things changed in the last round when Nunes botched a takedown attempt. Schevchenko pounced on the opportunity and made her move to finish the match. Despite the efforts, the fight went the distance and Nunes took home the match by unanimous decision.
Result: Amanda Nunes defeated Valentina Shevchenko via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-27, 29-27)
Tom Lawlor vs. Corey Anderson
The fight started off in favour of Lawlor. Everyone expected an early finish as Lawlor landed some heavy strikes but Anderson showed some sheer brilliance to remain relevant in the bout. Second round proved to be a tight one as both Lawlor and Corey were on top of their game. After a dramatic third round, Corey Anderson was announced as the winner by unanimous decision, only to spark off some outburst in the social media as Lawlor was the clear favourite to win the match.
Result: Corey Anderson defeated Tom Lawler via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Gian Villante vs. Ilir Latifi
The bout between Gian Villante and Ilir Latifi became the third consecutive bout in the main card to go the distance. Despite the complete three rounds, the fight failed to create the excitement level that the previous two fights had. Latifi, who had some strong presence with his leg, won the match by Unanimous decision after three rounds.
Results: Ilir Latifi def. Gian Villante via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Holly Holm vs. Miesha Tate (UFC Bantamweight Championship fight)
Holly came out with her vicious kicks throughout the first round when Miesha moved cautiously. The fight took a roller coaster ride in the first four rounds as Holly and Miesha exchanged spells of dominance. When these two entered into the final round, everyone knew that the fifth round was going to be the decider and it was just that. Miesha came out aggressive and it paid off when she took down Holly to the ground and choked her out for the win and the Bantamweight championship.
Result: Miesha Tate defeats Holly Holm via submission (rear-naked choke) Round 5, to become the UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion
Conor McGregor (Featherweight Champion) vs. Nate Diaz
Conor managed to get Nate bloodied in the first round itself but when the round closed, both fighters were separated by a small margin. The second round continued from where the first ended. Conor was looking to land his kicks when Nate slipped out of them with perfection. A Stockton slap from Nate changed the tides in his favour. He landed a string of punches afterwards and soon took McGregor down to the ground and submitted him.
Result: Nate Diaz defeated Conor McGregor via submission, Round 2, 4:12.