MANILA, Philippines – Mark Hunt sent a strong message to the entire heavyweight roster by knocking out two-time division kingpin Frank Mir in the main event of UFC Fight Night 85 on Sunday, March 20 at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre in Brisbane, Australia.
The 41-year-old Kiwi veteran turned the lights off on Mir at the 3:01 mark of the first round with his signature right hand before taking one look at his fallen opponent and then walking away while shaking his head.
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“We have an after-party at the Hamilton hotel. Come down. It’s only $25 to come,” said Hunt, who invited the crowd to his after-party during his post-fight interview.
The former UFC heavyweight titleholder took the risk of exchanging leathers with Hunt in the toe-to-toe trade, where the 36-year-old American was met with solid bombs from his heavy-handed foe.
Mir, who tried several times to take his counterpart down to the floor, courted danger by repeatedly ducking his head, allowing Hunt to set up the knockout punch by throwing two flicker jabs and then swinging a wild right behind the ear.
“There's always a winner and a loser. It's sad one of us had to lose tonight. Frank is a good dude. I respect him a lot," Hunt stated.
With the impressive victory over Mir, Hunt improves his professional record to 12-10-1 and captures his ninth win by way of knockout.
Meanwhile, Mir downgrades to an 18-11 win-loss slate and drops his second-straight outing inside the Octagon.
On the preliminary card, Filipino fighter Mark Eddiva lost his third consecutive fight as he yielded to New Zealander Daniel Hooker via first-round submission. – Rappler.com