UFC 207 results: Amanda Nunes blasts Ronda Rousey for 48-second TKO

LAS VEGAS – As with any UFC title fight, there was enough pomp and circumstance beforehand to make the crowd fully aware of the magnitude of the moment. Then 48 seconds after it officially started, it was over, and the champ was still the champ.

Amanda Nunes bulldozed through Ronda Rousey with an early blitz of right hands that left the former champ looking lost and helpless almost immediately. In the process, Nunes (14-4 MMA, 7-1 UFC) became the first woman to successfully defend the UFC women’s 135-pound belt since Rousey (12-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC), earning the victory via TKO stoppage with less than a minute gone in the opening round.

The women’s bantamweight title bout was the main event of today’s UFC 207 event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. It aired on pay-per-view following prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass.

Ronda Rousey

The trouble for Rousey started almost as soon as she stepped out of her corner and met Nunes in the center of the cage. A straight right hand from Nunes was followed by a left that snapped Rousey’s head back in the opening seconds. That sent the challenger fading backward with a stunned look on her face. When Rousey came forward again to initiate a clinch, Nunes sent her reeling with a short, heavy right that landed high on the head.

From there, it was a rapid-fire execution, with Nunes following Rousey to the fence and letting fly with a brutal series of punches to a visibly wounded Rousey.

A pair of left hooks caught the stationery target that was Rousey’s head, even as she continued to fire back at the aggressive Nunes. After tagging her several more times, a crushing right to the cheek by Nunes sent Rousey staggering back as referee Herb Dean stepped in to call it off at the 48-second mark of Round 1.

Ronda Rousey and Amanda Nunes

The win over the UFC’s first women’s bantamweight champion gives Nunes her first title defense since winning the belt with a first-round submission of former champion Miesha Tate at UFC 200 in July. She is just the fourth woman to hold the tile, and only the second to successfully defend it.

The victory brings Nunes’ overall UFC winning streak to five straight fights, with all but one coming via first-round stoppage. Rousey has now lost two in a row.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 207 results include:

• Amanda Nunes def. Ronda Rousey via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 0:48
• Cody Garbrandt def. Dominick Cruz via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-46, 48-46)
• T.J. Dillashaw def. John Lineker via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)
• Dong Hyun Kim def. Tarec Saffiedine via split decision (27-30, 29-28, 29-28)
• Ray Borg def. Louis Smolka via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-26)
• Neil Magny def. Johny Hendricks via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Antonio Carlos Junior def. Marvin Vettori via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Alex Garcia def. Mike Pyle via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 3:34
• Niko Price def. Brandon Thatch via submission (arm-triangle choke)
• Tim Means vs. Alex Oliveira ruled no-contest (accidental knee) – Round 1, 3:33

For complete coverage UFC 207, check out the UFC Events section of the site.

(MMAjunkie’s John Morgan contributed to this report on site in Las Vegas.)