Hunt vs. Miocic: A Complete Guide to UFC Fight Night 65
UFC Fight Night 65 takes place this weekend in Australia with a big heavyweight main event.
The event, which will be broadcast exclusively on UFC Fight Pass, features 12 bouts across eight divisions. The main event is a top-five heavyweight affair, as No. 4-ranked contender Stipe Miocic squares off against No. 5-ranked Mark Hunt.
The co-main event will be in the middleweight division. No. 14-ranked Brad Tavares takes on Robert Whittaker.
UFC Fight Night 65 comes with a strong slate of exciting fights. The fighters will look to grab wins and move into bigger fights in their respective divisions. This weekend's fisticuffs will keep you on the edge of your seat.
This is your complete guide to all the action in Australia.
Alptekin Ozkilic (9-3) vs. Ben Nguyen (13-5)
1 of 12
Division: Flyweight
The fights get started at 125 pounds.
Ozkilic is on a two-fight losing skid. He dropped bouts to Louis Smolka and John Lineker. Meanwhile, Nguyen earned a spot on the UFC roster after winning seven consecutive fights.
Ozkilic will be a tough out for Nguyen. Ozkilic has fought a much tougher slate of fighters, and that experience will pay off this weekend.
Expect the first fight to go the full 15 minutes and Ozkilic to get back into the win column. This bout likely won't be contending for Fight of the Night, but the flyweights will get the crowd going early with a competitive, fast-paced fight.
Prediction: Ozkilic defeats Nguyen by decision.
Vik Grujic (7-4) vs. Brendan O'Reilly (5-1)
2 of 12
Division: Welterweight
Grujic comes from The Ultimate Fighter: Nations and is 2-4 in his last six official contests. O'Reilly made his UFC debut last August but came out on the losing end against Lipeng Zhang.
This could be the worst fight on the card, or the sloppiness that is almost sure to come may make it fairly exciting. Either way, do not expect technical superiority from this fight.
Neither Grujic nor O'Reilly has shown much to tip the scales solidly in his direction. If pressed, I'll take Grujic. He has a win in the UFC and is fighting at home. That should give him enough incentive to pick up two rounds.
Prediction: Grujic defeats O'Reilly by decision.
Alex Chambers (4-2) vs. Kailin Curran (3-1)
3 of 12
Division: Strawweight
Chambers gets to fight in her home country, but she has a tall order this weekend as a natural atomweight. It showed in her TUF 20 finale matchup against Aisling Daly.
Curran will be the bigger, stronger athlete in the cage. She made her UFC debut in a losing effort to Paige VanZant, but she will pick up the W this weekend.
Curran is a good addition to the UFC's roster. She has solid all-around skills and is a good athlete. She just lacks experience. This is a great matchup to get her more cage time.
Chambers will struggle to keep the fight on the feet. Curran will get the finish in the second round after she weathers Chambers' initial burst of energy in the first round.
Prediction: Curran defeats Chambers by TKO in the second round.
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Dylan Andrews (17-6, 1 NC) vs. Brad Scott (9-3)
4 of 12
Division: Middleweight
One of the brighter prospects of TUF 17 has fallen on hard times. Andrews has lost two straight in the Octagon, and it won't get much easier against Scott.
Scott is 1-2 in the UFC but had a good performance against Michael Kuiper in 2013. It has been more than a year since we have seen him in action.
The competitiveness of this fight will hinge on Scott. His inactivity raises many questions about where he is in his career. If he comes in on top of his game, this should be a fun fight, but if he is rusty, it will be Andrews in a rout.
Scott has too many questions surrounding him for me to pick him in this fight. Andrews nabs a TKO finish.
Prediction: Andrews defeats Scott by TKO in the first round.
Bec Rawlings (5-4) vs. Lisa Ellis (15-9)
5 of 12
Division: Strawweight
This is a perfect matchup to make Rawlings look better than she is.
Ellis is a decent fighter but not at strawweight. Not anymore. She is too undersized.
Rawlings should have her way in this fight. She gained popularity in Invicta FC and kept that rolling, but she does not have a quality win on her record. She has routinely come up short.
This is a showcase fight for her. Rawlings will batter Ellis. The win may be able to secure her a Top 15 opponent later this year.
Ellis will be too tough for Rawlings to finish, but she is in for a 15-minute beating. Her lone out in this fight will be a first-round submission.
Prediction: Rawlings defeats Ellis by decision.
Dan Kelly (9-0) vs. Sam Alvey (25-6, 1 NC)
6 of 12
Division: Middleweight
The ever-smiling Alvey should provide another fun fight this weekend against the undefeated Kelly.
Kelly has a strong judo background, but taking down Alvey won't be that easy. If this fight turns into a brawl, then it heavily favors Alvey.
Kelly's last fight against Patrick Walsh was ugly. Alvey excels in that kind of fight.
These two will try to win Fight of the Night with a brawl. That won't end well for Kelly once he tastes Alvey's power. This should be action-packed for however long it goes, but I don't foresee a decision. Alvey gets a third straight victory by knockout.
Prediction: Alvey defeats Kelly by KO in the first round
Kyle Noke (20-7-1) vs. Jonavin Webb (8-0)
7 of 12
Division: Welterweight
Noke vs. Webb may be the most underrated fight on this card. Webb sports an 8-0 record with some solid wins, and Noke is a crafty veteran who will challenge him wherever the fight goes.
Noke is 1-3 in his last four, but he is better than his recent record suggests.
The 26-year-old Webb could be a surprising addition to the UFC's roster. If he can start his UFC career with a win over Noke, he will be a fast-riser in the division. He has the tools to get it done.
This will be one of the more tactical bouts on the card, and that plays to Noke's advantage. The veteran puts a one in the loss column for Webb. Noke won't win all three rounds, but he will win two of them. That will be good enough for the UFC to keep him around.
Prediction: Noke defeats Webb by decision.
Hatsu Hioki (27-8-2) vs. Dan Hooker (11-5)
8 of 12
Division: Featherweight
The final preliminary bout features one of the best fighters outside of the Top 15 of the featherweight division: Hatsu Hioki. The Japanese grappler has had a tough go in the UFC, but his losses have come to the cream of the crop at 145 pounds.
Hooker is 1-1 in the UFC. He is no slouch on the mat, but this is a bad matchup for that.
Hioki should dominate this fight. His length will not allow Hooker to find success in the striking department, and his mat work is some of the best in the division. He is going to tie Hooker up on the canvas once the fight gets there. And it will.
Hioki will look outstanding in this matchup.
Prediction: Hioki defeats Hooker via submission in the first round.
Jake Matthews (8-0) vs. James Vick (7-0)
9 of 12
Division: Lightweight
The first fight on the main card features one of the brightest prospects no one is talking about—Jake Matthews. And James Vick isn't too shabby either.
One of the two undefeated lightweights could be collecting bonus money for this fight.
Vick has three impressive wins in the UFC, but he has not faced someone like Matthews yet. The Aussie has finished both of his UFC fights thus far. That streak continues this weekend.
Matthews will clip Vick in the second round and then follow up for the TKO finish. After this victory, expect to see Matthews earn a fight stateside later in 2015. He will not be too far off a top-15 fight if he puts Vick out.
Prediction: Matthews defeats Vick by TKO in the second round.
Anthony Perosh (15-8) vs. Sean O'Connell (16-6)
10 of 12
Division: Light heavyweight
There are better fights that are more deserving of being on the main card. Regardless, Perosh and O'Connell find themselves on the second fight of the main card.
Both fighters got back in the win column in their last outing.
O'Connell has also earned back-to-back Fight of the Night honors. But all that means is that he gets hit a lot. Perosh has looked solid in all his UFC fights aside from the seven-second knockout loss to Ryan Jimmo.
This is a tough fight to call. Perosh is not the most athletic fighter on the roster by a long stretch, but he has notched some decent wins in the UFC. O'Connell has power in his hands, and Perosh is not the best at defending punches.
Perosh's recent performances are a bit more impressive. When push comes to shove, he has more of a reason to take the win.
Prediction: Perosh defeats O'Connell via submission in the third round.
Brad Tavares (13-3) vs. Robert Whittaker (13-4)
11 of 12
Division: Middleweight
Tavares worked his way up the rankings before running into Yoel Romero and Tim Boetsch. He picked up a win in his last outing against Nate Marquardt.
Whittaker is 4-2 in the UFC and 1-0 since moving up to middleweight. He has solid hands, but at 185 pounds he will be running into some big middleweights. Tavares is certainly one of those.
If one thing is for sure, you can expect this to go to the scorecards. Tavares hasn't finished a fight since 2011 and has an excellent chin. Only Boetsch was able to put him away. His defense will be enough to stop Whittaker from landing cleanly.
Tavares' grinding style will make this rather uneventful. He will press Whittaker against the cage for a significant portion of this fight. Tavares wins 30-27 across the board.
Prediction: Tavares defeats Whittaker by decision.
Stipe Miocic (12-2) vs. Mark Hunt (10-9-1)
12 of 12
Division: Heavyweight
The lone matchup between ranked fighters will be your main event, and it will be exciting. That's just the kind of fighters Miocic and Hunt are.
Miocic cannot stand and bang with Hunt. The Super Samoan's head movement is too good to be caught by Miocic's boxing. He will have to mix up his striking and grappling in order to find success, but Hunt's improved defensive grappling will make it difficult.
If Miocic is to win, he will need to drag Hunt to the deeper rounds. He can use his cardio to put Hunt in danger late.
I don't think it gets that far.
Miocic loves to strike. He will get caught up in an early-round exchange where Hunt connects. Miocic cannot handle that kind power. Hunt connects hard and clean for another walk-away knockout.
Prediction: Hunt defeats Miocic by KO in the second round.
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