UFN 33 Brisbane: Mark Hunt vs. Antonio Silva Fight Breakdown

Mark Hunt and Antonio ‘Bigfoot’ Silva are on a Heavyweight collision course, set to come to boil at UFN 33 in Brisbane, Australia. Both men are looking to rebound from recent losses; Hunt was KO’d in spectacular fashion at UFC 160 by Junior Dos Santos, and Silva was dispatched by Cain Velsquez on the same night in less time than it takes to cook a hot pocket.

So both guys should be motivated to come back strong, in what will likely be a pivotal bout for both their futures. Let’s take a look at the breakdown of this HW showdown:

Striking:

Both these scrappers have serious power on the feet, Silva holds 13 wins from 18 by KO, and Hunt six from nine. The difference here is that Hunt has a lot of striking experience through his kickboxing career, where he tallied 13 KO victories from 30 overall.

Silva is a black belt in Shotokan Karate and was the first man to ever finish Fedor Emelianenko by strikes. It is styles that make fights, which is why I’m picking Hunt in the striking department. Silva may have the reach advantage but Hunt is very good at getting inside and breaking bones with fists; just ask Stefan Struve. 60-40 for Hunt

Grappling:

Silva has to be the favorite in this department for my money: The Brazilian giant has a black belt in Jiu Jitsu and Judo, but doesn’t often use it in MMA competition. Holding only three submission wins overall, Silva often reverts to his striking to win fights.

Hunt’s Jits game has improved in the time since his Pride FC days, during his six fight skid Hunt had lost three by kimura and two by armbar. He showed vastly improved defence in his bout against Stefan Struve, but I’m still giving the nod to Silva at 70-30

Wrestling:

I think that the wrestling probably won’t be much of a factor in this fight, unless either guy gets hurt along the way. Neither have any sort of wrestling credentials to speak of, and physical advantages could be spread evenly for either man. Hunt has the lower centre of gravity, allowing him to have good balance and power from the legs

Silva is the bigger, taller man so he would be able to use his hips to pin Hunt to the mat if given the advantage. Overall I’d call it 50/50.