In a fantastic night of fights, last night’s (Sat., June 10, 2017) UFC Fight Night 110 in New Zealand left much to analyze and discuss. From lighting quick knockouts to fast and slick submissions, the entire card was a stellar offering from top to bottom. Derek Brunson and Mark Hunt picked up huge wins, while […]
In a fantastic night of fights, last night’s (Sat., June 10, 2017) UFC Fight Night 110 in New Zealand left much to analyze and discuss. From lighting quick knockouts to fast and slick submissions, the entire card was a stellar offering from top to bottom.
Derek Brunson and Mark Hunt picked up huge wins, while the rest of the main card bouts practically ended in less than a minute, so the action was at an all-time high on Saturday night.
We’ve determined the five biggest takeaways from UFC Fight Night 110, so check them out here:
5. Ion Cutelaba is a potential light heavyweight wrecking machine:
In a division thin on talent, Ion Cutelba’s 22-second knockout over Henrique Da Silva certainly put his name on a short list of light heavyweight prospects.
The Moldovan absolutely blitzed Da Silva and dispatched him with ease. Now sporting a 2-2 record in the UFC and a 13-2 record overall, Cutelaba remains a fighter to watch, and his performance on Saturday was an eye-opening moment for his career.
Paired with Volkan Oezdamer 28-second knockout of Misha Circunov, Cutelaba’s performance on Saturday absolutely puts him in a position for a top ten fight, considering the division has thinned out since the departure of Ryan Bader, Phil Davis, and Anthony “Rumble” Johnson.
In the main event of UFC Fight Night 110 last night (June 10, 2017) in Auckland, New Zealand, 43-year-old Mark Hunt got back in the win column with a fourth round TKO victory over the previously surging Derrick Lewis. Hunt clearly has some gas left in the tank, and it doesn’t look like “The Super […]
In the main event of UFC Fight Night 110 last night (June 10, 2017) in Auckland, New Zealand, 43-year-old Mark Hunt got back in the win column with a fourth round TKO victory over the previously surging Derrick Lewis. Hunt clearly has some gas left in the tank, and it doesn’t look like “The Super Samoan” is considering hanging his gloves up just yet:
“I don’t think so,” Hunt said at the post-fight press conference after being asked whether he was thinking about hanging up his gloves. “I like to get beat up. Shucks, there’s nothing else I’m good at. But I’ve got a couple of fights I want to finish. Why not see the contract out and then retire?”
Over the last year, Hunt has repeatedly made headlines in his fight against the use of performance-enhancing-drugs in mixed martial arts. He had his decision loss to Brock Lesnar at UFC 200 last July changed to a no-contest after it was made clear that Lesnar had failed a pair of drug tests and he suffered a loss to Alistair Overeem, who has his own history with PEDs, this past March.
In regards to that, Hunt hasn’t forgotten about Overeem, who he labeled a ‘cheating bum’:
“He’s always going to be a cheating bum to me, regardless of whether he beat me,” Hunt said Saturday at the post-fight presser. “All of his achievements, you don’t know whether they’re done by steroids or not. Sorry, Alistair, you’re a cheat.”
Hunt is currently taking part in a legal battle with the UFC over Lesnar’s failed tests, and he personally feels as if more can be done by the promotion to eliminate PEDs from the sport.
In 2015, the UFC brought in the help of third party testing organization USADA (United States Anti-Doping Agency), but Hunt believes a stricter financial punishment must be put in place for fighters who test positive for banned substances:
“I think taking away the financial gains to start with,” Hunt said. “People say for me, it’s just a money grab. I think if you take away the financial incentive, then the cheaters will think twice. You take away the money, they wouldn’t do it. It’s just a clause in the contract saying the cheater doesn’t benefit at all. Because right now, it pays to cheat.”
Mark Hunt scored an impressive technical knockout of Derrick Lewis, who hinted toward potential retirement, Sunday in the main event of UFC Fight Night 110 at Spark Arena in Auckland, New Zealand.
Derek Brunson, Dan Hooker and Ion Cutelaba, who all ear…
Mark Hunt scored an impressive technical knockout of Derrick Lewis, who hinted toward potential retirement, Sunday in the main event of UFC Fight Night 110 at Spark Arena in Auckland, New Zealand.
Derek Brunson, Dan Hooker and Ion Cutelaba, who all earned knockout victories, were the event’s other big winners. Ben Nguyen and Alexander Volkanovski also picked up wins on the main card, which only saw one fight go the distance.
Let’s check out the complete set of results from New Zealand. That’s followed by a closer look at the much-needed triumph by Hunt.
UFC Fight Night 110 Card Results
Main Card
Mark Hunt d. Derrick Lewis by fourth-round TKO
Derek Brunson d. Dan Kelly by first-round KO
Dan Hooker d. Ross Pearson by second-round KO
Ion Cutelaba d. Henrique da Silva by first-round KO
Ben Nguyen d. Tim Elliott by first-round submission
Alexander Volkanovski d. Mizuto Hirota by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Preliminary Card
Vinc Pichel d. Damien Brown by first-round KO
Luke Jumeau d. Dominique Steele by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
John Moraga d. Ashkan Mokhtarian by unanimous decision (30-25, 30-27, 30-27)
Zak Ottow d. Kiichi Kunimoto by split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29)
JJ Aldrich d. Chan-Mi Jeon by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Main Event Recap
Hunt faced a lot of pressure heading into Sunday’s bout. Not only was he coming off a loss to Alistair Overeem at UFC 209, his third defeat in his past six trips to the Octagon, but he received the opportunity to fight professionally in front of his hometown fans in Auckland for the first time.
It never turned into the hard-hitting, quick-ending battle most expected. Instead, the 43-year-old veteran known as the Super Samoan controlled a vast majority of the action against Lewis, who struggled to keep pace physically in the heavyweight clash.
Finally, after a sustained stretch of one-way offense by Hunt in the fourth round, the referee stepped into to prevent the New Orleans native from suffering any unnecessary injuries as his offensive forays had become few and far between in the latter stages.
FOX Sports UFC highlighted the fight’s final moments:
Former UFC star Kenny Florian provided his take on the bout:
Although the highly anticipated collision didn’t live up to expectations, it was still named Fight of the Night to earn both fighters an additional $50,000, per MMA Fighting.
Afterward, Steven Marrocco of MMAjunkie passed along comments from Hunt about the emphatic triumph and what he’s got planned for the future.
“It’s a pretty good feeling,” he said. “I know Derrick Lewis is from the ‘hood, but this is my ‘hood. I run this town.”
Hunt added: “Anybody above me is good. I stepped down for Derrick because he was No. 6, but anyone above me, I’ll take. I’ve only got a few more fights left, so for me, if it ended here tonight, so be it. I’ve had a good run. I’ve had a lot of fun, traveled the world. But it looks like it’s still continuing.”
Meanwhile, Lewis admitted he could be done with MMA as he gets prepared to take a major step in his personal life following the loss, according to Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports.
“I’m getting married next week and I don’t want to keep putting my family through this,” Lewis said. “… Most likely, this will be my last fight in the UFC.”
If he does walk away from the Octagon for good, he’ll finish his career with a 18-5 record, including 16 knockout wins and one no-contest. Sunday’s loss ended a six-fight winning streak.
Hunt improved to 13-11-1 with one no-contest thanks to the win, which was his 10th knockout victory.
Looking ahead, it will be interesting to see whether Hunt is given a chance to slow the momentum of Francis Ngannou. The Predator is coming off three straight first-round wins, two by knockout and one by submission, to move himself toward the heavyweight title conversation.
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 fou…
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.
Derrick Lewis (18-5, 1 NC) faded and it cost him against Mark Hunt (13-11-1, 1 NC). Front and center as the UFC Fight Night 110 headliner was a heavyweight clash. Heavy hitters Lewis and Hunt engage in a “swangin and bangin” contest inside the Spark Arena in Auckland, New Zealand. Both men respected each other’s […]
Derrick Lewis (18-5, 1 NC) faded and it cost him against Mark Hunt (13-11-1, 1 NC).
Front and center as the UFC Fight Night 110 headliner was a heavyweight clash. Heavy hitters Lewis and Hunt engage in a “swangin and bangin” contest inside the Spark Arena in Auckland, New Zealand.
Both men respected each other’s power at the beginning of the fight. Lewis tried to keep Hunt guessing by feinting kicks. He connected with a leg kick. Hunt fired the first punch with bad intention. Hunt blocked two high kicks from Lewis. “Super Samoan” checked a leg kick and that made “The Black Beast” hesitate.
An uppercut from Lewis was blocked. He landed a body kick. Lewis tied up Hunt, but his takedown attempt went nowhere. A right hand backed Hunt up, who had a cut on his forehead. Lewis stuck in a jab. Hunt fired a leg kick. The horn sounded later on.
At the start of the second stanza, Lewis threw out a jumping high kick. He landed a body kick. “The Black Beast” had a hook ducked. A switch knee to the body was there for Lewis. Hunt pushed forward. He landed two kicks to the thigh. Time was called for an accidental eye poke on Hunt. Lewis was warned and the fight resumed.
“Super Samoan” blocked a jumping switch kick. Lewis backed Hunt up with a right hand. A jab connected for “The Black Beast.” A knee to the body was there for Lewis. Hunt pressed forward and sensed Lewis was hurt from a counter elbow. He threw some strikes, but Lewis swung back. A right hand landed for Lewis. The round came to an end with both men swinging.
The third round was underway. A head kick was blocked by Hunt. Lewis ducked a hook and swung, but missed an uppercut. Lewis swung wild and Hunt tried egging him on. A leg kick landed for Hunt followed by a jab. Lewis went for a takedown, but nothing doing. Hunt went for an overhand right, but it was blocked. Hunt landed a kick to the body. The round later ended.
Round four began and Hunt landed a leg kick. Lewis kept backing up with his hands down. A right hand had Lewis on wobbly legs momentarily. Lewis landed a right hand of his own. A jab was there for Hunt. He dug at his opponent’s body. A right hand from Hunt once again wobbled Lewis. “The Black Beast” tried a flying knee. Hunt capitalized on his opponent with shots and referee Marc Goddard stopped the fight.
After the fight, Lewis said he didn’t want to put his family through emotional stress anymore due to his fighting career. He went on to say he’s most likely done competing.
Final Result: Mark Hunt def. Derrick Lewis via TKO (Strikes) – R4, 3:51
Once UFC Fight Night 110 has met its end, check out the post-fight press conference. The presser takes place inside the Spark Arena in Auckland, New Zealand. A tentative time of 1:15 a.m. ET has been set for the press conference. Headliners Derrick Lewis and Mark Hunt are expected to take part in the conference. […]
Once UFC Fight Night 110 has met its end, check out the post-fight press conference. The presser takes place inside the Spark Arena in Auckland, New Zealand. A tentative time of 1:15 a.m. ET has been set for the press conference. Headliners Derrick Lewis and Mark Hunt are expected to take part in the conference. […]
