Saturday night at UFC Fight Night 85 in Brisbane, Australia, hometown favorite Mark "The Super Samoan" Hunt (11-10-1). takes on former UFC Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir (18-10) in the main event.
The 41-year-old Hunt and 36-year-old Mir are both past their primes, but the two men have an opportunity at earning a title shot down the road in the shallow heavyweight division.
Here's a look at the viewing information, matchups and predictions for the entire card.
Bout |
Prediction |
||
| Main Card (Fox Sports 1, 10 p.m. ET) | |||
| Heavyweight: Mark Hunt vs. Frank Mir | Mir by submission | ||
| Welterweight: Hector Lombard vs. Neil Magny | Magny by submission | ||
| Lightweight: Johnny Case vs. Jake Matthews | Case by decision | ||
| Middleweight: Antonio Carlos Junior vs. Daniel Kelly | Kelly by decision | ||
| Middleweight: James Te Huna vs. Steve Bosse | Te Huna by TKO | ||
| Women’s Strawweight: Bec Rawlings vs. Seo Hee Ham | Rawlings by submission | ||
| Preliminary Card (Fox Sports 1, 8 p.m. ET) | |||
| Welterweight: Brendan O’Reilly vs. Alan Jouban | Jouban by TKO | ||
| Welterweight: Viscardi Andrade vs. Richard Walsh | Andrade by TKO | ||
| Featherweight: Daniel Hooker vs. Mark Eddiva | Hooker by decision | ||
| Women’s Bantamweight: Rin Nakai vs. Leslie Smith | Smith by decision | ||
| Preliminary Card (UFC Fight Pass, 6:30 p.m. ET) | |||
| Lightweight: Ross Pearson vs. Chad Laprise | Pearson by TKO | ||
|
Patrick by submission | ||
Mir and others on the card talk about their preparation and opponents in the video below. You'll also see the very lighthearted staredown between Hunt and Mir. It's safe to say there's no bad blood between these two.
Case Will Edge Matthews
Jake Matthews is a strong prospect in the lightweight division, but he'll fall at the hands of the more experienced and hungry Johnny Case. The latter's name isn't mentioned when most discuss the top young 155-pounders in the UFC, but it should be.
He's won all four of his fights in the UFC, and that includes a unanimous-decision victory over Yan Cabral in November. Matthews' is a better pure athlete and an excellent wrestler, but at 21 years old and with only 11 professional fights, he still lacks the polished game to beat Case.
The American will earn a close decision victory based on a better performance in stand-up. Both men will emerge with their reputations as potential stars intact.
Magny Will Choke Out Lombard
If you made a list of the most underrated fighters in the UFC, Neil Magny's name would be near the top. Magny has won two fights in a row and nine of his last 10 overall. Despite the impressive run, Magny is currently ranked ninth among welterweights. That'll change after Saturday night.
Hector Lombard is a powerful striker, but he'll be giving up nine inches in reach against Magny. The latter's fight IQ is impressive. Magny makes very few tactical errors, and his edge in length will allow him to dictate the pace of the fight.
Lombard will have an issue closing the distance against his opponent, and his ground game won't stand up to Magny's should the fight go to the canvas. In what will be Magny's signature performance, he'll stop Lombard by rear-naked choke .
Mir's Submission Game Will Top Hunt's Striking
Everyone knows Hunt is one of the most powerful strikers in MMA. When he and Mir clash in the main event, it's imperative the latter resists the urge to exchange with his opponent. If Mir gets caught standing still too long, Hunt will end this fight quickly.
Instead, look for Mir to be patient as he awaits the opportunity to get the fight to the ground. In his career, Mir has only amassed a 42.86 percent takedown rate. That's far from impressive, but Mir is the type of fighter who has proved he's capable of coming up with big victories.
Not many expected Mir to top Todd Duffee in July 2015 or Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva in February 2015, but he won both of those fights before dropping a decision to Andrei Arlovski in September 2015.
Look for Mir find an opportunity to get Hunt to the mat. He'll never let him off his back and Mir will win by submission.
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