By Zach Heim, RCM MMA Correspondent
It was nothing short of an awesome night of fights from the land down under. The UFC returned to Australia for the fifth time. We saw what could be the best heavyweight battle in the history of mixed martial arts; a legend returning to form with a first round knock out and the last fight of a pioneer to women’s MMA.
Julie Kedzie stepped into the cage for the final time as she squared off with UFC newcomer Bethe Correia. It was a slow start in the first round, but about half way through, Correia started to find her range and land some nice shots on Kedzie. With about 10 seconds left in the first round Correia was able to get a take down, but Kedzie was able to tag her with a few shots to the head before the bell rang. The second round started with a much quicker pace. Julie Kedzie followed her corner’s advice and came out looking good as she landed some nice kicks. She was able to knock Correia down with a straight kick to the midsection, but Correia quickly popped back up and forced Kedzie to the fence. At the fence Kedzie was able to gain 50/50 position with an under hook to avoid a take down. Kedzie just missed with an elbow as the two separated. Correia shot for a double leg which Kedzie was able to stuff as the two found themselves against the cage again. Kedzie was able to land a few nice shots before the second round was up, but still no real damage was done by either fighter going into the third round. The most action came in the third round, as Correia was able to land a good leg kick and also get a take down. After getting Kedzie down, Correia worked her over to the fence, which allowed Kedzie to reverse the position and land much better shots than Correia. As the two made it to their feet and got back in the middle of the octagon, Kedzie hit Correia with a wheel kick that didn’t do much damage. The fight ended with a flurry from both fighters as time ran out. The judges came back with a split decision victory for Bethe Correia. (29-28; 28-29; 29-28)
Clint Hester was able to start his fight with Dylan Andrews quickly by landing big shots right out of the gate. However, Andrews took control of the momentum by scoring two big take downs before the end of the first round. Hester came out in round two and landed a big takedown, then worked some good ground and pound, which opened up a cut above the right eye of Andrews. After the two stood up, Hester was able to land more huge shots before the round ended. Dylan Andrews separated his shoulder when Hester took him down which caused the fight to be stopped at the end of the second round. This allowed Clint Hester to extend his winning streak, from four wins to five with a win due to referee stoppage with doctor’s advice.
Soa Palelei was able to finish Pat Barry halfway through the first round. Palelei came out and went for a take down right away which Barry stuffed. Barry went for a few head kicks, which didn’t land. Palelei shot for another take down and was successful, as Barry tried for a knee to the chest. After working on bettering his position, Palelei was able to gain the mount position and end the fight scoring a knock out victory just 2:09 into the first round.
Ryan Bader came out on fire against Anthony Perosh. Bader showed how much strong, faster and younger he was by landing big blow after big blow hits on Perosh. Bader knocked Perosh down twice and punished him with great ground and pound both times. Bader was able to open Perosh up with a nasty elbow in the last couple minutes of the first round. The second round was more of the same fight that was seen in the first round. Bader controlled every second of the round by taking Perosh down and beating Perosh up with his ground and pound. Bader had Perosh pushed up against the cage for the entire round so there wasn’t much he could do but just try to survive Bader’s onslaught. Anthony Perosh showed amazing heart in the third round by not giving up, but Bader just kept such a relentless pace as he continued to take Perosh down then just batter him with ground and pound. Bader continued to go for the finish, but Perosh just wouldn’t quit and was able to last long enough to hear the final bell. Ryan Bader takes home the unanimous decision victory. (30-27; 30-27; 30-26)
In the Co-Main Event, Shogun Rua faced off with James Te Huna. After reports were all over the internet about Shogun possibly retiring if he lost, he entered the cage with a man in the middle of his fight career. Shogun came out with a great combination followed by some nasty leg kicks. Te Huna threw a few punches which Shogun was able to avoid. While circling around the cage Te Huna threw another shot which Shogun countered with a sharp left upper cut knocking Te Huna out just 1:03 into the first round ending all retirement talk for Shogun.
The Main Event put “The Super Samoan” against “Bigfoot”. How can you live up to that headline right? Well they did! Bigfoot came out in the first round and landed several leg kicks that hurt Hunt. He was also able to knock Hunt down with a big right hand and went in for the kill. Hunt got back to his feet, and Bigfoot landed a hard knee as Hunt got back onto to his feet. Silva shot for a take down but Hunt got under hooks and was able to reverse the position at the end of the round. Silva came out in the second round and continued to pepper Hunts lead leg with solid leg kicks, which ended up hurting Hunt and forcing him to switch his stance. Hunt was however able to land some big shot which were answered by Silva. In the beginning of the third round each fighter was landing shots on each other. About half way through the round, Hunt was able to take Silva down. Hunt then worked some punishing ground and pound on Silva for the better part of two minutes, even looking to break Silva’s nose. The fighters came out in the fourth round as Silva landed a couple of shots, which led to a take down attempt and Hunt was able to reverse and do some nasty ground and pound for Bigfoot’s guard. Silva gets back to his feet only to have Hunt land a big right and a nice elbow, which Silva takes and moves in on Hunt. Hitting Hunt with a knee right up the middle and pulling him down for a take down Silva is able to get to mount and split Hunt open with some huge shots. In the final round, with both fighters beaten and bloody, Hunt was able to come out and punish Bigfoot with some big punches and standing elbows as Silva’s hands are waist high. The referee calls a time out for the doctor to come in and take a look at Silva’s cut. The doctor cleared Silva to continue the fight. After the short breather, the two monsters continue the onslaught on each other. Exchanging shot after shot until the final bell. As the two heavyweights embrace, all I could think about was how much I wanted just one more round.
Mark “The Super Samoan” Hunt and Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva lived up to what a Main Event is all about. Dana White said there was “no way this fight will go all five rounds”, boy was he wrong. This was one of the greatest heavyweight fights I have ever seen. It brought back memories of the war between Forest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar in the finals of the first Ultimate Fighter. Both Hunt and Silva entered the cage looking to move up the ladder in the heavyweight division, but after the fight, the only thing that makes since is a re-match. All in all this was a great card with pay per view quality fights on TV for free. You can’t beat that. I hope you all enjoyed them as much as I did.
UFC Fight Night 33 Results & Silva vs. Hunt Video Highlights
- Mark Hunt vs. Antonio Silva declared majority draw (48-47 Hunt, 47-47, 47-47)
- Mauricio Rua def. James Te Huna via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 1:03
- Ryan Bader def. Anthony Perosh via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
- Soa Palelei def. Pat Barry via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 2:09
- Clint Hester def. Dylan Andrews via TKO (injury) – Round 2, 5:00
- Bethe Correia def. Julie Kedzie via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Takeya Mizugaki def. Nam Phan via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-28)
- Caio Magalhaes def. Nick Ring via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Justin Scoggins def. Richie Vaculik via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:43
- Krzysztof Jotko def. Bruno Santos via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
- Alex Garcia def. Ben Wall via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 0:43
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