Curtis Blaydes Survives & Controls Mark Hunt

Curtis Blaydes had the perfect plan to survive the early blitz of Mark Hunt.

The co-main event of UFC 221 featured a heavyweight battle between Hunt and Blaydes. Perth, Australia was treated to the clash inside Perth Arena. The Australian fans were fully behind Hunt.

Blaydes looked to keep his distance early. He landed a leg kick and kept faking shots. Hunt tried fighting off the takedown, but couldn’t do it. Luckily for him, he got back to his feet quickly. Hunt stunned Blaydes with a right hand. He charged forward and Blaydes went down from another shot. Blaydes was able to take down his opponent and almost moved to full mount. Hunt got back to his feet, but was taken back down. The round ended with Blaydes taking Hunt’s back.

Blaydes wasted little time shooting in at the start of round two. Hunt was able to separate. Hunt thwarted a takedown attempt. Blaydes timed a takedown perfectly. He landed some elbows on the ground. The round ended with Blaydes in control.

Blaydes took Hunt down immediately in the final frame. Hunt got up, but was slammed back down. He went to mount and attacked the right arm, but the submission wasn’t there. As quickly as Hunt got up, he was right back down. Hunt was able to reverse the position and they separated. It didn’t last as Hunt had no answer for the takedowns. The final horn sounded and the decision was clear.

Final Result: Curtis Blaydes def. Mark Hunt via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 29-27)