UFC 160 features a rematch for the heavyweight title where Cain Velasquez defends the title against Antonio “Big Foot” Silva. One year ago, on this very day, Velasquez delivered perhaps the worst one-sided blood bath in combat sports history to Silva. Needless to say, I’m not interested in this fight, but I’m very interested in the co-main event, which pits Junior Dos Santos against Mark Hunt.
This is Dos Santos’ first fight since losing the heavyweight title to Velasquez in an absolute beating. Mark Hunt is miraculously on a four-fight win streak, with his last win leaving Stefan Struve with a broken jaw. The odds are Dos Santos will win a unanimous decision since it is almost impossible to crack Hunt’s granite chin.
However, despite Hunt’s questionable gas tank, Hunt is probably the best and hardest puncher in heavyweight mixed martial arts. Hunt is a winner of the K-1 World Grand Prix in 2001, the crème de la crème of kickboxing honors, and a big deal in the martial arts world. Most fighters who are coming off a devastating loss are gun-shy and simply do enough to win the fight. This could lead to a boring affair.
Velasquez won impressively, coming off his title loss, and regained the title from Dos Santos in the fight after. Dos Santos needs to make a statement and put Hunt down to win and earn a rematch at the title. I could be crazy, but I think Hunt is going to catch him in the second round. We’ve seen that no matter how much danger Dos Santos is in, he never goes for the takedown. He is in love with stand-up fighting, and that will be his downfall in Las Vegas.
Ringside Logic 