UFC Heavyweight Bout: Junior Dos Santos vs. Mark Hunt
Odds: ( -450 Dos Santos / +325 Hunt )
Betting Pick: Dos Santos
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In the semi-main event of UFC 160, former UFC Heavyweight champion Junior “Cigano” dos Santos will look to rebound from his disappointing title loss as he squares off against resurgent Heavyweight slugger Mark Hunt. These are two of the most willing and able strikers in the UFC Heavyweight division, and so this fight promises serious fireworks. Both of these guys are more than happy to stand in front of each other and throw shots until one of them is unconscious, which is exactly what fans want to see from a big Heavyweight slugfest.
Mark Hunt, the former PRIDE standout and K-1 World Grand Prix champion, looked to be at the end of his career a few years ago. Since debuting in the UFC, though, Hunt’s granite chin and dynamite punching power have allowed him to re-establish himself as one of the sport’s most commanding Heavyweight strikers. Hunt’s gameplan is not a mystery. He is going to stand in front of his opponents and willingly eat punches in order to get off his own power shots. Against dos Santos, who is just as adept a knockout artist as Hunt is, it’s going to come down to who has the better chin or who lands a perfectly clean shot first.
Junior “Cigano” dos Santos rode a wave of momentum all the way to the UFC Heavyweight title, but came crashing down to Earth when he was physically manhandled in his rematch with Cain Velasquez. Despite the destruction he suffered at Velasquez’s hands, though, dos Santos is one of the sport’s most dangerous knockout artists, with a mix of hand speed, accuracy, and punching power that cannot be matched in the Heavyweight division. Velasquez already showed that dos Santos’ takedown defense can be used against him, now it is Hunt’s turn to see if fire can be fought with fire.
Mark Hunt is notoriously difficult to knock out, but if anyone can pull it off, it’s dos Santos. As skilled a striker as Hunt is, I don’t see a way for him to successfully trade punches with dos Santos, who has just as much punching power and far more stamina, speed, and athleticism. I think Hunt will handle the punishment like a warrior, but there’s only so long any fighter can survive with a guy like dos Santos consistently beating them to the punch. Eventually, the speed and stamina disadvantage will prove insurmountable, and dos Santos will get back into the win column via T/KO.
Prediction: Junior Dos Santos by second round T/KO.
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