Antonio Silva has knocked out more talented fighters than Mark Hunt.
The two fighters will face off on Dec. 7’s UFC Fight Night in Australia. Only one will put up a fight, though. Silva will manhandle Hunt—nothing less should be expected due to the former’s superior body of work.
But first, speaking of body, Silva is 6’4”, 262 pounds of muscle. Hunt is not only overmatched in terms of their respective resumes, but measurables as well.
He’s 5’10”—six inches shorter than Silva (for those reaching for a calculator)—and has a 74 inch wingspan. His reach—which is the stat that actually matters, not necessarily height—is eight inches shorter than Silva’s. The cherry on top of the mismatch sundae is that Hunt is practically a Roy “Big Country” Nelson disciple when it comes to physique definition.
Silva is also five years younger than him. As if this matchup didn’t already seem overwhelming enough for Hunt on paper, the fighters’ experiences in the ring only amplify Hunt’s status as an underdog.
Don’t be fooled by Hunt’s four victories in his last five fights. None of his victories came against competitors who are currently rated in the Top 10 of UFC’s heavyweight contender rankings. The Top 10-caliber fighters that Hunt has faced—Junior dos Santos, Alistair Overeem and Josh Barnett—defeated him by either knockout (Dos Santos) or submission (Overeem and Barnett).
By comparison, Silva knocked out No. 5 heavyweight contender Travis Browne and No. 7 Overeem in the past 16 months. Sure, Silva can’t survive Round 1 in the octagon against Cain Velasquez, but Hunt is a far cry from the UFC Heavyweight Champion.
Hunt will enter Saturday with a mediocre 9-8 record and fall to 9-9. Silva will rise to 19-5, which should move the No. 4 heavyweight contender closer to a rematch with No. 3 Fabricio Werdum.
David Daniels is a Breaking News Writer for Bleacher Report and news editor at Wade-O Radio.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com