UFC Fight Night 110 fight card: Derrick Lewis vs Mark Hunt preview

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heavyweight hitters Derrick Lewis and Mark Hunt will clash tonight (Sat., June 10, 2017) at UFC Fight Night 110 inside Spark Arena in Auckland, New Zealand.

After a fairly average — if exciting -- start to his UFC career, Lewis found his rhythm. The unlikely contender has since won six-straight bouts, knocking out a majority of his opponents in the process.

Meanwhile, Hunt has been struggling with the top fighters in the world for a few years now. The 43-year-old has lost more than he’s won recently, but this is a step back in competition that may allow him to score another big knockout.

Let’s take a closer look at the keys to victory for both men.

Derrick Lewis

Record: 18-4-1

Key Wins: Travis Browne (UFC Fight Night 105), Roy Nelson (UFC Fight Night 90), Shamil Abdurakhimov (UFC Fight Night 102), Gabriel Gonzaga (UFC Fight Night 86)

Key Losses: Shawn Jordan (UFC Fight Night 68), Matt Mitrione (UFC Fight Night 50)

Keys to Victory: Lewis is one of the biggest men in his division and packs serious power. He’s a capable grappler and boxer, but Lewis wins fights more often than not simply by being tough and maintaining his power late in fights.

This is an interesting bout for Lewis, as there’s no particularly technical strategy for him. If he pursues the takedown outright, he probably won’t get it. At the same time, a technical kickboxing match does not favor him either.

Lewis has to make it ugly.

Luckily, that’s his specialty. Lewis should put the pressure on Hunt, walking his foe backward into the fence. From there, Lewis can crash into the clinch, where his size and compact power punches should allow him to wear on his foe and potentially do big damage.

Lewis should keep his eyes open for any takedown opportunities as well. If Hunt throws a naked low kick or trips up along the fence, it could be a real game changer.

Mark Hunt

Record: 12-11-1 (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), Alistair Overeem (UFC Fight Night 105)

Keys to Victory: Hunt is a much more refined striker than his opponent, as well as most of the division. His takedown defense and defensive grappling have come a long way, meaning that a majority of his opponent’s are trapped on the feet with the K-1 Grand Prix champion.

In this bout, Hunt should make full use of his aggressive counter punching strategy. Lewis hits damn hard, but he’s open to be hit, and few men are better at finding that perfect punch.

Additionally, I would like to see Hunt return to his kicking game. Travis Browne absolutely abused Lewis with hard kicks at range, and Hunt could really take something out of his opponent with just a few clean low kicks.

Unlike Browne, Hunt could pursue the wounded Browne and finish the job.

Bottom Line: Someone is getting slept.

This is the toughest test yet for “The Black Beast.” If he can win his third-straight main event and extend his win streak to seven, he’s definitely in line for a title eliminator bout. In fact, he may be the next title contender simply to avoid a title rematch.

With a loss, Lewis falls down the line, but he’s still fairly young in his career and could build momentum again quickly thanks to his personality, activity, and style.

The situation is a little different for Hunt, who is likely approaching his retirement. Hunt isn’t really in the title picture at this point, nor is he in much danger of slipping out of the organization. Basically — assuming Hunt’s abilities don’t suddenly drop off — he can keep competing for as long as he’d like, but he’s not going to move into the title picture either.

Aside from the usual win or loss, there’s not much on the line for “The Super Samoan.”

At UFC Fight Night 110, Derrick Lewis and Mark Hunt will do battle in the main event. Which man will remain standing at the end of the night?

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Fight Night 110 fight card, starting with the Fight Pass "Prelims" matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. ET, and then the remaining undercard balance on FOX Sports 1 at 8 p.m. ET, before the main card start time at 10 p.m. ET, also on FOX Sports 1.