It had been a fairly quiet first half of the year in the Octagon, but business picked up considerably on International Fight Week, as Justin Gaethje made his long-awaited UFC debut with a Fight of the Year stoppage of Michael Johnson on July 7. That same night, Jesse Taylor won The Ultimate Fighter: Redemption Finale by submitting Dhiego Lima.
The day after that event, Robert Whittaker won the interim middleweight title with a Fight of the Night victory over Yoel Romero in the main event of UFC 213, a bout elevated to that spot when Amanda Nunes was forced out of her bout with Valentina Shevchenko due to illness.
On the Tuesday after UFC 213, it was the premiere of Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series, a show designed to showcase the best up and coming talent from around the world, with memorable performances often earning the winners a UFC contract. Emerging from season one of the DWCS with UFC contracts were the likes of Sean O’Malley, Karl Roberson, Geoff Neal, Grant Dawson and Matt Frevola.
But the July action wasn’t finished yet, as the long-awaited rematch between Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier headlined UFC 214 on July 29 in Anaheim. Again, it was Jones emerging victorious, but he would see the win and his title disappear after a failed drug test.
Also on the card, Cris Cyborg won the women’s featherweight title stripped from Germaine de Ramdamie when she stopped Tonya Evinger, and Woodley retained his 170-pound title with a decision win over Demian Maia.