Stipe Miocic Savages Mark Hunt, Forces 5th-Round Stoppage in UFC Fight Night Headliner
Stipe Miocic continued to establish himself as one of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s premier heavyweights, this time at the expense of Mark Hunt.
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Clean boxing, repeated takedowns and heavy and efficient ground-and-pound were all on display for Miocic (13-2, 7-2 UFC), who has won four of his last five fights. The 32-year-old Strong Style Fight Team representative struck for takedowns in all five rounds, assumed a dominant position and chewed up Hunt with punches, elbows, forearm strikes and hammerfists. Rounds three and four were complete blowouts, and the fifth was headed in the same direction before referee John Sharp decided he had seen enough.
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Whittaker Lights Up Tavares
In the middleweight co-main event, “The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes” winner Robert Whittaker wiped out Brad Tavares with a pair of first-round left hooks and follow-up ground punches. The end came 44 seconds into round one.
Tavares (13-4, 8-4 UFC) scored with outside leg kicks during their initial exchange, only to be blindsided. Whittaker sat down the Hawaiian with his first left hook, floored him with the second after he returned to his feet and followed him to the canvas, where he knocked him cold with a final burst of lefts and rights.
Whittaker (14-2, 5-2 UFC), 24, has rattled off three consecutive victories.
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O’Connell Whips Perosh in 56 Seconds
Sean O'Connell put a hellacious beating on 10-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu national champion Anthony Perosh en route to a first-round technical knockout in a featured battle at 205 pounds. Perosh (15-9, 5-6 UFC) succumbed to an accumulation of power punches 56 seconds into round one.
O’Connell (17-6, 2-2 UFC) was in smash mode from the start. He ripped into Perosh with winging rights and lefts, never allowing the decorated Australian grappler to get out of the gate. Eventually, O’Connell had the 42-year-old pinned against the fence eating hooks and uppercuts while teetering on unconsciousness. Following an extended stream of unanswered shots, the fight was waived off.
Vick Drops Guillotine on Matthews
“The Ultimate Fighter” Season 15 alum James Vick submitted Australian prospect Jake Matthews with a first-round guillotine choke in a lightweight showcase. Vick (8-0, 4-0 UFC) brought it to a close 4:53 into round one, as he kept his perfect professional record intact.
Matthews (8-1, 2-1 UFC) tagged the Lloyd Irvin protégé with an early left hook and executed a takedown inside the first two minutes. Vick, however, refused to stay down. He rose to his feet, backed up the 20-year-old with a double knee and then caught the guillotine while countering an overzealous takedown attempt. Matthews retreated to the mat but found no haven there, leaving him no choice but to tap out.
