In an action packed fights that will go down as one of the fights of the year, heavyweight fighters Mark Hunt (pictured left) and Antonio Silva (pictured right) fought to a majority draw in the main event of UFC Fight Night 33.
The fighters chose to touch gloves and as it started both heavyweights took centre of the cage. Early shots from Hunt rocked Silva however Hunt stayed calm and composed, choosing not to go for the finish. The tide quickly changed as Silva dropped Hunt with punches, however the 39 year-old Sydney based fighter was able to cover-up and work back to his feet. Silva landed a leg kick as the two fighters then clinched against the cast. ‘The Super Samoan’, Hunt reversed the position and escaped back to the centre of the octagon.
The careful chess match continued in the second round as Hunt came forward and Silva looked to counter with the feeling that if either fighter connected it could spell the end. Silva attempted a spinning heel kick however Hunt manoeuvred away from it. Hunt then landed a big punch which got the attention of the crowd and his opponent as Silva started utilising a straight front kick to keep Hunt away of reach. A leg kick from Silva late in the round injured Hunt who quickly switches lead foot.
Hunt was still wobbling on his left leg but comes out for the third round and started the round with a series of punches. Hunt then changed levels and got a takedown momentarily before Silva escaped back to his feet. Hunt ducked under a hook from Silva and landed a crisp uppercut before the Brazilian came in with a flurry of punches. A straight right from Hunt dropped Silva, and Hunt immediately came forward unloading with short punches and elbows.
Not many people though we would go in the fourth round in this one, and with the roof of the arena lifting off due to the noise both fighters looked to find that finishing shot. Hunt got the single-leg before diving at Silva to finish the takedown. Hunt then went to work from the top with short punches and elbows before Silva worked his way back to his feet. The two began to exchange heavy shots against the cage with both rocking each-other before Hunt looked for the takedown. Silva straight away reversed and ended up in the top position where he unloaded with heavy hands for the last minute, nearly forcing a stoppage from referee Steve Perceval.
Fighters chose to embrace in the middle of the octagon before the start of the fifth and final round. Hunt immediately looked to unload and landed some heavy shots on Silva who had a big cut open up on his forehead Hunt rocked Silva and continued the barrage of shots before the referee separated the fighters to let the doctor check on the cut. By the time it restarted, Silva had regained his composure and started to push the action again. Hunt landed huge counters which included a big left that rocked Silva. Both fighters were visibly exhausted as they clinched against the cage exchanging short strikes to finish the fight.
When the judges score cards came in the scorecards were 48-47, 47-47 and 47-47, with the fight being awarded a majority draw. The real wins in the end were the crowd, who after seeing their local fighters go 1-5 on the card previously, were entertained with one of the greatest heavyweight fights of all time.
UFC Fight Night 33 was held at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre in Queensland, Australia and shown live in Australia on Fuel TV.
