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Five things you'll see at UFC 160
Joel Smith
Roar Rookie
24th May, 2013
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Joel Smith
Roar Rookie
24th May, 2013
1

If the UFC were to bring back the nicknames they bestowed upon events in the early days of the promotion, UFC 160 should be named UFC 160: Awesome.

Just plain ‘Awesome’.

In the ‘Fox-era’ of so countless UFC events, it is so rare to have a card that is totally stacked from top to bottom. So set the alarm nice and early for Sunday morning, you won’t want to miss a second of UFC 160.

1. A Mark Hunt KO or a Junior Dos Santos submission
These are only two ways this fight is going. If Hunt is to continue his fairytale renaissance he’s going to have to knock the former heavyweight champ out.

Plain and simple. Dos Santos will be too quick, have too much cardio and will out-point the Super Samoan if the fight stays on the feet.

However, Hunt’s iron chin means that Dos Santos probably won’t be able to put the adopted Aussie to sleep. If the Brazilian is to finish the fight it will be on the ground where the Ju-Jitsu black belt will have a massive advantage.

Although Hunt has showed improvement in his ground game, especially defensively against Stefan Struve, six of Hunt’s seven career loses are by submission and clearly where he is most vulnerable.

2. A world of pain for Bigfoot Silva
On May 26 last year, Cain Velasquez, frustrated by the loss of his title belt, unleashed one of the most brutal beatings of 2012 on Antonio Silva. 364 days later the two will meet for the UFC Heavyweight Championship.

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Truth be told, Bigfoot is lucky to be here.

In his last fight Alistair Overeem beat up the Brazilian for two rounds before Silva pulled off a miraculous knockout at the start of round 3.

Against Velasquez, it will take a miracle for Silva to walk out of the octagon, let alone win the strap.

3. Gray Maynard proves he’s still a contender
Many would argue that Frankie Edgar is the most unlucky fighter in the UFC. Controversial loses against Benson Henderson and Jose Aldo means Edgar currently has no gold around his waist.

But spare a thought for Gray Maynard. The no-frills American has never held the title despite beating Edgar before he was a champ as well as holding him to a draw as champ. Expect the forgotten man of the lightweight division to beat TJ Grant and secure a title shot before 2013 ends.

4. Wonderboy: The real deal?
Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson made a serious impact on the UFC in his debut fight with a first round head kick knockout of Dan Stittgen at UFC 143.

The kickboxer, who went unbeaten for 62 bouts, looked destined to be the next big thing at lightweight.

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That was until he ran into the 2012 Bloody Elbow Fighter of the Year Matt Brown, who exposed some gaping holes in Wonderboy’s MMA game.

After more than a year’s layoff, we will find out whether the kickboxing prodigy is the real deal when he takes on Nah-Shon Burrell.

5. Is Australia ready to step up in the UFC?
After nearly twenty years of the UFC, it’s time for one of our Aussies (or adopted Aussies) to stop pretending and start contending.

Guys like George Sotiropoulos, Hector Lombard, James Te Huna and Hunt have threatened or are threatening to join the elite of the sport, but to date, nobody has taken the next step.

With Hunt, Te Huna and Smashes winner Robert Whittaker fighting at UFC 160, this card will showcase more top level Australian fighters than any card before. For the future growth of the sport in this country, one or preferably all of these fighters, needs to win and announce themselves (and Australian MMA) on this massive stage.

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