Mark Hunt vs. Stipe Miocic: What We Learned from UFC Fight Night 65 Tilt
Stipe Miocic battered Mark Hunt in the main event of UFC Fight Night 65.
It was brutal. Hunt had nothing to offer Miocic. The Cleveland native fought smart and never gave Hunt a chance. He wore him out. Miocic solidified his spot in the upper echelon of the division, coming inches closer to securing a potential title shot down the line.
As for Hunt, it is hard to gauge where he is. This was not a good showing.
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Regardless, this is what we learned from the main event beatdown.
What We’ll Remember About This Fight
Hunt’s battered face.
It was ugly. His eye was starting to swell shut, and it is probably debatable if he could even see out of it. The ringside physician checked on him and allowed the fight to continue. He probably should have stopped it.
Hunt took a prolonged beating at the hands of Miocic.
"That was upsetting. No other way to describe it. Beatdown of the year?
— caposa (@GrabakaHitman) May 10, 2015"
What We Learned About Mark Hunt
We learned that he is done as a top-five heavyweight. His ascent was fun, but this was the kind of performance that removes him from future consideration.
He’s older and slower and doesn’t have the defense to contend with fighters like Miocic.
He got lambasted. If he returns, there are plenty of fun bouts for him to take, but fighting true contenders is not where his future lies.
What We Learned About Stipe Miocic
This is difficult to say. Miocic dominated the fight but never really looked spectacular. His stoppage came by way of accumulation. He didn’t put Hunt away with a nice submission or a heavy-handed flurry on the canvas.
The referee had just seen enough of Hunt getting smoked.
This performance did little to suggest Miocic is a legitimate threat to a healthy Cain Velasquez. I am not even sure if it makes anyone believe he is a threat to the monstrous Fabricio Werdum. He is a contender, but how people perceive his chances is a different matter.
I’m not sure this fight did anything to make him stand out as a realistic championship threat.
What’s Next for Hunt?
Hunt is still fun and serviceable. There are two names that come to mind immediately—Bigfoot Silva and Cro Cop.
Bigfoot returns in August. Win or lose, most fans would relish a rematch of their classic fight. It is a fight that should happen at some point, and both men are not making their way to the gold anytime soon.
Likewise, Cro Cop makes sense. Two historically fun strikers squaring off in a match built on just being fun? Sign me up.
Either fighter will do.
What’s Next for Miocic?
The winner of UFC 187’s Travis Browne-Andrei Arlovski fight is the only thing that makes sense.
Miocic is just now getting back in the win column, and the heavyweight unification bout isn’t until UFC 188. Miocic vs. Browne or Arlovski in a title eliminator is just about the only thing that makes any sense in this division.
There is no timetable for Junior dos Santos’ return, which leaves a gaping hole for the next title contender. We should see a title eliminator between Miocic and the UFC 187 winner later this year.
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