UFC 221 Results: Curtis Blaydes weathers an early storm to defeat Mark Hunt
CURTIS BLAYDES’ rise up the UFC heavyweight ranks continues.
Curtis Blaydes throughs an overhand right Mark Hunt's way
Chicago native Blaydes made it three wins on the bounce in the main event of UFC 221, which took place in Perth, Australia in the early hours of the morning.
Blaydes’ victory ‘Down Under’ was by far the biggest of his career as he knocked off MMA veteran Mark Hunt.
‘Razor’ continued his surge up the division be defeating Hunt via unanimous decision.
Round one of the eagerly-anticipated heavyweight bout surprisingly saw Blaydes, a Juco wrestling champion, opt to stand and trade with Hunt.
Blaydes showed little respect for Hunt’s infamous knockout power, standing in the pocket and trading with the 43-year-old.
He soon changed his approach moments after the two-minute mark, shooting in for a double-leg takedown and putting Hunt on his back.
Hunt quickly worked his way back up to his feet and responded with a huge right hand which wobbled the Chicago native.
Hunt sensed blood and began to tee off on his opponent, who was in desperation mode and eager to bring the fight back to the canvas.
Mark Hunt attempts atomic butt drop in MMA throwback footage
And he did just that after avoiding a big left hook, which paved the way for him to control Hunt on the ground for the remainder of the round.
Having discovered a new-found respect for Hunt’s power, Blaydes immediately attempted a takedown after the restart.
But unlike his previous attempts to floor Hunt, he was unsuccessful.
Mark Hunt rocked Blaydes with a huge right hand in the first round
However, did manage to bring the fight back down to his world midway through the round and managed to keep Hunt on his back until the buzzer.
The third and final stanza saw Blaydes adopt the same approach he used in its predecessor put Hunt back on the floor.
Hunt tried desperately to work his way back to his feet but found himself overwhelmed by Blaydes, who maintained his dominance until the final buzzer.
All three judges Octagonside saw the contest the same way and scored the bout, 30-26, 30-26, 29-27 in Blaydes favour.