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
Mike Pyle vs Alex Garcia
A brutal right hand to the jaws knocks Pyle out before he's hit the canvas, and it's made all the worse by Pyle's head snapping back on the matt as he lands. The fight is immediately called off and Garcia, told to stop celebrating, and we're waiting for Pyle to receive treatment before Garcia's announced as the winner. Let's hope he's alright, that was a bad one.
Mike Pyle vs Alex Garcia
Pyle's up on his feet, which is good to see, and Garcia gets the KO win at 03:34 of the first round.
Alex Garcia celebrates after knocking out Mike Pyle in round one
WOW! Stunning KO by @AlexGarciaMMA at #UFC207 pic.twitter.com/EARMJDFnC
The T-Mobile Arena is slowly filling up, but when you have an undercard that begins over four hours before the main event, that's what you get! Nevertheless, we're already halfway through out prelims now, and next up we've got our first middleweight bout of the night as Brazilian Antonio Carlos Junior takes on Marvin Vettori of Italy.
Antonio Carlos Junior vs Marvin Vettori
Carlos is 4-0 in the UFC, having emerged triumphant from TUF Brazil 3 where he made his name at heavyweight. The Brazilian is very much going down the route of learning his trade, but for Vettori this fight represents a big step up given he only has one previous fight in the UFC, with this being his maiden main show appearance.
Vettori up now! Seen him twice, once in @VenatorFC and then in his debut at #UFC202 plenty of talent.
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