Mark Hunt didn’t add to his impressive highlight reel at UFC Fight Night 110, but he scored one of the most joyous wins of his career. Facing Derrick Lewis in his hometown of Auckland, New Zealand, the Super Samoan got back in the win column with a fourth-round TKO.
While many were expecting the fight to be a short one, Hunt set a deliberate pace early. Whether it was out of respect for Lewis’ pure power or a symptom of his huge height and reach disadvantages, Hunt spent much of the fight stalking Lewis along the perimeter of the cage and stopping any attempts to advance to more favorable territory. Both men found homes for their heavy hands at times, with Lewis landing his devastating uppercuts and Hunt working his counters and lunging crosses, but Hunt’s effective pressure likely put him ahead on the scorecards in each round.
Though Hunt is known for his atomic bomb of a left hand, the finish came from an accumulation of damage rather than his signature deathstroke.
Despite some success with his hands, the Super Samoan’s biggest victories came via his leg kicks. After testing a couple in the first and second rounds, he began actively working Lewis’ left thigh in the third. By the fourth, Lewis was unable to plant his left leg.
Hunt was wise to this and kept the pressure on, mixing up the attack on his enfeebled foe. Eventually, the damage was just too much, and Lewis began ducking and covering to avoid further harm. That drew the referee to stop the match at 3:51 of the fourth round.
It was a critical win for Hunt, who’s now 13-11-1. Despite being one of the most beloved fighters in the UFC, the Kiwi was coming off back-to-back losses at the hands of Brock Lesnar and Alistair Overeem (though the former has since been overturned to a no contest). A third loss in a row could have been devastating to his career and likely would have killed his hope of a Cinderella title run.
In the shallow heavyweight division, this victory put him right back in line for a title shot, which could be just a couple of fights away.
But while Hunt’s future is bright, Lewis’ is completely uncertain. Following the decision, Lewis took to the microphone to possibly announce his retirement:
It was a huge, and hugely sad, surprise. Despite the loss, the Black Beast was cemented into the division’s top 10, courtesy of a six-fight winning streak that started in October 2015 and didn’t end until Saturday. What’s more, at 32 years old in an aging division, he had a long, bright future ahead of him.
Granted, Lewis would be far from the first fighter to renege on a retirement announcement. If he does walk away, however, the heavyweight division will be lesser without him.
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