10 reasons to watch UFC Fight Night 52, including the Mark Hunt situation

So the UFC’s dreaded invasion of Japan? It really hasn’t been more than a few ships onto shore for the promotion after it purchased PRIDE in 2007 and the country’s welcome mat was pulled up, signaling the start of a slow implosion of big-show JMMA.

UFC Fight Night 52, which takes place in PRIDE’s old haunt of Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, is just the third time the promotion has been to the Land of the Rising Sun under Zuffa. It’s looking like Japan is a yearly stopover, which considering the dwindling popular interest in MMA after the PRIDE yakuza scandal is probably a smart business decision. Until the old boss Nobuhiko Sakakibara comes out of retirement, there won’t be much competition to drive further investment (or financial backing, if reports the show is bankrolled by an ad agency and telecom giant are still true).

With Garry Cook now in charge of the UFC’s global operations, it remains to be seen whether the UFC builds its footprint in Japan or focuses more on China and other Asian territories, but it’s a promising shift.

But despite all that, let’s take another walk down Nostalgia Road? The UFC has booked a main event featuring heavyweight titans Mark Hunt and Roy Nelson. It’s a matchup that would make Bob Sapp smile and a PRIDE girl cry, or maybe even the other way around.

The last-minute drama of Hunt’s reported last-minute 19-pound weight cut adds a bit of intrigue to the five-round main event, whose time limit may be unnecessary when the fists start flying. Then there’s a co-headliner with ranked lightweight competition, and the return of one sexy fighter.

So onward toward the attractions, and here are 10 reasons to get up early (or stay up late) to watch UFC Fight Night 52 on UFC Fight Pass at 12:30 a.m. ET (9:30 p.m. PT).

1. Huge in Japan

At 40 Hunt’s kidneys are probably screaming at him at the very moment this is being written. Cutting 19 pounds isn’t unheard of in combat sports; it’s just rarely the beginning to a good story from a victorious fighter.

Hunt hasn’t always been known as a particularly svelte athlete, preferring instead to rely on his knockout power and iron jaw. In recent years, he’s gotten more serious about his career, and he’s even gone on a UFC winning streak after the promotion offered to let him out of his contract. But he’s never been a professional weight-cutter, and now, he could be in deep trouble even before he steps into the octagon with Nelson.

He wrote this on his official Facebook page at the time of this writing: “Everything mark hunt buy it everything social media repost it tweet it insta it lets get this train smoking bangemout till the dam wheels fall off.u didn’t know bout till the dam wheels fall off.and if u don’t support in any way prepare for a rusty fukn bullet right between your eyes guuuummmooonnn.”

Look, Hunt (9-8-1 MMA, 4-2-1 UFC) has always been a little left of center. It could very well be that this whole thing is another joke he’ll laugh about after concussing Nelson (20-9 MMA, 7-5 UFC). But it could also be an incredibly dangerous experiment, which almost makes you want to look away as much as tune in.

2. Timbuuur

On a more usual note of violence, there’s the durability factor to consider when considering Hunt and Nelson. A few years go, you’d be hard pressed to find a guy more known for his ability to take punches than Hunt. But since his debut in the UFC, it’s been Nelson who’s carved out a reputation as the punishment king. Junior Dos Santos wailed at him for three rounds and couldn’t finish. Same for Fabricio Werdum, who’s no power puncher but certainly not pillow-fisted. The question here is who’s in better shape these days? For the aforementioned reason, it may be Nelson by default. But we’ll see. As the cliche goes, all that stuff catches up, for everybody.

3. Jury still out

Lightweight Myles Jury (14-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) is just one of those guys who’s talented, but has yet to reach any sort of critical mass in a crowded division. A solid decision win over Diego Sanchez was a good step toward building his name, and if he can beat Takanori Gomi (35-9 MMA, 4-4 UFC), he may get another bump.

A win would make it six in a row for “Fury,” who’s ranked No. 12 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA lightweight rankings. It’s a feat only Khabib Nurmagomedov can boast at 155 pounds. The two certainly have something in common as underrated lightweights, but it just takes one highlight reel clip to change everything.

4. Bringing sexy back

Even after all these years, Yoshihiro Akiyama is a guy you want to root for, if for no other reason than his kind of silly but still amusing “Sexyama” moniker.

Of course, Akiayama’s recent performance haven’t been that sexy. The 39-year-old has lost four straight and taken an extended leave of absence from the sport to rehab injuries and get his head on straight before deciding to return to the UFC against Amir Sadollah. You get the sense that this is the last gasp of the Japanese vet before he moves on to acting or modeling or whatever it is you do when you make your living with your looks.

Sadollah (6-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) is not in the same boat. He’s been laid up with multiple injuries and has plenty of years left in his UFC-centric career to see if he can make an impact. He’s the young gun in this occasion, but Akiyama (13-5 MMA, 1-4 UFC) might not yet be ready for the pasture.

5. Women’s limbo

Women’s bantamweight Miesha Tate (14-5 MMA, 1-2 UFC) gets the unenviable task of treading water against contenders after dual losses to champ Ronda Rousey. After a somewhat lackluster effort against onetime title challenger Liz Carmouche in her most recent appearance, she moves down the ladder to undefeated prospect Rin Nakai (16-0-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC), a Pancrase champion who’s recently beaten experienced vets Sarah D’Alelio and Tara LaRosa.

Nakai might be the stronger woman in a shorter fight. Tate, though, is great at dragging opponents not named Rousey into deep waters. It’s also Nakai’s big-show debut. She could easily fade in later rounds or surprise everyone with an impressive showing. Tate will find out for us.

6. Protect ya neck

MMA math would tell us that “TUF: Nations” vet Richard Walsh‘s biggest hurdle in fighting welterweight Kiichi Kunimoto is to guard against submissions. Kunimoto (17-5-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC) surprised in his most recent outing against Daniel Sarafian, tapping the would-be “TUF: Brazil” finalist with a rear-naked choke in the first, which, wouldn’t you know it, was the thing that finished Walsh (8-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) in his reality show run. The Aussie is a fast-handed fighter in the pocket and will undoubtedly do everything to keep Kunimoto from getting position on him. It’s just the Japanese vet’s job to ignore his defense and press on.

7. Scrappy happy flyweight time

Flyweight Jon Delos Reyes (7-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC) put up a hell of a good fight in his UFC debut opposite Dustin Kimura before he made a mistake and got caught in an armbar. Things don’t get any easier in his return bout against Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto product Kyoji Horiguchi (13-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC), who made his 125-pound debut in the UFC with a win over the highly regarded Darrell Montague.

Flyweight is where the Japanese fighter should have been all along at 5-5 with a 66-inch reach. A solid submission defense has kept him from danger on multiple occasions so far, but maybe Reyes can repay the favor given to him and pull off the upset.

8. A step back for Leeroy

Bantamweight Alex Caceres (10-6 MMA, 5-4 UFC) made the right gamble when he fought Urijah Faber at UFC 175, and even though it didn’t work out, he got an idea of what it’s like at the top of the division. Now, the question is whether he can use that experience to rebuild toward the elite level.

The first stop is Masanori Kanehara (23-11-5 MMA, 0-0 UFC), an often gonzo and uneven Japanese vet with some quality wins in his recent past. He’s beaten Chang Sung Jung, Yamamoto and Michihiro Omigawa. The quality of his opposition has flagged in recent years, and it seems like he’s on the backside of a long career just under the radar. But he’s got a big chance here, and it’s up to Caceres not to blow it.

9. Back on the road

For a while, featherweight Sam Sicilia (13-4 MMA, 3-3 UFC) was the official out-of-towner for the UFC’s road shows. The “TUF 15? vet got what he wanted with a pair of stateside fights, which he split against Cole Miller and, most recently Aaron Phillips. Back on the international circuit, he meets a guy possibly crazier than him, Katsunori Kikuno (21-6-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC), who became a cautionary tale in his octagon debut when his kung fu was batted aside by Tony Ferguson. This could be a bad one if the Japanese pulls the same routine, which makes you worry for his brain.

10. Ahhh!

Hard not to root for a guy who damns the torpedos and screams for victory. That’s welterweight Hyun Gyu Lim (12-4-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC), who takes on multi-time Pancrase champ Takenori Sato (17-9-7 MMA, 0-1 UFC). Both of them are rebounding from recent losses, so it might be a good idea to get out the ear plugs if you’ve got good computer speakers.

For more on UFC Fight Night 52, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.

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