The main event at UFC Fight Night 33 on Friday night had all the makings of a slugfest between Mark “Super Samoan” Hunt and Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva.
It certainly didn’t disappoint, as it could very well be one of the greatest heavyweight fights in some time. In the end, it was considered a majority draw in favor of Hunt, and it was fitting considering how much these men put into the fight. Some may be upset with the result, but it doesn’t matter, because the fight was an instant classic.
Dana White, Fox Sports’ Ariel Helwani and the UFC Twitter account all gave their thoughts on the fight.
It took a while, but Hunt was the first one to go for the big shot, barely missing on a huge potential shot, but Bigfoot just avoided it. After that, the two got into a quick exchange, with Silva landing a big right hand that put Hunt on the canvas. The Super Samoan quickly recovered, however, and was able to get up without sustaining any major additional damage.
With a few more shots landed after that exchange, the first round definitely went to Silva.
Silva started the second round working with leg kicks to try to start wearing Hunt down, using his length to stay out of harm’s way. However, Hunt kept closing in and landed a huge hook that stunned Silva, if only for a very brief moment. Those kicks from Bigfoot clearly hurt Hunt’s lead leg, and he had to switch his stance because of it.
Hunt came out aggressive in the third, grabbing a surprise takedown early on, although the two quickly got up. After that, Hunt landed a massive right hand that took Silva down, and he quickly got on top of Bigfoot and did considerable damage. Silva looked helpless as Hunt just kept landing elbows until the round ended.
Things didn’t start off well for Bigfoot in the fourth. Although both fighters came out swinging, Hunt landed some considerable shots and did a good job fending off Silva’s takedown attempts, then getting a takedown of his own.
Then chaos ensued.
The two fighters stood up and just started landing insane shots. While Hunt originally was landing huge shots on Bigfoot, the tide quickly changed as Hunt let his guard down and Silva landed huge shots of his own, and the two essentially just fell to the canvas. Silva was then able to get on top and completely bloody Hunt’s face.
However, the Super Samoan was able to stay in the fight, but it didn’t look good at all. It could have been stopped, but the two held on and stayed in the fight.
Somehow, Hunt came out in the final round and kept landing big punches, but Silva just wouldn’t go down, and the shots just kept coming from the Super Samoan. Silva came back with shots of his own, and the two were just barely standing, completely bloodied, exhausted and still landing shots.
The entire fifth round was like that. There was blood everywhere, and it seemed like the next shot would take either of the fighters out, but they just kept standing in there, continuing to land shots even while completely exhausted.
A majority draw may upset some, but it doesn’t matter. We expected this fight to end early, but it was an absolute slugfest for five full rounds without either fighter going down. After watching the whole fight, it just didn’t feel right to call anyone a loser, because both fighters gave 100 percent.
White seemed to agree that a draw was the ideal ending for this instant classic.
A fight like this will only help the reputation of both fighters, because UFC fans will remember this one for a very long time.
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