Junior dos Santos and Mark Hunt have things that they’re good at and things they struggle with, and both fighters will be looking to use these to their advantages to win at UFC 160.
The big fight of the night on Saturday will be the championship fight between Cain Velasquez and Antonio Silva, but the next biggest fight will clearly have to be the heavyweight bout between Cigano and The Super Samoan.
Let’s take a look at the biggest strengths and weaknesses for each fighter.
Note: All statistics are provided by FightMetric.com unless specified otherwise.
Junior dos Santos (15-2)
Strengths
On his feet, dos Santos is an impressive fighter. He lands an average of 5.51 significant strikes per minute. The case can be made that he’s one of the most effective boxers in the division.
What helps make Junior a solid fighter on his feet is that he can stay upright. He is a tough fighter to get to the floor, staying upright on 74 percent of attempted takedowns.
Despite the heavyweight limit being at 265 pounds, Junior only weighs in around 240. This lack of bulkiness makes him a much quicker fighter in the Octagon.
Weaknesses
The issue with being so solid on his feet is that dos Santos is untested on the ground. If he ends up on the ground, chances are that he will be much less effective. He lost one of his two fights in his career due to a submission.
When fighting against Velasquez at UFC 155, Junior looked quite winded. This was uncommon for a fighter who usually appears to have pretty good stamina. This will be something else to watch for during the fight.
Mark Hunt (9-7)
Strengths
The Super Samoan is known best for his impressive power. He almost always pushes the weight limit around 265 pounds, giving him a big weight advantage on dos Santos. Six of Hunt’s nine wins have come by way of knockout.
Despite being listed at 5’10’’, Hunt can move around the Octagon quite well.
Before Hunt’s MMA career, he was actually a professional kickboxer. He went 30-13 as a kickboxer, including 13 knockouts. This past profession helps out Hunt tremendously, as he can really surprise opposing fighters with devastating shots.
Weaknesses
Just like Junior, Hunt struggles when it comes to fighting on the ground. Six of his seven losses in his career have come from submission. Luckily for Hunt, dos Santos only has one win by submission ever.
Stamina is an issue as well with the Super Samoan. This is likely due to that same stocky frame that helps him with his power. Typically when fights go the distance or close to it, his technique gets sloppy and he starts making big mistakes.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com