UFC 200 fight card primer: Miesha Tate vs. Amanda Nunes

In the new main event at UFC 200: Tate vs. Nunes, UFC Women’s Bantamweightchampion Miesha Tate (18-5 MMA; 5-2 UFC) faces challenger Amanda Nunes(12-4 MMA; 5-1 UFC) in a five round world title fight. The UFC rankings have Nunes as the #4 contender at Bantamweight; Tate interestingly is the only UFC champion not ranked at pound for pound. UFC 200: Tate vs. Nunes airs live from Las Vegas this Saturday, July 9. The main card airs on PPV with a fight time of 10:00 p.m. ET / 7:00 p.m. PT, with the prelims starting at 8:00 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1 and 6:30 p.m. ET on Fight Pass.

This fight was promoted to main event status just two days ago, after Jon Jones failed a drug test and Jones vs. Cormier II was cancelled. At its core, this is your classic striker vs. grappler match-up – one of the oldest battles in the history of MMA. Champion Tate is more of the grappler, with Nunes winning more frequently via strikes. Of course, both are well rounded fighters, so Tate has a striking game herself, while Nunes has a high profile sub win over Sara McMann. Still, this one is likely to be determined by who decides where the fight takes place.

How do these two stack up?

Tate: 29 years old | 5’6″ | 65″ reach
Nunes: 28 years old | 5’8″ | 69″ reach

What have these two done recently?

Tate: W – Holly Holm (Sub) | W – Jessica Eye (UD) | W – Sara McMann (MD)
Nunes: W – Valentina Shevchenko (UD) | W – Sara McMann (Sub) | W – Shayna Baszler(TKO)

How did these two get here?

Miesha Tate has become arguably the most popular woman in MMA today thanks to her never say die attitude. After a brief run as Strikeforce champion, Tate was one of the first women in the UFC, but she started her Octagon career going 0-2. Since then, she’s a perfect 5-0, winning again and again against an ever increasingly tough level of opponent. She reached the pinnacle of the division in her last fight, tapping out Holly Holm to become the division’s third champion – this is her first defense. Tate is primarily a submission fighter, and it’s by impressive late fight chokes that she has claimed both of her major titles.

Brazil’s Amanda Nunes is a challenger that came a bit out of left field. She came into the UFC in 2013 with a fine but not remarkable 7-2 record. She’s done well in the UFC, with her lone loss coming against Cat Zingano (who also holds a win over Tate). Nunes is more of a striker, and she turned in arguably her best performance last time out, defeating decorated striker Shevchenko and earning this title shot. She’s a legitimate threat to pull off the upset here, but she’s the clear B side of the bill to Tate.

Why should you care?

The first world title defense for Tate, and even if it’s not a marquee match-up in terms of star power, it’s a solid stylistic match that should be interesting.