FIGHT TIME
Saturday, June 10th
7:00 PM PST
10:00 PM EST
Auckland, New Zealand
A Black Beast takes on a Super Samoan in a clash of UFC giants!
Mark "Super Samoan" Hunt
Only a few thoughts come to mind with when seeing the career of legend Mark 'SS' Hunt: he is the hardest hitting perennial contender of all time with by far the greatest chin to ever take a shot. Hunto is truly superhuman in his ability to take damage and dish it, his absorption of Cro Cop's head kicks and Roy Nelson's right hands showed he truly is made of titanium. Mark fights like an ox in the cage, he will constantly trap his opponent with big right hands and uppercuts by cutting off the cage masterfully with his under rated footwork.
This is the former K-1 Kickboxing champion with knockout wins over legends in Peter Graham and Jérôme Le Banner; at 43 Mark has a lost a step, but in retrospect he has only lost to men fighting for the title and the champion himself. This may be one of the last few fights Hunto gives us, and it will surely be the last outing in his home nation of New Zealand...expect him to come out motivated!
Derrick "The Black Beast" Lewis
The Black Beast comes into this bout on a 3 fight win streak, all finishes. He is a fan favorite with his balls to the wall style, it's brawl or nothing for this Houston, Texas bad boy. He comes into every UFC bout with a style of 'swangin and bangin', in fact Buffer should introduce him as such this coming evening. Behind the more relaxed persona of the beast is a much darker soul, in the cage he is all business with intent to hurt and destroy.
Most Black Beast fights end in finishes that are somewhat uncomfortable to watch, it seems Derrick has a knack for eating ungodly amounts of damage, and then turning the tables on opponents quite quickly when they stop throwing strikes... His last battle against Travis Browne had him eating a tremendous amount of unanswered (and brutal) front kicks to the gut. He was able to take that heavy damage and return his own flurries on Browne, once Beast initiated the takedown..that fight was as good as over. Expect Derrick Lewis to come out 'swangin' in enemy territory, he would have it no other way.
Breakdown and Prediction:
Another heavyweight fight, another 50/50 matchup. These are two very hard hitting men who can take a shot and come back from hefty adversity. Momentum and youth are on the side of the Beast, whereas experience and legacy are on the line for Hunt. This feels like Hunto's last stand with his people behind him...his contract troubles and hatred of the state of drug testing in mixed martial arts have obviously clouded his goals a bit. He seems a step behind in his fights nowadays; against Brock and Overeem he seemed to quit when his big shot landed but didn't finish.
One staple in a Hunto fight is the BIG shot landing, but if that right hand lands on Lewis and doesn't put him out, will Hunto bow out mentally? We saw him hurt Alistair early in their encounter, but when the Reem recovered, Mark fought backing up without a realization of needing a plan B. The devastating knockout that Mark Hunt incurred in his last fight is worrisome, this is only because his chin has forever withstood the greatest of punishments! A man in his early 40s is always a cautionary tale, especially in the fight game at this level.
Derrick Lewis has a lot of confidence coming into this bout, he has also been made a favorite on sportsbooks by the betting public. Fans are seeing this fight as a passing of the guard, although Mark Hunt's accolades and achievements are far beyond what the Black Beast may ever accomplish. Derrick Lewis is ready for this task, he asked the UFC and called Hunt out himself, this is a challenge he is completely ready for. Derrick will be a dangerous test for the wise old slugger, but Mark is as crafty as he is powerful... The Black Beast will have to put on the performance of his life to conquer one of the greatest heavyweight strikers of all time; this will be one for the ages.
Prediction: Marko Hunto, KO Round 1
