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UFC Heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez will attempt to defend his heavyweight title, while Australian Mark Hunt is fighting on the undercard at UFC 160. We’ll have live updates from 12.00pm AEST.
Cain Velasquez (11-1-0) versus Antonio ‘Bigfoot’ Silva (18-4-0)
Heavyweight Championship of the world
A clash of the titan’s affair features as the main event of the evening, this bout is one of the stranger main events of recent times in that the two men have met before.
At UFC 146 Cain Velasquez took down and absolutely mauled Bigfoot Silva on his way to a gruesome first round TKO win.
Fast forward one year exactly and the two meet again however this time it’s for the title.
Since then both men have been hard at work. Cain put on one of the more dominant displays in title fight history when he rag dolled Junior Dos Santos for five rounds, thus regaining the heavyweight championship and also avenging the only loss of his career.
For Bigfoot it has been a memorable year for different reasons, It seems that the beating Cain gave him at UFC 146 has resulted in the Brazilian giant remembering that just because he is supposed to lose fights, doesn’t mean he has to.
After all, he handed the greatest heavyweight of all time, Fedor, his first ever TKO loss.
The perennial underdog first met Travis Browne in October last year in what was deemed by many to be a setup for Browne to enter the upper echelons of the division, Bigfoot TKO’d Browne in Round 1.
Then in what was supposed to be another qualifier for his opponent, Silva took on Dutch kickboxing phenom, Alistair Overeem, after winning the first and second rounds.
Overeem got tired and Bigfoot decided to derail the hype train, landing shots that could have concussed an elephant, Bigfoot had to be dragged off of his opponent by the referee after knocking Overeem out in the third round.
The moral of the story is that even though it is likely Cain will use his superior wrestling and boxing to control and finish Bigfoot once again, you simply can’t count out a man who has wears the underdog label better than maybe anyone ever has.
Heart says Bigfoot, head says Cain, it’s a tough call but I’m going with the champion here, I think he will just be too athletic for Bigfoot to deal with and will stop him in the second round via TKO – but there is always that chance.
Junior Dos Santos (15-2-0) versus Mark ‘Super Samoan’ Hunt (9-7-0)
Heavyweight bout
Junior dos Santos is coming off a loss that most agree took years off his career. Seeing a champion of such high calibre, with his freshly inked Nike contract and superhero status in Brazil, get beaten so resoundingly for five rounds was one of the more shocking things I have seen in sport.
This contest against a former K1 world grand prix champion, Mark Hunt, will perhaps decide whether he will ever reach the top of the division again.
A Pride veteran who has been involved in MMA since 2004 is well known to long time fans of the sport but has more recently become one of the UFC’s most popular fighters due to his knock out power and happy go lucky attitude, he is currently riding a four fight win streak, the latest being a brutal knockout of Dutch seven-footer Stefan Struve.
It has been known for while that a win here for Dos Santos will see him get another title shot, however it is less clear what will happen if Hunt wins.
Dana White spoke on the issue at UFC 158 press conference.
“It’s crazy to say, … but if he knocks Junior dos Santos out, how is this guy not next in line?” said White, but a definitive yes/no is yet to be given.
This looks to be a fantastic match-up between two men notorious for their knock-out power and granite chins, Dos Santos holds a clear advantage if the fight goes to the ground though I’d say that he will look to use his height and reach to cut Hunt off and try and knock him out.
This being said I don’t see either guy finishing the other on the feet and I think the former champions cardio will be the difference, He also showed some serious durability in his loss to Velasquez.
I think this might be the first time we see Junior’s BJJ black belt come into play, I’m picking dos Santos via submission round two.
Glover Texeria (20-2-0) versus James Te Huna (18-5-0)
Light Heavyweight bout
An International match-up sees the Brazillian Chuck Lidell prodigy, Glover Texeria take on rampaging Kiwi James Te Huna in a 205lb fight that promises fireworks!
Texeria has been surrounded by Hype for some time now and was widely considered to be one of the best fighters competing outside of the UFC until he made his promotional debut in 2012.
The Brazillian is currently riding an incredible 18-fight win streak and is 3-0 in the UFC so far, with wins over Kyle Kingsbury, Fabio Moldanado and Quinton Jackson to his name.
While Texeria has been well known by fans of the sport for a long time, his opponent, Te Huna has been quietly getting the job done and has amassed a four fight win streak since his first UFC loss to Alexander Gustafsson back in early 2011.
Te Huna has stood in for an injured Ryan Bader in this fight and a win over a top five opponent like Texeria will see his standing in the division raised considerably.
This is a tough one to pick but I’m going for the underdog here, Te Huna will have just too much power for Texeria, he will surprise everyone and get the KO in Round 2.
Gray ‘The Bully’ Maynard (12-1-1-1NC) versus TJ Grant (20-5-0)
Lightweight bout
A battle of top five lightweights, the winner of this one gets a shot at the champion, Benson Henderson.
Gray Maynard has been fighting in the UFC since being a cast member on the Ultimate Fighter season five back in 2007.
He has since gone 9-1-1 with his loss and draw both coming when fighting for the title against Frankie Edgar.
Maynard is one of the rare fighters that people love to watch fight even though he wins mainly by decision.
TJ Grant has been fighting in the UFC for almost as long as his opponent, the Canadian made his promotional debut in 2009 at UFC 97 with a win over Ryo Chonan.
His first six fights in the UFC were at welterweight where he went 3-3, he decided to move down a division to lightweight and that is where he has found success, having beaten all 4 of his opponents at 155lbs so far.
Grant holds a brown belt in Brazilian jiu jitsu but will more likely look to stand and trade with maynard, with many experts saying he has the more diverse striking arsenal of the two.
If this is anything like his past fights, Maynard will look to use his collegiate wrestling background combined with his trademark power punches to pressure Grant and tire him out.
I think that although Grant has shown some serious class of late he has yet to fight an elite lightweight fighter like Maynard and while I don’t think Maynard will knock Grant out on the feet, I do think he will tire him significantly with his wrestling and will come away with a decision victory.
Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone (19-5-0-1NC) versus KJ Noons (10-5-0)
Lightweight bout
One of the better known fighters in the UFC, Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone suffered the first TKO loss of his career at the hands of Anthony Pettis in his last outing and will be looking to get back in the title picture at 155lbs with a win over recent Strikeforce convert KJ Noons.
The 30-year-old Cerrone has gone 6-2 in the UFC since making his debut in 2011, while he relies on his kickboxing back ground, Cerrone has evolved during his time under the tutelage of Greg Jackson and Mike Winklejohn into one of the more well-rounded fighters in the lightweight division having the majority of his victories coming by way of submission.
His opponent, KJ Noons is coming off two losses under the Strikeforce banner and will most likely receive his marching orders from the UFC if he fails to win here, a tough ask for any debutant in the worlds premier MMA organisation let alone one who is fighting someone as tough and experienced as Cerrone.
While the Hawaiian Noons is a professional boxer as well as being an elite mixed martial artist I can’t see him getting past Cerrone who will be full of vinegar in his mission to get a big win.
Cerrone by second round submission.
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