On Saturday night, Stipe Miocic pulled off one of his most impressive performances to date when he dominated Mark Hunt for five rounds straight. Coming into this fight, Miocic looked to rebound from a close decision loss against former champion Junior Dos Santos at UFC on Fox 13 in December.
With Miocic’s TKO and an exciting main card, fight fans were treated to an entertaining event.
Offical result: Stipe Miocic defeats Mark Hunt by TKO (strikes), 2:47 of round five
What was the high point of the fight?
This fight displayed the importance of athleticism in MMA. Stipe’s speed advantage paired with his ability to change levels seamlessly made this fight unwinnable for Hunt. While Miocic’s wrestling was the big decider in this fight, his boxing too looked sharp and the high point of this fight was the pair of power rights he landed in the second round.
Where do these two go from here?
Over the past 18 months, Stipe Miocic has began to fulfill the high expectations that the fight community had for him when he signed for the UFC as a top ranked prospect. Although he suffered a close loss to Junior Dos Santos in December, he proved he has the ability to compete with the elite and with his win over Hunt, it is safe to assume his next fight will be a number one contender’s fight. Expect Miocic to face the winner of Arlovski vs. Browne for a shot at the belt.
I don’t envy Mark Hunt right now. During the 5 rounds that he spent in the cage with Miocic he received an extraordinary amount of damage. At 41 it is likely that Hunt’s best days are behind him, but his fan-friendly style is fun to watch so I wouldn’t be opposed to watching him face fellow hard hitter Gabriel Gonzaga next time out.
Watch now, later, or never?
Watch later, this fight wasn’t fun to watch. The referee let it go on far too long and it was pretty brutal viewing, though Miocic’s impressive performance is worth watching if you are prepared to sit through a one-sided beat down.