A fortnight on from their last event and so much has happened in the world of the UFC.
Jon Jones is no longer the light heavyweight champion, fighters are complaining about Reebok deal and the Conor McGregor hype train shows no signs of stopping.
Tonight the UFC goes down under with a card that has a plethora of exciting, if not altogether recognisable, fighters.
Our MMA nerds records thus far look like this:
“Bourbon” Ben Kiely: 62-34
Darragh “The Quizmaster” Murphy: 60-36
Stipe Miocic (12-2) v Mark Hunt (10-9-1)
BK: Whenever Mark Hunt fights anyone these days, we find ourselves asking the same question; can his opponent avoid the pair of H-Bombs he’s got stowed away in his hands?
I think Miocic is one of the few who can. We saw in his fight against dos Santos, that the man can take a punch. Maybe not a haymaker quite as powerful as Hunt’s best, but he has the agility, the speed, the footwork and the head movement to dodge the monster strikes.
That being said though, as long as Hunt still has cinder blocks for hands, he always has slightly more than a puncher’s chance. Miocic via decision
DM: Is there anything better than two big lads punching each other? If there is, we don’t want to know about it.
There’s not a great to be said about this fight other than the fact that the opening five seconds will be entirely more exciting than Mayweather v Pacquiao.
It’s simple. If Mark Hunt hits anything, buildings included, they will fall. But if he can’t land that haymaker then Stipe Miocic should walk a decision victory.
The smart money goes on the more technical Miocic who has amazing cardio for a heavyweight but I don’t have smart money. I have stupid money and it’s going on another Hunt walkoff knockout. Hunt by KO (six seconds into round one).
Brad Tavares (13-3) v Robert Whitaker (13-4)
BK: When you’ve got two strikers like this who are willing to slug it out on the feet, you’ve always got the potential for a barn-burner.
Tavares has gotten progressively more well-rounded of late, but he’ll never break free from his role as gatekeeper. He can the vast majority of fighters outside the top 15, but he won’t be pushing for a title shot any time soon, barring some kind of minor miracle.
He’ll cause Whitaker problems, but I expect the Aussie’s more polished striking game to earn him the victory. Whitaker by decision
DM: In my head, Tavares and Whitaker were always pretty much the same person and the fact that this has co-main event status makes me sad.
But a man’s gotta pick and I’m wholeheartedly backing Robert Whitaker here. I don’t trust Tavares’ chin in the slightest and Whitaker is a deadly striker, 100% more powerful and accurate than the Hawaiian.
That’s not to say that Tavares can’t work his way to a decision because if he puts forward the kind of well-roundedness he did against Lorenz Larkin then he takes this all day but my faith is still with Whitaker to get the finish on the feet. Whitaker via TKO (round three)
Anthony Perosh (15-8) v Sean O’ Connell (16-6)
BK: At 42, Perosh possesses old man strength that spry, 31-year-old whippersnapper O’Connell could only dream of having.
O’Connell can throw bombs, and Perosh is susceptible to being knocked out, but the Aussie definitely has the advantage on the ground. His Werther’s Originals-fueled power should see him take the American to the mat, take his back and sink in that patented rear-naked choke. Perosh via submission (round two)
DM: Anthony Perosh is one of those fighters that’s impossible to dislike. He’s a finish machine, having gone the distance just three times in his 23 fight career.
Here’s how I see this fight playing out. Both fighters come out striking sloppily, O’Connell rocks Perosh and rushes in to finish, Perosh pulls guard and works for a submission.
Yes, he’s 42 but there are very few people in the UFC with a ground game to match Perosh. Easy night for the Aussie. Perosh via submission (round two).
Jake Matthews (8-0) v James Vick (7-0)
BK: This is an intriguing bout between two bright prospects in the lightweight division. Whenever a bout is too close to call, I go with the foolproof method of picking the hometown fighter when available.
Vick might have the slight edge over Matthews on the feet, but I expect the Aussie fighter to nullifying this by taking him down to the mat and scoring some points from the dominant top position.Matthews via decision
DM: The Texecutioner is right up there with some of the worst nicknames in mixed martial arts but James Vick is a really solid young fighter who has an awful habit of pulling upsets.
Having said that, I think Jake Matthews might just be a class too high for him to fall victim to a shock tonight.
The Australian pushes the pace and is just the more complete fighter than Vick and is freakishly strong for a lightweight.
I don’t see a finish and reckon it will be closer than Matthews 5/9 favouritism would suggest. Matthews via ugly decision.
