Sherdog.com’s 2013 Fight of the Year
Hunt vs. Silva
Neither Mark Hunt nor Antonio Silva were willing to give ground
Down Under. | Bradley Kanaris/Zuffa LLC/Getty Images
3. Mark Hunt vs. Antonio Silva
Heavyweights are not supposed to last this long, especially when they hit as hard as Hunt and Silva.
Hunt and Silva went toe-to-toe for 25 minutes in the UFC Fight Night 33 main event on Dec. 7 at the Brisbane Entertainment Center in Australia, and somehow, neither man wilted Down Under. The end result was perhaps the most satisfying draw in combat sports history. It was kind of like kissing your stepsister, only if Scarlett Johanssen lived across the hall all these years.
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The bout featured more than its share of momentum shifts, and when the combatants possess that kind of size and power, each pendulum swing felt like it could be the last.
Silva dropped Hunt with a right hand in the first round, and the “Super Samoan” put the Brazilian down in the third frame. A salvo of heavy ground-and-pound from Hunt in round three was answered by a full-mount onslaught from “Bigfoot” in the fourth. By the final period, both Hunt and Silva could barely stand, but neither would wilt. His bleached-blond hair tinted red with blood, Hunt rocked his foe with power punches and standing elbows. With his nose and forehead gushing, Silva continued to press forward. When the final horn sounded, Hunt and Silva shared a blood-soaked embrace that would have made horror flick director Rob Zombie proud.
The feel-good scrap would lose some of its luster after a post-fight drug screen revealed Silva had elevated testosterone levels. For Silva, the result was changed from a draw to a no contest, while Hunt retained the tie on his ledger. For the fans who watched, there was disappointment. However, not even a tainted test could take away the in-the-moment magic.
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