After five years away from the Octagon, Brock Lesnar will return at UFC 200, where he will face Mark Hunt, who comes into the bout having won back-to-back fights for the first time since 2013.
Following Jon Jones’ potential doping violation and removal from the event, per FoxSports.com, his clash with Daniel Cormier will no longer be the headline event. Instead, Lesnar and Hunt will have that honour, per the UFC:
Their clash may not have quite the same appeal but nevertheless promises to be an intriguing and entertaining bout amid Lesnar‘s return from the WWE.
Here’s a look at how the two fighters compare, complete with odds courtesy of Odds Shark:
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Pre-Weigh-In Hype
The contrast in styles between the two fighters will likely define this bout. Unsurprisingly, as a four-time WWE world heavyweight champion, Lesnar specialises in grappling, taking fights to the mat and ending them quickly.
Hunt is likely to place a huge emphasis on stand-up and is one of the most powerful punchers in the sport, with eight of his 12 wins coming via knockout. Although Lesnar can stand and bang—ending three of his five UFC victories with a KO, per ESPN.com—Cain Velasquez and Alistair Overeem both brutally finished him within the opening round. Hunt’s walk-off KO potential ranks higher than both.
Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Snowden believes the bout could go either way, though much will depend on whether Lesnar can recapture the form he displayed prior to suffering from diverticulitis earlier in his UFC career:
Indeed, if Lesnar can get Hunt off his feet and onto the mat, he should have a firm advantage and be capable of closing out the fight. Shooting for the takedown may prove to be a risk—Hunt will be seeking the smallest of openings to make his mark—but eliminating the New Zealander’s greatest weapon quickly is key to Lesnar‘s survival.
Per FoxSports.com’s Damon Martin, Hunt is evidently feeling confident in both his punching ability and takedown defence:
It only takes one [punch] in the heavyweight division. It doesn’t take two or three—it only takes one.
I think he’ll try to conserve his gas tank, but I don’t really care. Shoot ahead, homie—I got you.
He’s got to get it to the ground first. I’m totally confident in my takedown defense. That’s the secret weapon on July 9 and we’ll see if he can take me down.
Despite Hunt adding that he only cares “about knocking his face off,” the pair seemed cordial enough during their faceoff on Wednesday, per UFC President Dana White:
Per FoxSports.com, Lesnar is simply delighted to be back in the Octagon after last fighting in 2011 (warning: NSFW language): “I feel f–king awesome. Obviously I’m here to win a fight. It’s fighting, anything can happen. I’m prepared for whatever. I don’t think it’s going to define me. This is exciting. I’m on the card of UFC 200.”
The fight could be somewhat cagey to begin with—in a bout that could be decided by a single punch, Lesnar won’t want to risk the kind of humiliation Jose Aldo suffered in his infamous 13-second knockout to Conor McGregor by getting caught out of the gate.
Equally, Hunt’s reach, which is nine inches shorter than Lesnar’s, will require him to get in close, making him more vulnerable to a takedown—and if he’s put on his back, Lesnar‘s enormous frame will make a recovery difficult.
According to ESPN.com, six of Hunt’s 10 MMA defeats have been via submission, and though the last of those came in 2010—which perhaps indicates his defence has improved—Lesnar would be wise to exploit an obvious route to victory.
Lesnar has a slightly more varied armoury to delve into, and that will allow him to bide his time. Should Hunt misfire, we can expect the WWE man to try to lock in an irreversible submission hold.
Prediction: Brock Lesnar wins via Submission
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