Fight week is upon us once again as the attention turns back to the UFC cage. This time the promotion heads to Australia to present UFC Fight Night 65. Mark Hunt and Stipe Miocic are due to headline the event, and while that is expected to be a blaze of heavyweight fury, finding value in the rest of the card is a perplexing task for any MMA fan. However, looking further, there are key points of value to be found in this event from down under.
As with any card, the conversation must start with the main event. Miocic and Hunt are two men who are just outside the heavyweight title picture, but still bring enjoyment to the fan base with their performances. Hunt is coming off of a KO defeat at the hands of Fabricio Werdum at UFC 180, while Miocic is looking to rebound after losing to Junior dos Santos at UFC on Fox 13. A win for either man will keep him in the discussion of potential contenders, especially after UFC 188, in which the interim title held by Werdum will be unified with the title held by longtime champion Cain Velasquez. Yet the story of this event should not end at this point, as there are other interesting tidbits of enjoyment.
The fight between Daniel Hooker and Hatsu Hioki should be a matchup filled with exciting grappling exchanges. Both competitors are known for their submission abilities, and those in love with mat-based techniques should make sure to catch their fight.
The still-developing women’s strawweight division will have its chance to build more star power with two fights on the undercard. Bec Rawlings and Kailin Curran are the favorites heading into their fights against Lisa Ellis and Alex Chambers, respectively. If they can both capitalize on the moment and steal the show, as women’s battles tend to do, they can find themselves placed on the short list of potential contenders to Joanna Jedrzejczyk at 115 pounds.
Another moment worth paying attention to is the UFC debut of Jonavin Webb. Webb is a growing star on the East Coast, and the current CFFC welterweight champion. And although this will be his first fight in the Octagon, Kyle Noke will not be the biggest name that Webb has faced at this point in his career, as he’s coming off of a controversial no contest with former Bellator welterweight champion Lyman Good. Multiple MMA outlets have covered Webb’s rise, and this matchup will allow UFC fans to become more familiar with the regional athlete.
UFC Fight Night 65 isn’t a card that features the biggest names in the sport, but still offers a bit of value to the mainstream MMA public. The trend seems to be that something exciting occurs on these smaller shows, and one should not be surprised if the same thing occurs while the UFC is on the other side of the world.
**********
UFC Fight Night 65: Hunt vs. Miocic takes place on May 10, 2015 at Adelaide Entertainment Centre in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. Due to time differences, the event will air on May 9, 2015.
Click the stars to rate how good you think UFC Fight Night 65 will be.
