In the main event of UFC Fight Night 52, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Heavyweight heavy-hitters, Roy Nelson and Mark Hunt, battled it out last night (Sept. 20, 2014) on Fight Pass from inside Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.
It may be 2014, but Hunt is still, somehow, a serious contender in the Heavyweight division. However, he had not earned a win in some time and needed to prove that his ranking was still deserved.
Nelson entered the Octagon looking to prove that he could defeat a Top 10-ranked opponent and break his streak of losing to the division's elite in violent fashion. Not only did he fail in this mission, but Nelson's historically iron jaw was cracked for the first time since "Big Country" joined UFC.
To watch full fight video highlights for Mark Hunt vs. Roy Nelson click here.
To open the bout, Hunt took a page out of Nelson's book and landed a hard overhand right. Nelson returned the favor, but Hunt rolled with the blow. Then, an eye poke by Hunt caused a short break in the action.
Once the fight started back up, Hunt landed a pair of hard leg kicks. Nelson landed his right hand after and shot for a single leg takedown, but Hunt easily shook him off. After Nelson missed another overhand and absorbed a switch kick from Hunt.
Nelson lands his overhand and avoids a couple of Hunt's counters, showcasing some solid head movement. Nelson and Hunt exchange, with both landing some shots. "Big Country" slams Hunt with a nasty low kick, spinning the Kiwi around.
Hunt shakes it off and the round ends without either man taking control of the bout.
After absorbing another overhand from Hunt, Nelson dropped low with a single and secured it. As Hunt went to stand, Nelson jumped up onto his back. Hunt, to his credit, remained calm and put his weight forward on his hands, slowly sliding Nelson off of him.
Not long after he earned top position, Nelson was forced to surrender it.
Back on his feet, Hunt got active with his left hand. The two then traded jabs. "Big Country" connected with a right straight, while Hunt looked for an underhook counter. Nelson then landed a body kick of his own.
After Hunt landed a hard right cross, Nelson renewed his attempts at a takedown. However, Hunt shrugged off his next two single-leg attempts. Nelson responded with a body kick.
Hunt began actively searching for the uppercut, throwing it often. When Nelson threw the overhand or slipped Hunt's left hook, he ducked his head down, leaving him vulnerable to the punch.
With about two minutes left, Hunt landed a left hook hard. As Nelson shook it off, Hunt threw out a couple of half-speed jabs and hook feints. When Nelson reacted and ducked down, Hunt slammed his right hand upward into Nelson's jaw.
"Big Country" face-planted, while Hunt casually walked off in his trademark fashion.
In another excellent performance, Hunt has placed himself in the immediate title chase. Despite being 40 years old, "Super Samoan" looked better than ever, showcasing his excellent striking skills, power and defensive grappling. Plus, he gave himself an extra push by being the first man to finish Nelson in UFC, which is quite an accomplishment.
Because of Hunt's age, the time is now for him to be placed in a title eliminator. The general consensus among mixed martial arts (MMA) fans is that a bout with fellow old-school fighter on the upswing, Andrei Arlovski, would be fantastic, and I'd have to agree. There's simply no way that bout isn't entertaining ... and it would produce a worthy challenger for either Velasquez or Werdum.
Sadly, this changes nothing for Nelson. He once again failed when faced with top competition who could largely nullify his right hand. Though Nelson did finally turn to his grappling, he never managed to get anything going once he earned a dominant position.
For his next bout, it's possible that Nelson will get matched up with Antonio Silva, who's also coming off of a devastating knockout loss. If not, expect Nelson to get matched with some up-and-comer he has yet to knockout via overhand such as Todd Duffee.
At UFC Fight Night 52, Mark Hunt blasted Roy Nelson into unconsciousness in the second round. Can "Super Samoan" earn himself a title shot in the future?
For complete UFC Fight Night 52: "Hunt vs Nelson" results, including blow-by-blow coverage of the entire Fight Pass event, click here.