Mark Hunt Outlasts Ben Rothwell In Exhausting Heavyweight Brawl

Mark Hunt

“Super Samoan” moves to 2-1 in the UFC

For the second consecutive fight, Mark Hunt staved off a pink slip by pulling out a victory, earning a unanimous decision win over Ben Rothwell.

Unlike his bout with Chris Tuchscherer at UFC 127, Hunt didn’t get the walkaway finish in this one. Instead, he managed to outlast an equally exhausted Rothwell through a plodding final round, both men completely drained.

Rothwell looked good early, securing a couple takedowns in the opening round, winning the frame on two of the three scorecards. However, the Wisconsin-based heavyweight tired rapidly, and Hunt was able to exploit that in the second, landing several of his trademark power shots in the stand-up. He also did damage on the ground, and even came close to submitting Rothwell at the close of the round, trying for an armbar but coming up just short at the horn.

In the third, both men were completely drained. Hunt fired off single-shot power punches, walking away between each shot to recover. He moved into side control midway through the round, but didn’t have the energy needed to pound out the victory. Inexplicably, referee Adam Martinez stood the fighters up. When the action resumed, Rothwell looked for a late choke, but was unsuccessful.

When the scorecards were read, Hunt took home the decision with scores of 29-28, 29-27, and 30-27, giving him a second consecutive victory inside the Octagon. The loss drops Rothwell to to 31-8 overall, with a 1-2 record in the UFC.