Top-ranked Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Heavyweight hitters Brock Lesnar and Mark Hunt will go to war later this evening (Sat., July 9, 2016) at UFC 200 inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
LESNAR IS BACK! It may only be for one fight — and who knows how well he’ll fight after such a huge layoff — but the WWE superstar is going to make an impact in just a few days.
At the very least, he’ll sell an extra pay-per-view (PPV) or two (million).
All that said, Hunt has been actively competing with the best in the world for the last few years. He may not always win, but Hunt has proven himself a consistently tough-out with dynamite in his fists.
Let’s take a look at the keys to victory for both fighters:
Brock Lesnar
Record: 5-3
Key Wins: Frank Mir (UFC 100), Randy Couture (UFC 91), Shane Carwin (UFC 116)
Key Losses: Alistair Overeem (UFC 141), Cain Velasquez (UFC 121)
Keys to Victory: Lesnar is one of the most unique men to ever compete in the UFC. An utterly outstanding athlete with a tremendous wrestling — amateur AND professional — background, Lesnar is a terrifying force when able to impose his will.
This is perhaps the most obvious striker vs grappler match up of all time. Lesnar is known for a few things, but the main criticism towards him has been he's not a fan of getting hit.
An understandable trait.
With that in mind, anyone with half a brain will expect Lesnar to shoot for the takedown. Luckily, very few men are able to stop his shot even if it's obvious from a mile out.
Against Hunt, Lesnar should move away from his blast double — if it doesn't work the first time at least — and look for some single leg takedowns. Historically, Hunt has been more vulnerable to fighters running the pipe against him, and Lesnar does have the technical wrestling ability to switch it up opposite the kickboxer.
VS.
Mark Hunt
Record: 12-10-1
Key Wins: Roy Nelson (UFC Fight Night 52), Frank Mir (UFC Fight Night 85), Antonio Silva (UFC 193), Stefan Struve (UFC on Fuel TV 8)
Key Losses: Fabricio Werdum (UFC 180), Stipe Miocic (UFC Fight Night 65), Junior dos Santos (UFC 160)
Keys to Victory: Hunt is a skilled boxer with tremendous power who's become incredibly difficult to take down. His career has seen some major ups-and-downs, but Hunt has certainly established himself as a top 10 Heavyweight in the last few years.
Not bad for the 42-year-old former K-1 Grand Prix champion.
The bottom line here is that Hunt needs to stay off his back. He may have improved quite a bit at grappling, but the odds of Hunt surviving underneath Lesnar for more than a minute or two are quite slim.
With that in mind, Hunt needs to stay low and dictate the distance. He should actually be the one moving forward, as Lesnar does not want to strike with Hunt and nor does Hunt want his back along the fence.
If Hunt is stalking Lesnar from a low stance — the Alistair Overeem path to victory — his opponent's takedown attempts should be pretty obvious. Hunt's low center of gravity and dense muscle have allowed him to shake off lots of takedowns in the past, and that will be true opposite Lesnar as well if Hunt is aware of the shot.
Once Hunt is pressuring a discouraged foe, the knockout is on its way.
Bottom line: It’s a UFC fight with Brock Lesnar and Mark Hunt. It’s a must-watch occurrence.
There are no real consequences for Lesnar -- this is a one-off deal. For all we know, he’s only been training for the last two weeks anyway. Win or lose, Lesnar is heading back to the WWE, so it’s not like he’s trying to get into the title mix.
On the other hand, this could be a huge moment for Hunt. If "Super Samoan" knocks out Lesnar on the biggest pay-per-view of the year — or possibly ever? — it could earn him legions of new fans as well as momentum towards a title shot.
In all likelihood, Hunt could find himself in a title eliminator bout should he defeat Lesnar.
If Hunt comes up short against the former champion, it’s definitely a setback. Hunt is on the outside of the title mix trying to work his way back in at the moment, and a loss here means that opportunity is squandered.
At UFC 200, Brock Lesnar will make his return opposite Mark Hunt in the co-main event. Which fighter will have his hand raised?