John Locher/AP |
By Ivan Saldajeno
PUERTO PRINCESA--Amanda Nunes succeeded in her first title defense as the UFC women's bantamweight champion after knocking out challenger Ronda Rousey just 48 seconds into their UFC 207 main event at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday (Philippine Time).
Nunes stepped on the gas from the get-go, going on a flurry early into her match that quickly staggered Rousey, who has not fought for over a year.
Herb Dean had seen enough of Nunes' too much strikes that he stopped the contest at the 48-second mark.
In the co-main event, Cody Garbrandt took the men's bantamweight title from erstwhile holder Dominick Cruz via unanimous decision.
Garbrandt banked on his striking prowess to dominate the judges' scorecards. He even floored Cruz thrice in the fourth round, which convinced two judges to give him a 10-8 lead en route to a 48-46, 48-47, 48-46 final tallies.
In the other marquee match, number one men's bantamweight contender TJ Dillashaw defeated number two-ranked John Lineker by unanimous decision.
Dillashaw got the better of identical 30-26 scorecards from the judges after dominating his opponent from wire to wire.
Follow him on Twitter: @IvanSaldajeno