Eight Times Mark Hunt Absolutely Destroyed His Opponent

No. 8-ranked UFC heavyweight Mark “The Super Samoan” Hunt is without question one of the heaviest hitters in the sport of mixed martial arts. A feared puncher with a lifetime of kickboxing experience under his belt, Hunt has produced some of the most brutal knockouts that we’ve ever had the pleasure of seeing.

The legendary striker will clash with returning former heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar in the co-main event of July 9’s UFC 200 from the all-new T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The bout seems to display the classic striker vs. grappler contest, and many are predicting Hunt to put Lesnar away as he’s done to so many other helpless victims.

Leading up to the highly-anticipated clash, we here at LowKickMMA thought it’d be the perfect time to take a look back the illustrious career of “The Super Samoan”. Excluding his kickboxing matches, let’s check out eight times that Hunt absolutely destroyed his opponent in an MMA fight.

Mark Hunt vs. Yosuke Nishijima – Pride 31

In his fifth professional MMA contest, Hunt met Yosuke Nishijima in the main event of Pride 31 from Saitama, Japan.

Given the devastating nature of the blows Hunt had landed throughout the duration of the bout, it was surprising to see Nishijima last until the third stanza, but the end would come soon enough. At 1:18 of the third round, “The Super Samoan” drilled Nishijima with a brutal combination that would send the Japanese born brawler crashing to the canvas.

No extra shots were needed, and Nishijima was left staring up at the lights wondering what had happened. Not only did this fight end in an impressive win for Hunt, but it also produced one of his most destructive finishes.

Mark Hunt vs. Tsuyoshi Kosaka – Pride Total Elimination Absolute

After dismantling Nishijima, Hunt went on to lock horns with Tsuyoshi Kosaka in May 2006. The two mixed it up on the ground throughout the first frame before beginning to trade on the feet in the second when it became clear that Hunt had the clear-cut striking advantage.

“The Super Samoan” used his jab to pepper and bloody his Japanese opponent, leading Kosaka to repeatedly and relentlessly shoot in for the takedown, desperately attempting to take the fight to the ground, albeit having no success.

Near the tail end of the second round, Hunt landed a thundering right hand that dropped Kosaka in the corner. It was over the second the shot landed, and Kosaka was left bloodied and broken.

Mark Hunt vs. Chris Tuchscherer – UFC 127

After losing a disappointing six straight, Hunt was looking to prove that he had something left in the tank when he faced off with Chris Tuchscherer at UFC 127 in February 2011.

“The Super Samoan” triumphantly made it clear that his bone-crushing power was still alive and well, as he blasted Tuchscherer with a fight-ending uppercut in the second round. Hunt walked off immediately, knowing that he had shut the lights off for his opponent.

Tuchscherer wore the effects of the shot, stumbling to his feet, as if he had no idea where he was. It was a tremendous finish, to say the least.

Mark Hunt vs. Cheick Kongo – UFC 144

This bout, which took place at UFC 144 in 2012, featured a clash between two of the heavyweight division’s most established strikers. Kongo, a French kickboxer, has long been known for his polished stand-up game, and he held a massive height and reach advantage over Hunt.

Despite his lack of size, Hunt once again proved his power wasn’t to be taken lightly. This match-up between two strikers proved instead to be yet another striking clinic put on by “The Super Samoan,” as it took him just over two minutes to bombard Kongo with a barrage of right hands that sent the French striker plummeting to the mat.

Kongo simply had nothing to offer Hunt.

Mark Hunt vs. Stefan Struve – UFC on Fuel TV 8

Although this fight was a back-and-forth contest early on rather than a one-sided demolition, very few of Hunt’s performances embody a sense of destruction more than this one, and all you have to do is look at the finish to see what that means.

As he had been so many times before, Hunt was at a massive size disadvantage going up against the towering 7’0” Stefan “Skyscraper” Struve, but once again we learned that Hunt’s power can simply take out any man.

In the third round, Hunt pressed the pace to land an absolutely devastating left hook right on the chin of Struve. “Skycraper” dropped instantly, and Hunt walked off without needing to land anymore shots.

Struve suffered a broken jaw from the shot, truly illuminating the power possessed by “The Super Samoan.”

Mark Hunt vs. Roy Nelson – UFC Fight Night 52

Very few fighters possess the pure one-punch knockout power that both Hunt and Roy Nelson do. With that being said, it was evident that we wouldn’t be hearing a final bell, nor would we need the judges’ scorecards when these two sluggers met in the main event of UFC Fight Night 52 in 2014.

Heading into the bout, “Big Country” had never been stopped before. Instead, Nelson was used to finishing opponents with his patented right hand, but this time, the roles were reversed. Early on in the second round, Hunt would land a brutal right hand that sent Nelson face planting to the canvas.

“The Super Samoan” walked off as he typically does, knowing that one shot was all he needed to seal the deal. Once again, it was pure destruction from Hunt.

Mark Hunt vs. Antonio Silva II – UFC 193

When Mark Hunt and Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva first squared off in the main event of UFC Fight Night 33, the bout ended in a draw. It was a highly entertaining and bloody slugfest that saw two monsters trade blows for five rounds.

Given the nature and result of the first fight, it only made sense to settle the score with a rematch. The two would meet again at November 2015’s UFC 193, but the result was far different.

Not only did we not receive another epic slugfest, but the rematch wasn’t even close. Hunt came in and bulldozed right through “Bigfoot,” clipping the Brazilian with a heavy right hand up against the cage in the first round.

“The Super Samoan” blasted Silva with a flurry of shots on the ground before being awarded yet another impressive stoppage victory.

Mark Hunt vs. Frank Mir – UFC Fight Night 85

Like Hunt’s upcoming fight, his most recent fight also featured a contest between a striker and a grappler in a way, as he faced off with one of the very best submission artists in UFC history in former heavyweight champion Frank Mir. Given his improved striking and elite-level grappling skills, many gave Mir a solid chance to beat Hunt.

As you may have guessed, however, Hunt’s power proved to be the gamechanger, and it only took him minutes to make that clear. Early on in the first round, “The Super Samoan” added another walk-off knockout to his resume, landing a brutal shot that simply took the life out of Mir.

In the aftermath of the bout, Mir said that Hunt was the hardest hitter he had ever faced.

Will “The Super Samoan” provide us with another destructive KO when he meets Lesnar in ‘Sin City’?