The Ultimate Fighting Championship came to the Adelaide Entertainment Centre in Adelaide, Australia tonight for UFC Fight Night 65: “Miocic vs Hunt.” The event was headlined by a heavyweight bout between rising star Stipe Miocic and knockout artist Mark “Super Samoan” Hunt.
Also on the card, Brad Tavares took on Robert “The Reaper” Whittaker in the middleweight co-feature. Anthony “The Hippo” Perosh battled Sean “The Real OC” O’Connell, and Jake “The Celtic Kid” Matthews met James “The Texecutioner” Vick. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for the card.
Stipe Miocic vs Mark “Super Samoan” Hunt
Round 1:
Hunt began the fight with a left hook and a body kick, but Miocic briefly took him down. Hunt stood and both men landed one-twos. Miocic jabbed and followed with two right hands. The fighters traded hooks and Miocic tripped Hunt into half-guard. He landed short elbows and punches from the top and looked to set up a far-side kimura. Hunt escaped and he stood up just before the bell. 10-9 Miocic.
Round 2:
Hunt fought off a takedown early in round two, but Miocic backed him up with stiff jabs. Miocic ducked under a left hook and took Hunt down. He landed punches from the back and prevented Hunt from standing up. Hunt eventually rose to his feet and Miocic landed hard right hands. He followed with knees and elbows, but Hunt stayed up. He avoided another takedown attempt and the round ended with both men landing looping hooks. 10-9 Miocic.
Round 3:
Miocic took Hunt down right away in the third round and he dropped elbows from the top. Miocic scored with punch after punch as Hunt tried to get back to his feet. A bloodied Hunt finally stood and Miocic immediately took him back down. He mounted Hunt and landed numerous punches and elbows. Hunt scrambled and got to his knees as Miocic peppered him with punches. 10-8 Miocic. Could be a 10-7.
Round 4:
Miocic scored another early takedown in round four and resumed striking from the top in half-guard. Hunt scrambled, but Miocic kept him pinned down. He postured up with harder punches and Hunt tried to stand against the cage. He ultimately did so, but Miocic punished him with left hooks on the way up. Miocic targeted the body with knees and punches in the final minute. 10-8 Miocic.
Round 5:
Once again, Miocic took Hunt down at the beginning of round five. He pinned Hunt against the base of the cage and landed punches from a partial back control. Miocic threw short left hands and hammerfist strikes until the fight was finally stopped.
Winner: Stipe Miocic by TKO (Punches) at 2:47 of round five. He improves to 13-2-0.
Robert “The Reaper” Whittaker vs Brad Tavares
Round 1:
Whittaker dropped Tavares twice with a pair of left hands in the opening seconds. Tavares tried to recover and get back to his feet, but Whittaker dove in with two more huge punches that rendered Tavares unconscious.
Winner: Robert Whittaker by KO (Punches) at 0:44 of round one. He improves to 14-4-0.
Sean “The Real OC” O’Connell vs Anthony “The Hippo” Perosh
Round 1:
Big punches were exchanged early on and O’Connell rocked Perosh against the cage. Perosh recovered and fired back with punches in return. O’Connell kept the pressure on and he teed off with more huge shots. Perosh wilted against the fence and the referee intervened to stop the fight.
Winner: Sean O’Connell by TKO (Punches) at 0:56 of round one. He improves to 17-6-0.
James “The Texecutioner” Vick vs Jake “The Celtic Kid” Matthews
Round 1:
Matthews opened the action with a hard left hook that stunned Vick and led to a clinch against the cage. Matthews picked Vick up and slammed him down to the mat. Vick stood and Matthews landed another lead left hook, followed by a third. Later in the round, Matthews threw a series of right hands until time was called when he was poked in the eye. The fight continued and Vick landed a jumping switch knee. He fought off a takedown attempt and pulled him to the mat with a guillotine choke. Matthews could not escape and tapped out.
Winner: James Vick by Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 4:53 of round one. He improves to 8-0-0.
(Undercard results and play-by-play on Page Two.)