UFC Fight Night 65: Miocic vs. Hunt Fight Card, Live Stream Info and Predictions
On Saturday, there will be a rumble down under.
The UFC heads to Adelaide, Australia for its latest Fight Night card. The heavyweights take center stage in this UFC Fight Pass exclusive.
Stipe Miocic has seemingly been on the cusp of a title shot in the UFC's heavyweight division a few times, but he always seems to drop a fight just before he can ascend the latter. That happened in Miocic's last fight against Junior dos Santos in December 2014.
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Miocic lost a unanimous decision and plenty of the momentum he had acquired from three straight wins.
The Croatian-American's next test takes place on Saturday in Adelaide, Australia when he faces rugged veteran Mark "The Super Samoan" Hunt. The latter has had his share of memorable wins, but he's also met some humbling defeats.
In his last fight, Hunt was knocked out by Fabricio Werdum in a battle for the interim UFC heavyweight title. Both Miocic and Hunt still have their sights set on UFC gold. The road back up the ladder begins with their main event scrap at UFC Fight Night Adelaiade. As usual, it's clear what Hunt's game plan will be.
In the video below from Submission Radio, the Super Samoan says he's "going to knock his [Miocic] lips off." That would be a sight.
This card is chock full of native Australians who figure to have the crowd in Adelaide firmly behind them. To take in the fight atmosphere, here's the viewing information, full card and predictions.
| Alptekin Ozkilic vs. Ben Nguyen | Flyweight | Nguyen by TKO |
| Vik Grujic vs. Brendan O'Reilly | Welterweight | O'Reilly by decision |
| Alex Chambers vs. Kailin Curran | Strawweight | Curran by decision |
| Dylan Andrews vs, Bradley Scott | Middleweight | Andrews by TKO |
| Bec Rawlings vs. Lisa Ellis | Strawweight | Rawlings by submission |
| Dan Kelly vs. Sam Alvey | Middleweight | Kelly by submission |
| Kyle Noke vs, Jonavin Webb | Welterweight | Webb by TKO |
| Hatsu Hioki vs. Dan Hooker | Featherweight | Hooker by TKO |
| Jake Matthews vs. James Vick | Lightweight | Matthews by submission |
| Anthony Perosh vs. Sean O'Connell | Light Heavyweight | Perosh by submission |
| Brad Tavares vs. Robert Whittaker | Middleweight | Whittaker by decision |
| Stipe Miocic vs. Mark Hunt | Heavyweight | Miocic by decision |
The Main Event and Co-Feature
Whittaker Will Outpoint Tavares
Brad Tavares has clearly been working to diversify his attack. It showed in his last fight with Nate Marquardt at UFC 182 in January. His striking looked smoother and he transitioned to takedowns with fluidity.
However, he'll be up against a young lion destined to be a contender in the UFC's middleweight division.
Robert Whittaker has scored back-to-back impressive wins over Clint Hester and Mike Rhodes. His power, takedown defense (91 percent) and activity give him the advantage over Tavares. A stoppage is possible, but we'll go with a clear unanimous-decision win for Whittaker.
Miocic Will Decision Hunt
Miocic knows he can't trade power shots with Hunt—no one can. Instead, he'll use his speed and reach advantage to move in and out of striking range. He believes he's better than Hunt in all areas and he may be right.
Per Brent Brookhouse of MMA Junkie, Miocic said:
“I think I do everything better than Mark, you know? I have more skill. He has power. So do I. I’ve got better boxing. I’ve got better wrestling. I’ve got grappling. Wherever he wants to take it, I’ll go where he wants to go.”
From a pure skill standpoint, Miocic is more refined and has more layers to his overall game. He's also a smart fighter. He won't allow himself to fall into the trap that Hunt lays for his opponents in an effort to land one of his huge right hands.
Behind a peppering jab and some timely takedowns, Miocic will take an unanimous decision over Hunt.
Fight Night Bonus Predictions
Fight of the Night and Performance of the Night 1
Jake Matthews vs. James Vick
As pure athletes in the UFC are concerned, 20-year-old Jake Matthews is one of the best. His speed and power are rare assets. Those two qualities are the biggest reason his ceiling is so high. Matthews was introduced to UFC fans as one of the most promising members of the The Ultimate Fighter: Nations house.
While he didn't win, he announced himself as one to watch in the future. As a professional, he hasn't lost a bout.
Matthews will put his undefeated record at stake against James Vick's unblemished professional career mark. Someone's "O" has to go, but not before we see a really good fight in the process.
Vick has the obvious edge in length standing 6'3" compared to Matthews who is 5'9". That said, the latter is the quicker and more fluid athlete. Vick's jab and the use of some leg kicks should prove to be troublesome for Matthews early.
However, Matthews is so active, he'll find a way to close the distance and get the fight to the ground. When he does, he'll begin to find some success. This could turn into a back-and-forth affair between two young promising fighters.
Ultimately, Matthews' work rate and advanced submission game will lead to a hard-fought third-round submission victory. This one might sting for Vick. I expect him to do some excellent work in stand-up exchanges, and to have the lead on the scorecards when he's stopped. The ebb and flow of this bout could be awesome.
This is my pick for Fight of the Night and Matthews should garner the first Performance of the Night bonus.
Performance of the Night 2
Daniel Kelly
In one of the preliminary bouts on the card, undefeated Australian Dan Kelly is matched against KO-artist Sam Alvey. The latter has recorded 16 of his 25 wins by KO or TKO.
Kelly's specialties are grappling and submissions. He's a perfect 9-0 in his career and that includes a 2-0 record in the UFC. This is a clear example of a style clash and these types of fights can be exciting. This one won't disappoint, but in the end we'll see Kelly prevail.
Alvey's ground game isn't horrible, but he's vulnerable to the takedown as we saw when he faced Dylan Andrews. Alvey was taken down on two of three takedown attempts, per FightMetric.com. He stopped Andrews, but the latter isn't as skilled in submissions as Kelly.
The 37-year-old from Melbourne will be able to put Alvey on the defensive on the ground, and ultimately earn the submission.
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