UFC Fight Night 85 did good numbers for FOX Sports 1. The pre-fight show did 323,000 viewers while the post-fight show did 386,000 viewers. The prelims drew 766,000 viewers. The main card drew 1,149 million viewers, which is up from 983,000 viewers that the last UFC Fight Night (Fight Night 83) event drew that aired
UFC Fight Night 85 did good numbers for FOX Sports 1.
The pre-fight show did 323,000 viewers while the post-fight show did 386,000 viewers. The prelims drew 766,000 viewers. The main card drew 1,149 million viewers, which is up from 983,000 viewers that the last UFC Fight Night (Fight Night 83) event drew that aired on FS1.
UFC Fight Night 85 took place at Brisbane Entertainment Centre in Brisbane, Australia on Saturday, March 19, in North America.
FOX Sports issued the following:
FS1 UFC FIGHT NIGHT: HUNT VS. MIR posted gains of +86% on viewership (1,149,000 vs. 617,000) and +63% among Adults 18-49 (595,000 vs. 364,000) versus the same Saturday last year (FS1 UFC FIGHT NIGHT: MAIA VS. LAFLARE).
The FS1 UFC FIGHT NIGHT PREFIGHT SHOW (7:30 – 8:00 PM ET) had 323,000 viewers, making it the net’s fourth most-watched UFC FIGHT NIGHT PREFIGHT SHOW to date.
The FS1 UFC FIGHT NIGHT PRELIMS (8:00 – 10:00 PM ET) delivered 766,000 viewers, more than double the prelim card from the same weekend in 2014 on FS1 (369,000). Last March’s UFC FIGHT NIGHT PRELIMS aired on FS2 and delivered 280,000 viewers.
The FS1 UFC FIGHT NIGHT POSTFIGHT SHOW posted gains of +55% on viewership (386,000 vs. 249,000) compared to the post-FIGHT NIGHT edition of FOX SPORTS LIVE that aired on the corresponding Saturday last March.
FS1’s UFC programming has been strong in the first quarter of 2016. The four FS1 UFC FIGHT NIGHTs averaged 1,424,000 viewers, up +13% on viewership from the same period in 2015 (1,261,000) and up +45% compared to the first quarter of 2014 (984,000).
The event was headlined by a heavyweight bout as Mark Hunt will meet former UFC champion Frank Mir.
The UFC returns to the TV network on April 10th with UFC Fight Night 86.
(That face you make when your power scares *you* more than anyone else.)
Mark Hunt is a bad, bad man. Of the twelve victories he has collected as a professional mixed martial artist, approximately fourteen of them have come by way of effortless, walk-off KO. I know the numbers don’t make sense, but that’s just how badass “The Super Samoan” is.
Paired against fellow legend Frank Mir in the main event of last weekend’s Fight Night 85, Hunt was being listed across the books as a moderate favorite — this despite showing something of a weakness to submissions in the past, which remain Mir’s bread and butter. Of course, one doesn’t exactly need a prominent Jiu Jitsu background when they can flatten any man alive with one punch, which is exactly what Hunt did midway through the first round.
Full Fight Night 85 highlights/results after the jump.
(That face you make when your power scares *you* more than anyone else.)
Mark Hunt is a bad, bad man. Of the twelve victories he has collected as a professional mixed martial artist, approximately fourteen of them have come by way of effortless, walk-off KO. I know the numbers don’t make sense, but that’s just how badass “The Super Samoan” is.
Paired against fellow legend Frank Mir in the main event of last weekend’s Fight Night 85, Hunt was being listed across the books as a moderate favorite — this despite showing something of a weakness to submissions in the past, which remain Mir’s bread and butter. Of course, one doesn’t exactly need a prominent Jiu Jitsu background when they can flatten any man alive with one punch, which is exactly what Hunt did midway through the first round.
Full Fight Night 85 highlights/results after the jump.
(via UFC on FOX)
While Mir attempted to take the fight to the ground early to no avail, he eventually settled into a rhythm on the feet that could only result in his doom. He looked sluggish and, if I’m being completely honest here, a little bit flabby. With two minutes to go in the opening round, Hunt landed a hellacious right hand behind Mir’s ear, then basically pushed him to the canvas like a top-heavy bag of potatoes. In classic Hunt fashion, the New Zealander didn’t even attempt to follow-up with ground-n-pound, knowing that Mir had already had enough. As my good friend Billy Zane would put it…
In the co-main event of the evening, Neil Magny rebounded from his typical first round slump to lay a whoopin’ on Hector Lombard. It was a back-and-forth, barnburner of a fight only slightly undercut by the absolutely atrocious refereeing displayed by Steve Perceval. In the closing minute or so of the second round, Magny was unloading the kitchen sink on his clearly gassed opponent, and while the punches weren’t exactly devastating, the pure volume and effortlessness with which Magny was throwing them led many to believe that the fight would surely be stopped.
But it wasn’t, and Magny was forced to continue punching a hole in Lombard’s face until the fight was finally stopped 46 seconds into the third round. You need look no further than how referee Marc Goddard reacted to the fight from cageside to know how badly this thing was botched, and yadda yadda sometimes these things happen in MMA.
Another big moment from Fight Night 85 came in a fight between former hockey enforcer Steve Bosse and New Zealander James Te Huna. Having retired just weeks after signing with the UFC back in 2014 only to unretire and suffer a hellacious, short-notice loss to Thiago Santos at Fight Night 70 last year, the future of Bosse — and Te Huna, for that matter — seemed more uncertain than ever.
Of course, the easiest way to stick around in the UFC is by making an impression, which is exactly what Bosse did via a perfectly-timed right hand just 52 seconds into the first round. The win marked Bosse’s first since 2013, as well as Te Huna’s fourth straight first round loss in as many contests.
The full results for Fight Night 85 are below.
Main card (FOX Sports 1)
Mark Hunt def. Frank Mir via KO (punch) at 3:01 of R1
Neil Magny def. Hector Lombard via TKO (punches) at :46 of R3
Jake Matthews def. Johnny Case via submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:45 of R3
Dan Kelly def. Antônio Carlos Júnior via TKO (strikes) at 1:36 of R3
Steve Bossé def. James Te-Huna via KO (punch) at :54 of R1
Bec Rawlings def. Seo Hee Ham via unanimous decision
Prelims (FOX Sports 1)
Alan Jouban def. Brendan O’Reilly via TKO (strikes) at 2:15 of R1
Dan Hooker def. Mark Eddiva via submission (guillotine) at 1:24 or R1
Leslie Smith def. Rin Nakai via unanimous decision
Viscardi Andrade def. Richard Walsh via unanimous decision
Prelims (UFC Fight Pass)
Ross Pearson def. Chad Laprise via split decision
Alan Patrick def. Damien Brown via unanimous decision
Following a successful UFC Fight Night 85 event in Brisbane, Australia, it was decided that Mark Hunt, Neil Magny and Jake Matthews were the three fighters who were deserving of a little extra cash.
At the UFC Fight Night 85 post-fight press confere…
Following a successful UFC Fight Night 85 event in Brisbane, Australia, it was decided that Mark Hunt, Neil Magny and Jake Matthews were the three fighters who were deserving of a little extra cash.
At the UFC Fight Night 85 post-fight press conference held after the event on Saturday night, it was announced that Jake Matthews vs. Johnny Case (video highlights here) was the “Fight of the Night” winner, as Matthews took home an additional $50,000 for his third round submission victory.
Also pocketing $50,000 bonuses for “Performances of the Night” were Mark Hunt, who scored another “walk-off” knockout in the first round of his main event against Frank Mir (video highlights here) and Neil Magny, who stopped Hector Lombard in the third round of their co-main event fight (video highlights here).
For complete UFC Fight Night 85 results, click here.
Decorated veteran and former two-time UFC champion Frank Mir was knocked out by Mark Hunt in the main event of last night’s (March, 19, 2016) UFC Fight Night 85 from the Brisbane Entertainment Center in Brisbane, Australia, and the stoppage loss has justifiably called the 36-year-old legend’s UFC career into serious question. Mir has most certainly
Decorated veteran and former two-time UFC champion Frank Mir was knocked out by Mark Hunt in the main event of last night’s (March, 19, 2016) UFC Fight Night 85 from the Brisbane Entertainment Center in Brisbane, Australia, and the stoppage loss has justifiably called the 36-year-old legend’s UFC career into serious question.
Mir has most certainly been one of the most accomplished heavyweights in UFC history, holding the record for most bouts in the weight class while transcending three UFC eras over an illustrious career that has lasted almost an unprecedented 15 years. But his latest knockout loss to Hunt was Mir’s sixth loss in his last eight bouts, and his eighth overall knockout loss to the best heavyweights in the world.
It’s left the mixed martial arts community discussing whether or not Mir should retire to take a job in the UFC and take his much-deserved spot in the UFC Hall of Fame. The lethal Brazilian jiu-jitsu practicioner simply doesn’t have anything left to prove in MMA, even in a division as shallow as the UFC heavyweight landscape, but obviously the competitive fires are hard to put out for a fighter of Mir’s caliber and resume.
What do you think? Should Mir retire, or should he fight again?
Legendary striker Mark “The Super Samoan” Hunt pulled of another one of his infamous walk off knockouts last night (March 19, 2016), blasting Frank Mir in the first round of their UFC Fight Night 85 headliner. While some may argue that the stoppage was somewhat early, Hunt confirmed after the bout that Mir was out
Legendary striker Mark “The Super Samoan” Hunt pulled of another one of his infamous walk off knockouts last night (March 19, 2016), blasting Frank Mir in the first round of their UFC Fight Night 85 headliner.
While some may argue that the stoppage was somewhat early, Hunt confirmed after the bout that Mir was out cold, resulting in no need for extra shots:
“Frank, he was still in the dark lands when I saw him [after landing the punch],” Hunt said during the post-fight press conference. “His face was still…he wasn’t there, so I just left it. He wasn’t there. He was out, somewhere else.”
Hunt’s assessment of the fight was taken a bit lightly, as his statements resulted in a bit laughter. Despite the laughter, however, “The Super Samoan” reiterated his thinking, saying that the former heavyweight champion was “blacked out”:
“Well, it’s true,” Hunt continued. “He wasn’t there. He was blacked out.”
Hunt currently sits at No. 9 in the heavyweight rankings, and it appears as if he has eyes set on a revenge tour. Speaking on his future, “The Super Samoan” admitted that he’d be interested in rematches with some of the division’s elite:
“I’d fight any of the top guys,” Hunt said. “I could rematch any of those guys – JDS, Stipe, the guy with the belt…Fabricio…I’ve never lost a rematch, so I’d like to rematch any one of those guys.”
Who would you like to see Hunt face off with next?
At the UFC Fight Night 85 post-fight press conference on Saturday, UFC heavyweight contender Mark Hunt spoke about the stoppage in his main event bout with Frank Mir, as well as his thoughts on what he hopes is next for his career.
Hunt scored yet another “walk-off knockout” in the first round of his UFN 85 main event with the former UFC Heavyweight Champion, however some felt that the stoppage was a bit premature.
Hunt was not one of those people.
“Frank, he was still in the dark lands when I saw him [after landing the punch],” Hunt said in response to those questioning if the stoppage was too soon. “His face was still…he wasn’t there, so I just left it. He wasn’t there. He was out, somewhere else.”
After making those comments, several in attendance at the post-fight press conference broke out into laughter.
“Well, it’s true,” Hunt said after hearing the laughter. “He wasn’t there. He was blacked out.”
As far as what is next for Hunt, he was quick to point out that he has never lost a rematch when talking about wanting a second crack at UFC Heavyweight Champion Fabricio Werdum.
“I’d fight any of the top guys,” Hunt said. “I could rematch any of those guys – JDS, Stipe, the guy with the belt…Fabricio…I’ve never lost a rematch, so I’d like to rematch any one of those guys.”
To watch a video replay of Hunt’s first round “walk-off knockout” of Mir at UFC Fight Night 85, click here. For complete UFN 85 results from Saturday night, click here.
At the UFC Fight Night 85 post-fight press conference on Saturday, UFC heavyweight contender Mark Hunt spoke about the stoppage in his main event bout with Frank Mir, as well as his thoughts on what he hopes is next for his career.
Hunt scored yet another “walk-off knockout” in the first round of his UFN 85 main event with the former UFC Heavyweight Champion, however some felt that the stoppage was a bit premature.
Hunt was not one of those people.
“Frank, he was still in the dark lands when I saw him [after landing the punch],” Hunt said in response to those questioning if the stoppage was too soon. “His face was still…he wasn’t there, so I just left it. He wasn’t there. He was out, somewhere else.”
After making those comments, several in attendance at the post-fight press conference broke out into laughter.
“Well, it’s true,” Hunt said after hearing the laughter. “He wasn’t there. He was blacked out.”
As far as what is next for Hunt, he was quick to point out that he has never lost a rematch when talking about wanting a second crack at UFC Heavyweight Champion Fabricio Werdum.
“I’d fight any of the top guys,” Hunt said. “I could rematch any of those guys – JDS, Stipe, the guy with the belt…Fabricio…I’ve never lost a rematch, so I’d like to rematch any one of those guys.”
To watch a video replay of Hunt’s first round “walk-off knockout” of Mir at UFC Fight Night 85, click here. For complete UFN 85 results from Saturday night, click here.
