UFC 232 had a lot of the worst kinds of chaos mixed martial arts produces. The entire event was moved to Los Angeles on less than a week’s notice, resulting in thousands of deserted Las Vegas fans. Longtime favorites B.J. Penn and Carlos Condit continued spiraling downward. Cat Zingano took a toe across the eyeball. Mercy was largely absent.
So it was refreshing, maybe even exhilarating, to bear witness to the best the sport can produce as well. Amanda Nunes, the often-forgotten champion, threw caution to the wind to face off against the seemingly indestructible Cris “Cyborg” Justino, and then did the unthinkable.