The UFC in 2016 has been all about the fairytale stories, the wins that nobody thought possible, and Amanda Nunes's brilliant performance to claim the UFC women's bantamweight belt has ensured UFC 200 was no different.
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Nobody gave Miesha Tate much chance against Holly Holm at UFC 196 in March, yet Tate defied the odds to submit the reigning champion and claim her dream of a UFC title.
On Sunday, at a historic card that broke Las Vegas gate and attendance records for the promotion, Nunes shattered that dream to become both the first Brazilian women's champion and the first openly gay champion in UFC history.
Like Tate and Holm before her, Nunes wasn't given a chance by most – Tate was seen as too resilient, too determined and too gritty.
Nobody told Amanda Nunes.
It quickly became evident Nunes (13-4, 6-1 UFC) had a significant speed and power advantage over Tate, with the Brazilian stuffing the American's first two takedown attempts with ease.
When she let her hands go, the effect was devastating.
She broke Tate's nose with fast, powerful punching combinations, dropping the champion twice.
The second time Nunes, a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt, followed her to the ground and took her back, locking in a rear naked choke and claiming the belt.
The co-main event, between former UFC heavyweight champion and WWE superstar Brock Lesnar and Australian-Kiwi K1 champion Mark Hunt was billed as the ultimate clash of styles, a wrestler versus a striker.
Brock Lesnar dominates Mark Hunt on the ground. Photo: John Locher
In his first fight in five years, Lesnar proved that wrestling is king, dominating Hunt en-route to a three-round decision win.
Lesnar took Hunt down repeatedly in the first round, controlling him on the ground and landing massive ground and pound.
Hunt survived into the second round and went on the offensive, landing some good shots as Lesnar seemingly abandoned his wrestling base in favour of striking.
With the fight likely tied at one round apiece, Lesnar once again took down Hunt repeatedly in the last round, battering the 42-year-old with his ground and pound.
The mere fact Hunt made it to a decision is a testament to his resilience.
Lesnar, for his part, played his cards close to his chest when asked if he would return to the Octagon after what was supposedly a "one and done" return.
Daniel Cormier, the innocent victim of the controversy surrounding Jon Jones's removal from the card, gained no new fans by grinding out Anderson Silva to a decision victory.
Daniel Cormier gets the upper hand against Anderson Silva. Photo: John Locher
Silva, arguably the best fighter of all time and certainly one of the most universally loved fighters on the UFC roster, agreed to the fight just 10 weeks after gall bladder surgery, with no training camp and nothing to lose.
Former Olympic wrestler Cormier showed no desire test his stand-up against one of the most deadly strikers of all time, taking down Silva early in the first round and although he wasn't able to land much in the way of ground strikes, he controlled Silva for the majority of the round.
The fans let Cormier know they didn't appreciate his tactics and they went ballistic when Anderson appeared to hurt Cormier with a body kick in the third round, but it was too little too late for the Brazilian legend.
Jose Aldo booked a rematch with Conor McGregor after easily handling challenger Frankie Edgar to claim the interim UFC featherweight title.
Jose Aldo, left, and Frankie Edgar trade blows during their featherweight clash. Photo: John Locher
Three years after their first confrontation, Aldo was simply superb, refusing to let the bustling Edgar get close enough to land shots, batting him with knees and hard straight punches for five rounds.
After claiming the belt, Aldo simply pointed at McGregor, a visible figure in the crow, and repeated "You're next" - but he'll have to wait until after McGregor-Nate Diaz II, the main event of UFC 202 on August 21.
Finally, UFC heavyweights were served notice by former champion Cain Velasquez, who returned to his dominant best in disposing of Hawaiian striker Travis Browne with the utmost ease.
Cain Velasquez was too strong for Travis Browne at UFC 200. Photo: John Locher
Velasquez, finally healthy after a torrid run with injury, looked unstoppable as he rocked Browne and then used his wrestling base, arguably the best in all of MMA, to absolutely control and dominate the Hawaiian on the ground and unleash hellish ground and pound to claim a first round TKO.
