Fight Night is in Australia this Saturday with Mark Hunt and Stipe Miocic headlining the card. There aren’t many other big fights on the card, but Miocic and Hunt are ranked #4 and #5 respectively in a Heavyweight division that seems to constantly be waiting for Cain Velasquez to return from injury.
At UFC 186 in Montreal I didn’t fair very well with my 3 picks all losers. Here’s hoping to turn things around this week.
2014 Record: 54-33 for +17.31 units.
2015 Record: 12-18 for -9.10 units.
Mark Hunt vs Stipe Miocic
Miocic is the favourite in this fight, as he should be. His speed should be too much for Mark Hunt in this fight. Both fighters are coming off losses to the cream of the Heavyweight crop (Miocic losing to JDS and Hunt losing to Werdum).
The only way I see Mark Hunt winning this fight is by catching Miocic with a knockout. That being said I think that’s unlikely. The longer this fight goes, the better Miocic should fare. He had a full 5 round decision fight against Miocic in December, so he should be ready for this 5 rounder. That said, Hunt also was able to go a full five rounds in an amazing fight of the night draw with Antonio Silva in December, 2013.
All things considered I like Miocic to avoid a knockout and take the win over Hunt.
Play: Miocic -220 @ BetOnline.ag
Brad Tavares vs Robert Whittaker
Tavares was a very strong prospect in the middleweight division before losses to Yoel Romero and Tim Boetsch beat him in the middle of last year. He’s since got a W over Nate Marquardt and another win over Whittaker would set him up for some more strong fights in the future.
Whittaker gets the home court advantage in this fight, which can be a big advantage when fighting on the other side of the world. He’s also coming off a big win over another top prospect in Clint Hester. He’s a young fighter that has the potential to do big things in the UFC.
Based on fighting close to home I’m going with the underdog Whittaker in this co-main event.
Play: Whittaker +140 @ BetOnline.ag