Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Heavyweight bruisers Brock Lesnar and Mark Hunt collided last night (Sat., July 9, 2016) at UFC 200 inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Lesnar may never contend for the title again, but he’s guaranteed excitement and must-watch television. One-off deal or no, the mixed martial arts (MMA) world was more than excited for the return of Lesnar in the unofficial main event of UFC 200.
While there may not be any divisional implications for Lesnar, Hunt’s situation was a different story. If he was able to defeat the WWE superstar, Hunt would certainly experience a serious push of momentum towards the title mix.
To watch Brock Lesnar vs. Mark Hunt full fight video highlights from UFC 200 last night click here!
After a cautious start from both men, Lesnar committed to his first real takedown attempt, driving Hunt into the fence. He completed the double leg and denied Hunt’s stand up attempt, placing him back on the mat with authority.
On the ground, it took a minute or so for Lesnar to open up, but he did so violently. Hunt used those strikes as an opportunity to scramble up to his feet, but he took serious damage and the round expired before he could capitalize.
It was a strong round for the former champion.
Lesnar looked a bit tired to start the second round, allowing Hunt to stalk him around the Octagon. Hunt was patient and didn’t really throw anything, but he also defended a trio of takedowns before stepping up the aggression a bit.
Looking for one big shot, Hunt fired off the occasional big overhand and connected with a few combinations. On the whole, he didn’t really land anything damaging, but he controlled the center and denied his opponent’s takedown attempts.
In all likelihood, it was tied up heading into the final round.
After absorbing a solid right hand, Lesnar scored another takedown. From top position, Lesnar stayed in close to Hunt but still delivered powerful blows, eventually moving into the mount position.
From there, Lesnar simply stuck to the game plan of dropping his lunchbox-fists on Hunt’s very durable skull. Lesnar never come close to putting his opponent out, but it was a dominant round three for the WWE Superstar.
It was certainly enough to win the decision.
Considering how long it has been since Lesnar competed, this was a really strong performance. Against a dangerous opponent, Lesnar pushed through some fatigue and adversity to implement his game.
Once again, Lesnar’s physical prowess and wrestling ability are truly frightening. When he’s able to explode into a takedown or ground strikes, he’s simply unstoppable.
On the whole, Lesnar did an excellent job of controlling his opponent from top position. Hunt is pretty good at scrambling up to his feet, but he found little success getting up from underneath the champion.
Sadly, Lesnar is headed back to the WWE. Anyone else crossing their fingers for UFC 300?
This was a difficult fight for Hunt, as one failed moment would allow Lesnar to gain top position and batter him. That made it hard for Hunt to commit to any of his attacks, which ultimately allowed Lesnar an easier time of shooting for the takedown.
It was a tough tight rope to walk, and Hunt came up short.
Last night, Brock Lesnar made a successful return to the Octagon in the form of a decision victory. Will Lesnar ever fight in the UFC again?
For complete UFC 200: "Tate vs Nunes" results and play-by-play, click HERE!