UFC Fight Night 110: The Black Beast vs The Super Samoan
Date: Sunday 11th June 2017. 3am (BST)
Location: Auckland, New Zealand
Venue: Spark Arena
Derrick Lewis vs Mark Hunt
The UFC arrives in Auckland for the second time and will be treated to a titanic heavyweight clash between their hometown hero; Mark Hunt and American; Derrick Lewis.
Heading towards the end of his illustrious and topsy-turvy career, Hunt is on the prowl for pay checks and putting opponents to sleep but preferably both at the same time. The Super Samoan is a decorated and accomplished Kickboxer and proudly owns some of the heaviest hands in MMA and accompanying his minimal interest in grappling makes all his bouts exhilarating. We know what to expect from Hunt but the sheer power of the man means he requires one touch to spark his fellow trucks unconscious.
However, the same can be said for The Black Beast. At 6’3” and at the 265 lb limit the man is a behemoth who also prefers to keep the fight standing, relying on his terrifying power to end the fight as quickly as possible. At a contrasting stage of his career, Lewis is making a run for the heavyweight title with an incredible six wins in a row with five of them finishing via knock out. He is young, hungry and improving with every fight so will be a huge test for Hunt but the Super Samoan will be in his element engaging a slugfest with an opponent with the same intentions.
See below for a statistical breakdown:
Derek Brunson vs Daniel Kelly
The co-main is an intriguing middleweight bout between Derek Brunson and Aussie; Daniel Kelly. The hard hitting American has suffered two rare losses in his last two fights against Robert Whittaker and Anderson Silva and is desperate for a win to get back on track.
The awkward hurdle on the track however is a fighter who has won four on the bounce including an impressive decision victory over the former light heavyweight champion; Rashad Evans. The awkward Aussie is rather unassuming but goes about his business with efficient precision equipped with a contrasting skill set to Brunson.
Kelly is an expert grappler, a high level black belt in Judo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu making this a truly fascinating contest between the aggressive, bomb-throwing Brunson and the slick and snake-like predator Kelly.
See below for a statistical breakdown:
Dan Hooker vs Ross Pearson
The Hangman vs The Real Deal, the Kiwi vs the Brit. The Auckland native has lost three of his last five but two of those were against Jason Knight and Yair Rodriguez who are two of the most promising young talents in the division. He has another tough test in the shape of the incredibly tough and durable veteran who is fighting to save his UFC career. Since winning The Ultimate Fighter back in 2009, Pearson has been fighting the cream of the crop but all the wars have taken its toll suffering four defeats in his last five fights. Let’s hope the desperation of these fighters won’t hinder their performances.
See below for a statistical breakdown:
Ion Cutelaba vs Henrique da Silva
Two large young guns take the next slot on the main card at similar stages of their career. Both arrived to the UFC undefeated with 11 (Cutelaba) and 12 wins (da Silva), but suffered their first two losses since stepping up to the big time. This promises to be another gripping clash with two immensely skilled fighters. Cutelaba is a European Sambo champion with a strong background in Greco-Roman wrestling and Judo, whereas da Silva is a vicious striker from a Muay Thai background. Although Cutelaba is an elite grappler, he will also hunt the knock-out so expect fireworks.
See below for a statistical breakdown:
Tim Elliott vs Ben Nguyen
Elliott had a fantastic return to the UFC after being released from the promotion in early 2015. To earn his place back in the UFC he won The Ultimate Fighter, cast full of flyweight champions from other organisations, and as a reward was granted a shot at Demetrious Johnson. Although he lost, Elliott put on a great performance, taking Johnson the whole five rounds and gave the champion his toughest test in years, fully cementing his place in the UFC and the flyweight rankings. He now takes on a hugely talented striker in Nguyen. He will be looking for his fourth UFC win and eleventh knock-out, utilising his elite level Taekwondo to keep the distance, avoid the takedown and stifle Elliott’s unorthodox and unpredictable striking.
See below for a statistical breakdown:
Alexander Volkanovski vs Mizuto Hirota
Two fighters at the beginning of their UFC career take the first spot on the main card. Making the short flight from Australia for his second UFC fight, Volkanovski is a star in the making as he takes on the Japanese veteran, Hirota. Although heavily experienced, Hirota has only had two UFC fights himself and is enjoying the best form of his career, hungry to prove his UFC calibre. So is Volkanovski, though, who carries a great deal of confidence with an astonishing 12 finishes from his 14 wins. As they have only had three UFC fights between them, we have broken down all of their career finishes.
See below for a statistical breakdown:
