UFC Fight Night 85: Mark Hunt gets another walk-off KO, stops Frank Mir in first

Mark Hunt, right, and Frank Mir

BRISBANE, Australia – Ex-heavyweight champ Frank Mir’s plan to get Mark Hunt to the mat early and lock in a submission never got past the introductory stage.

Hunt (12-10-1 MMA, 7-4-1 UFC) stopped Mir (18-11 MMA, 16-11 UFC) before he could get close, delivering another walk-off knockout with a thudding right hand in the first round.

The heavyweight bout headlined today’s UFC Fight Night 85 main card at Brisbane Entertainment Centre in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It aired on FOX Sports 1 following prelims on the same channel and UFC Fight Pass.

The fight was called off at the 3:01 mark of the opening frame, just after Hunt landed his signature strike and simply walked away as Mir made it clear he wasn’t getting up any time soon.

“There’s always a winner and a loser, and it’s sad that one of us had to lose tonight, but Frank’s a good dude,” said Hunt, the No. 11 fighter in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA heavyweight rankings, after his win.

Mir, the No. 12 fighter, talked up his increased standup training and said in promos he simply had more ways to win than Hunt. But at the event’s media day, he said his plan was to grapple the former K-1 kickboxing champ early and often, setting up what would have been his ninth UFC submission win.

Hunt shucked Mir off, however, when the two got close. Although he whiffed big on several right hands, he eventually timed Mir, who courted danger by repeatedly ducking his head.

Hunt continues to wow audiences despite wild career swings. His win over Mir marks his second consecutive victory after he fell short to current UFC titleholder Fabricio Werdum in a 2014 interim title bout and was dominated by current contender Stipe Miocic in his return.

Mir, who tonight tied UFC Hall of Famer Tito Ortiz as the most experienced octagon competitor in the promotion’s history, suffered his second consecutive loss after a decision setback against ex-champ Andrei Arlovski. Since a short-notice bout for the heavyweight title in 2012 at UFC 146, Mir is 2-6 in the cage.

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 85 results include:

• Mark Hunt def. Frank Mir via knockout (punch) – Round 1
• Neil Magny def. Hector Lombard via TKO (strikes) – Round 3, 0:46
• Jake Matthews def. Johnny Case via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 4:45
• Daniel Kelly def. Antonio Carlos Junior via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 1:36
• Steve Bosse def. James Te Huna via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 0:52
• Bec Rawlings def. Seo Hee Ham via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
• Alan Jouban def. Brendan O’Reilly via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 2:15
• Dan Hooker def. Mark Eddiva via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 1:24
• Leslie Smith def. Rin Nakai via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
• Viscardi Andrade def. Richard Walsh via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Ross Pearson def. Chad Laprise via split decision (28-30, 30-27, 29-28)
• Alan Patrick def. Damien Brown via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)

For more on UFC Fight Night 85, check out the UFC Events section of the site.

(MMAjunkie’s John Morgan contributed to this report on site in Brisbane.)