Mark Hunt and Antonio Silva fought an epic battle at UFC Fight Night 33 , leaving both warriors bloody and beaten, yet somehow still standing on their own two feet. After five grueling rounds, the decision was left in the hands of the judges, though none could fault either fighter for not attempting to finish the fight.
The first round saw each fighter feeling out their opponent, perhaps due to the fact that as previous training partners , they were both well aware of the devastating knock out power that each one possesses. Hunt was eventually knocked down to the canvas by a super Silva punch but managed to regain composure until the end of the round.
Antonio ‘Big Foot’ Silva used those ‘big feet’ to land some well placed leg kicks in the second round which visibly hurt Hunt. Hunt was limping at the end of the round, and the crowd was left wondering whether Silva had taken the steam out of Hunt.
Known for his vicious hooks and knockout power, Hunt displayed a ferocious tenacity that saw him wobbling the giant Brazilian in the third and came close to finishing the fight.
Due to Silva’s impeccable ground game and BJJ Black belt stature, many were surprised when Hunt landed a takedown in the fourth round. An arm bar was attempted by the BJJ Black belt, yet it was Hunt who remained in control position. Silva eventually managed to mount the ‘Super Samoan’ and landed some vicious ground and pound. However, Hunt held out until the bell.
In a show of great sportsmanship and camaraderie, the two warriors entered the middle of the ring at the beginning of the fifth and hugged reflecting the sheer respect that each martial artist had for one another. Elbows, punches, take down attempts, a bloody forehead and utter exhaustion brought to a close a fight that will probably go down in MMA history as one of the greatest battles ever fought, arguably of the year.
The final decision came out as a majority draw with both fighters having their arms raised. Instead of boos from the crowd there was a sense of respect and appreciation of the will, determination and effort of Hunt and Silva from the fans.
Each fighter received a $50,000 win bonus and ‘Fight of the Night’ .
For those dissenters of MMA and its brutality, one only needs to see the tweeted picture after the fight of Hunt and Silva to dispel those fallacies. True warriors, True sportsmen.
Brothers in arms well done Bigfoot 1 love pic.twitter.com/HyNz9klFQC
— mark richard hunt (@markhunt1974) December 7, 2013
If you haven’t yet watched the fight, you may want to clear up some time out of your schedule to see what makes this promotion the Ultimate Fighting Championship .
Well fans, who is ready for Mark Hunt vs. Antonio ‘Big Foot’ Silva II?
[Photo credit: MMAjunkie.com]
